Thanksgiving 2015

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year in Salmon. I was a little anxious as it approached, because last time we had Thanksgiving in Salmon, things didn't go so well. 2013 was the worst Thanksgiving I think I've ever had. But thankfully, this year's holiday didn't turn out like that experience at all, and I was so relieved and glad.  Kathy hosted the dinner this year (instead of us), which was nice, and helped ease my anxiety. We woke up on Thanksgiving morning and relaxed for a bit, watching the parade on TV and doing our own thing. Thanksgiving Dinner was set for early afternoon, so Josh started working on the potatoes late that morning. He made 3 types of mashed potatoes, and I made 2 kinds of gravy and 2 homemade pumpkin pies. Ed & Kathy did the turkey, stuffing, rolls, corn, and drinks, and Josh's siblings brought salads and pies. 

Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes

Buttery Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Sweet Potatoes - a first for Josh!!! Kathy mentioned
that she loved them, so we wanted to give it a try! He'd never
made them before, and didn't want to eat it either, so it was
amazing that they turned out so incredibly delicious! Kathy
said they were good with country gravy, and she was right!

Josh's siblings all came to Salmon for Thanksgiving, and it was great to be surrounded by them. There were some new family members that came, which made it even more fun, too. Gideon and Alyssa brought their baby to Salmon for the first time, niece Coral brought her new husband Eric, and Malachi brought his fiancee Molly. The meal was so delicious, and we had a wonderful time eating together with family.

The kids served themselves and ate in the kitchen.

The adults served themselves and ate in the living room. 

What a beautiful plate of food!!! And it was super delicious, too!

Later that evening, we played games at Ed & Kathy's house. We played a few rounds of Telestrations, teaching the new game to everyone who hadn't played it before. Then the kids kept playing it as the adults played Buzzword. It was such a fun evening!

It was extremely cold the next morning, so we all hung out inside. The boys played video games with their cousins at our house and at Grandma's house. We usually go get a Christmas tree on Friday, but nobody else but our family needed one this year, so we decided to go sledding instead. We went to Lover's Lookout hill with cousins Joel & Isaac, and Uncle Malachi. Grandpa and Gideon came up about an hour after we'd been there.

We used a variety of techniques to get everyone back up to the top of the long hill after sledding to the bottom: pulling them behind the 4-wheeler, walking, and driving down in the suburban to pick them up.

Isaac and Jonah

Joel and Micah

Ammon

Kanyon and Josh (I love this photo, btw)

They kept trying to ride in a train together, but never managed to keep the train
connected all the way to the bottom of the hill!

We had a great time sledding for about two hours, then decided it was time to go back home to warm up. Tiffany's family left later that afternoon to go back home to Pocatello. That evening, we went to watch the Parade of Lights on Salmon's main street. It was still super freezing outside, so we sat in the car until the parade was starting, then we got out for the 15 minutes that the parade lasted. The parade went in a different direction this year, and it was longer than in year's past, but it was a good little parade (despite the cold!). 

When the parade was over, we came home and went back to Ed & Kathy's to help Mal & Molly make centerpieces for their upcoming wedding reception and discuss the details of their wedding plans. Then we FINALLY got to play a few rounds of the game "Things" (Kanyon had been dying to play it ALL weekend with his uncles!).  

On Saturday, Gideon & Alyssa went back home to Boise. Josh and I took the boys to the Cheerleader's Bazaar at the high school, and then Josh made some turkey and I made rolls so we could have some Thanksgiving leftovers (besides just potatoes)! Everyone knows that the leftovers are sometimes just as good as the Thanksgiving dinner itself! 

On Sunday, Malachi and Molly left after church. Kanyon was sad and had a bit of a holiday hangover when it was all over. He had been excitedly anticipating Thanksgiving for almost 2 months because he couldn't wait to be with family and play games with them. For weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, whenever anyone asked what the best part of Thanksgiving was, he would respond "spending it with family". Ever since Thanksgiving this year, he's said that Thanksgiving is now his favorite holiday (even after Christmas he said it!), because he loves being around family so much! I'm glad that Thanksgiving was such a positive experience this year, and that being together with Josh's family has such a lasting effect on Kanyon! I remember a few times when I was a kid spending Thanksgiving with my cousins, and it truly was a magical experience! I have never forgotten moments from some of my childhood Thanksgivings, and I'm glad that my children are making memories now that they'll remember and treasure, too! 

On Thanksgiving, I noticed the boys added a mask to the
golfing snowman in the yard. I laughed so hard when I saw
it. I usually picture snowmen with carrot noses and rock eyes,
not wearing some mask holding an iron club! It's like
he's ready to break into a bank or something! So funny!

Goals for 2016

Last night at Family Home Evening, our family reviewed goals we'd made last year, and then set new goals for this coming year. Here's the rundown:

KANYON
His 2015 goals report:
1. Swim in deep end - achieved
2. Tie shoes - still in the process of learning
3. Buy laptop - achieved (he paid for part of his "half laptop/half tablet")
4. Do laundry all by himself - achieved
5. Play less on dad's phone during Sacrament Meeting at church - achieved

The list of his 2016 goals:
1. Raise a pumpkin patch
2. Be better at snowboarding (go down the mountain without assistance)
3. Learn how to do a double knot in shoe tying
4. Get all A's at school
5. Brush teeth every morning and night


MICAH
His 2015 goals report:
1. Do a fun run - achieved
2. Join cross country - achieved
3. Go to the temple - achieved
4. Get all A's - achieved
5. Don't say "frick" - failed
6. Don't spend more than $20 a month - failed

The list of his 2016 goals:
1. Get all A's
2. Pass the scout swim test
3. Improve playing the trombone
4. Learn to tie a neck tie
5. Do laundry twice a month


JONAH
His 2015 goals report:
1. Learn to tie a tie - failed
2. Get all A's - achieved
3. Participate in a fun run - achieved
4. Don't make annoying sounds - failed
5. Give everyone in the family a gift for their birthday - partially failed (he got gifts for Ammon & Dad)

 The list of his 2016 goals:
1. Make his AR goal every quarter
2. Get better at skiing
3. Learn to tie a neck tie
4. Play on the basketball team
5. Pass the scout swim test after swim lessons


AMMON
His 2015 goals report:
1. Run the mile in 5:15 - failed (he got down to 5:28, but then got injured during XC season)
2. Get par on the course - failed (the par is 36 and he got 37--so close!)
3. Read Book of Mormon - failed
4. Get all A's - achieved
5. Save $3000 - failed
6. Clean room weekly - failed

The list of his 2016 goals:
1. Get all A's
2. Learn to play the guitar and ukele
3. Get or break par on any golf course
4. Go to state individually in golf and cross country
5. Don't get injured
6. Run the mile in 5:10
7. Pay a full tithe


KALA
I already did a blog post about my 2015 goals. Read the full report HERE

The list of my 2016 goals:
1. PHYSICAL - Run in a 5k
2. SPIRITUAL - Go to the temple 6x
3. EDUCATIONAL - Complete 30 credits and Pass Praxis II test
4. PERSONAL - Blog every week
5. SOCIAL - Do acts of service weekly
6. FAMILY - Take one son on a date each month
7. FINANCIAL - meet with Josh monthly to have a budget meeting


JOSH
His 2015 goals report:
1. Lose 2 inches off waist - failed
2. Run in a race - achieved
3. Climb a new mountain - achieved
4. Fast once a month - failed
5. Pay fast offering - failed
6. Pay off credit card - failed
7. Go camping in a new sport - achieved
8. Spend individual time with one of our boys each month - achieved

The list of his 2016 goals:
1. Fast once a month
2. Pay fast offering monthly
3. Pay off mexico trip and one vehicle (truck or suburban)
4. Get to 200 lb or less
5. Learn more Spanish
6. Climb one new mountain


FAMILY
Our 2015 goals report:
#1: Finish reading the Book of Mormon - failed (We finished the year in Ether. We started reading it in 2013 together, and it's taking longer than I thought to finish it!)

#2: Have a lesson from "Preach my Gospel" at Family Home Evening - achieved (Josh, Ammon, and I all rotated teaching lessons from it throughout the year. We are about halfway through the manual.)

#3: Invite one family to join us for dinner once a month in our home - achieved (we all got two turns to invite families over, and had such an enjoyable experience doing it!)

January: Kala invited the Hobbs family. They came over for game night & dinner. We played Telestrations; it was so much fun!

February: Josh invited the Tarkalson family. They came over for the Superbowl & the table was overflowing with food!

March: Ammon invited the Williams family. They came over for dinner, then the kids played outside until it was dark, and we had Family Home Evening afterwards.

April: Jonah invited the Oliverson family. They came over for dinner and then the kids all played outside. The girls liked the tire swings, and the boys had a good time together.

May: Micah invited the Bingham family. They joined us for dinner, and then while Hunter played with the boys, Jim & Michelle taught us a new card game called "golf", and we played a couple rounds of it.

June: Kanyon invited the Silva family. They came for dinner of chicken enchiladas and we played/relaxed in the yard afterwards. Kanyon loved sitting on the hammock with Hestyn.

July: Ammon invited the Jackson family. They joined us for a steak dinner, and then Eli played with the box on Xbox while Darcy & Phil chatted with Josh & I in the living room until well past bed time!

August: Jonah invited the Roylance family. They came for a bbq hamburger dinner. The boys all played apple wars outside as TeddySue & Jason visited with Josh and I.

September: Micah invited the Eagle family. They came over and we had lasagna for Sunday dinner, and afterwards Kota ran around on the motorcycle/four wheelers with the boys.

October: Kanyon invited the Bills family. They came over and we had corn chowder and cheesy bread. They brought flowers for us, which was so nice, and we gave their girls some mini pumpkins to take home. We had a good visit with Nathan and Elisha while Kanyon enjoyed playing with their girls all night.

November: Josh invited the Wilcox family. They joined us for Josh's delicious steak and mashed potatoes.

December: Kala invited the Judy family. They came over for poppyseed chicken, and we had an enjoyable visit afterwards while the kids played.

Our 2016 goals:
1. Have a monthly testimony meeting as a family
2. Read the Pearl of Great Price
3. Invite one family over a month for dinner
4. Save as a family to go to Disneyland this fall

2015 Goals Report

I set up a page on my blog to help me keep track of my goals and the progress I was making towards completing those goals throughout the year. I was overall pretty successful in accomplishing what I'd hoped to during the year, mostly because of the constant reminder on my blog!


1. PERSONAL: Do at least 10 blog posts a month, including 1 personal post - SUCCESS
There were some months that I had under 10 posts, but in other months I posted more than 10, so it all evened out. It was harder for me to write personal posts (and I knew it would be, which is why I made it a goal: to stretch my writing abilities)--I have to be in just the right [aka write] mood to gather my personal thoughts and ideas, and composing them takes longer than my traditional posts. Since I was so heavily invested in my college classes this year, that sucked some of my writing inspiration out of me (because I already had to write and submit assignments for them), and I only ended up posting 10 personal posts total this year instead of 12 like I originally wanted.

I order a blog book every December. I got this
book in the mail this year on Christmas Eve!
(Yes, I'm a couple of years behind in my orders).

       January: 11, personal post about my Grandma Rose
       February: 10, personal post about a weak parenting moment
       March: 10, personal post about marriage
       April: 9, personal post about choices in mothering
       May: 12, personal post about memories and simple days
       June: 15, personal posts about my generational rings. and experiencing annoyances
       July: 15, personal post about my college experience
       August: 11
       September: 8
       October: 9, personal posts about my experiences with sunflowers, and my fears/fascination with the solar system
       November: 10
       December: 10


2. SPIRITUAL: Go to the temple 6 times, including a visit to 1 temple I've never been to before - SUCCESS
I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to complete this goal since it was a little harder than I'd anticipated to accomplish it once the Idaho Falls temple closed in the spring for renovations! But I did, and the last time was just within a few days of the end of  2015.

       January: Went to the Rexburg temple with Amanda
       February: Went to the Idaho Falls temple with Josh for Tim & Barb's sealing, and Visited the Washington DC temple--I've never been there before. I wasn't sure if I would get to see it on my trip to Virginia to visit my sister, but Mack surprised me. I was happily surprised!
       April: Went to the Rexburg temple with Josh for Mikey & Denae's wedding
       September: Went to the Boise temple for niece Coral's wedding, and to the Logan temple for Kerry and Zack's wedding.
       December: Went to the Brigham City with Josh and the twins. It was their first time going to the temple, and they did baptisms.


3. EDUCATIONAL: Complete 30 university credits -  SUCCESS
I only actually earned 25 credits this year, but I also spent weeks studying and preparing for the Praxis I test, and I passed it with flying colors. That time could've been spent working on and completing another college class, so I don't feel like I was a complete failure in this category.

       January: 3 credits (Educational Psychology)
       February: 1 credit (Themes of U.S. & World History)
       March: 1 credit (Applications of U.S. & World History)
       April: 3 credits (Fundamentals of Diversity, Inclusion, & Exceptional Learners)
       June: 4 credits (Integrated Natural Science)
       July: 4 credits (Integrated Natural Science Applications)
       August: Passed the Praxis I test
       October: 3 credits (Classroom Management, Engagement, & Motivation)
       November: 3 credits (Educational Assessments)
       December: 3 credits (Introduction to Preclinical Experiences)
     

4. FAMILY: Go on a date with one son each month - SUCCESS
Josh and I took one son out for dinner each month. They got to choose where they wanted to go, and what they wanted to eat. It was a fun monthly date!

       January: Took Ammon to the Chinese Restaurant for dinner
       February: Took Jonah to Bertram's for a big burger
       March: Took Micah to 28 Club for prime rib
       April: Took Kanyon to Bertram's for steak
       May: Took Ammon to the Mexican Restaurant
       June: Took Jonah to the 28 Club for his first prime rib
       July: Took Micah to the Mexican Restaurant
       August: Took Kanyon to Bertram's for Prime Rib
       September: Took Ammon to Bertram's for Fish & Chips
       October: Took Jonah to the Mexican Restaurant
       November: Took Micah to Wally's Cafe
       December: Took Kanyon to the Savage Grill for Chicken Burger and Chicken Nuggets


5. PHYSICAL: Lose 25 lbs and earn that trip to Mexico! - FAIL
I faithfully exercised and ate healthy for 3 months this summer/fall in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Mexico. I lost 12 pounds--which was 50% of what I'd hoped to lose. So it wasn't a complete failure, but it also wasn't a complete success.


6. FINANCIAL: Pay for a trip to visit my sister in Virginia - SUCCESS

My trip was in February, and I paid it off in August. And right after it was paid off, I accrued more debt having a root canal done, and I have been working on paying that off ever since. I feel like my credit card will never retain a zero balance!!


7. SOCIAL: Do a random act of kindness at least twice every month - SUCCESS
This was a fun goal for me, I enjoyed finding ways to serve others.

       January: Fed the missionaries, brought Krissy's kids back home to Salmon from Arco
       February: Made a grammy contest for the high school music department and purchased prizes for the winners, bought a coffee for the elementary school maintenance worker
       March: gave Alessandria glitter spray out of the basket I bought at the elementary school silent auction, helped put away chairs after a relief society activity, drove to Stanley to pick up Krissy's kids for her.
       April: gave flowers to a co-worker, organized & directed a week-long recess clean-up at school: the kids and I picked up sticks, picked up trash, shoveled gravel off the blacktop, and decorated the playground with chalk
       May: drove to Stanley to pick up Krissy's kids and an Alexander girl and brought them to Salmon, paid for a friend's entrance to the movie theater
       June: Purchased food items to create a feast for the 2nd graders in Kanyon's class on the last day of school, packed and cleaned the bathroom and half the kitchen of a woman in our ward who's moving, was in charge of directing the campfire songs at YW camp for 2 nights.
       July: Was the guest reader for four weeks at the Library Summer Reading Program, volunteered at the Pioneer Celebration's primary activity, helped a friend move.
       August: Helped at the ward's wood-getting project, gave some lady friends rides to water aerobics.
       September: Purchased extra cupcakes for Kindergarten because a student brought birthday treats to share with the class but there wasn't enough for everyone, gave a backpack to a student who didn't have one, worked in the boosters booth at a home football game.
       October: Donated pumpkins to the Lemhi After School Promise kids and to the adults at Joshua Smith Foundation, emptied garbages and cleaned chalkboards at the church.
       November: Made and delivered pumpkin pies for a friend, took a senior citizen to the movie theater and had a blast!
       December: Purchased and donated gifts for the Christmas is Sharing program, donated clothes to a woman with sons in need of them, volunteered at the boosters booth during a basketball game