Thanksgiving 2013

Oh the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving. This was my first year away from my family for Thanksgiving. I missed what I was used to, but also enjoyed just being together with our little family on this wonderful holiday. We have much to be grateful for. 

For FHE a few weeks before the event, we decided to make hand turkeys and list what we are thankful for this year. We helped Oliver with his list :) High on the list was milk for him and of course his parents. We're not biased at all. 

We loved wearing the Gobble shirt from Grandma Jan. So cute! Love our little turkey.

On the actual day of Thanksgiving, Oliver and I continued the tradition of the Thomas Turkey Trot. It was a beautiful day on the beach. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with our branch. It was delicious.

On Friday, we decided we wanted to do our own Thanksgiving feast. I made pecan pie for Chris, which turned out being my favorite thing from the day. Delicious. Chris wanted to make duck for the dinner. It was an adventure. It ended up being yummy. I preferred my turkey breast, but Chris loved his duck. We invited the Reece family to join us for the feast. Ashley and Colt have an adorable little girl Madi who is 3 weeks older than Oliver. It's fun to have friends here in the same boat as we are. 

It was a great Thanksgiving. We are so blessed, especially to have our little Oliver this year. He's pretty much the sweetest thing.

Exploring Oregon

Well we've been in Oregon for a little more than a month and are thoroughly enjoying this beautiful state. We enjoy beautiful walks on the beach. We enjoy beautiful drives through the forest right by the ocean on the highway. We are still in awe at the beauty that surrounds us.

We've had fun exploring and getting to know the area a bit. The Tillamook Cheese Factory was high on my list, so we decided to make the drive north on a Saturday. The factory was fun with just a self-guided tour. We enjoyed cheese samples, stocked up on yummy cheese, and even ate some cheeseburgers while there. It was a perfect little trip up the coast.

The next weekend, we met Chris up in Newport and drove to Toledo (just a 10 minute or so drive inland). We ate at Cobblestone Pizza which was scrumptious. Then we went bowling. It wasn't very busy for it being a Friday night, but I guess that's what you get in a little town. Neither of us are very good bowlers, but we had a fun time.

I loved the fishbowl ball

Last Saturday, we stopped at Seal Rock beach which is on the way home from Newport. The tide was out, so we got to see some awesome things. The rocks had starfish all over them. It was so cool. There were also mussels (I think that's what they are) on other rocks. There were a couple of  people trying to dig them off of the rock. Anyways, it was so beautiful and a fun little adventure.

Oliver's not looking super happy here

Other happenings include a couple outings to the movie theater. Oliver slept through all of The Hunger Games. During Thor he was a little more fussy, but overall great. He's a trooper. One of the little new traditions that we've started here that I love is a weekly lunch date with Chris in Newport. There are so many cute little cafes and restaurants around Newport, so it's a fun way to explore the town in that way. It's also a treat to see Chris during the day.

Cafe Stephanie (yummy sandwiches) 

funny faces from my boys but at a yummy
Mexican restaurant

We're enjoying life here in Oregon. I'm so grateful for all the blessings we have, especially our little Oliver. I'm so blessed to be able to spend my days with our sweet boy. He really is growing so much and has the sweetest little personality. We're loving his big smiles and even some little giggles.

he has a love/hate relationship with the monkey
 hanging off his car seat

Oliver loves his dad. Look at that face and those kisses for daddy. He's the one that can really make Oliver laugh.

 Oliver has rolled from his tummy to his back once. This was the face after the event.

 Oh those chubby cheeks. Such a yummy little man.

To come: Thanksgiving and 3 month update