November Festivities

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November is a very eventful month in our family. It starts off with Autumn's birthday; a few weeks later comes Collin's birthday and Thanksgiving. It's a wild ride from start to finish.

Collin was born on the 20th of November. (Almost a Thanksgiving baby.) He took the day off on the day of his birthday to spend time as a family. It was also nice to get a chance to do a video chat with his family. He also received so many nice gifts from both sides of our families.

I told Collin to just kick back and relax since it was his special day. I did all the chores and made him a cookies and cream cake. I got some baking experience while trying to make Autumn's birthday cake. This was my first time trying it solo. Everything was going great...until disaster struck. I was mixing the wet ingredients, and then I noticed Collin was giving me a funny look. He said, "Shouldn't you be folding in the cookies last?" That's when I realized I goofed up on the recipe. Because I mixed in the oreo cookies too soon, it made the entire cake turn gray. Despite my big mistake, the cake still turned out great.

Thanksgiving came just a few days later. We stayed in Texas and spent it together just the 3 of us. We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, went on a nice walk, and cooked a lot of food. 

Collin made Beef Wellington, cream corn, and deviled eggs. I made the mashed potatoes and stuffing. We had lots of leftover cake, so we figured we could have that for dessert. Everything tasted amazing, especially Collin's Beef Wellington. He used a steak tenderloin, wrapped it with chopped mushrooms, layers of prosciutto, and pastry dough. It was an excellent substitute for turkey. He has become such a fantastic cook.  

As a kid, I remember looking forward to the delicious food every year. Now that I am an adult, I realize that there is more to Thanksgiving than eating good food. It has helped me to reflect on what I am truly thankful for. I have so much to be thankful for. I am most thankful for my Savior. It's always comforting to me to know He is always there. I can't wait to celebrate His birth this Christmas season!


Fall Family Photos 2018. Our friend Lacie did a wonderful job taking our pictures.




Love the excitement in this one!




















We love being silly



















I LOVE this one! My favorite people




































She has us wrapped around her little finger






President Nelson came to San Antonio on November 18th! Along with Elders Bednar and Ochoa and their wives. They came to speak to us at the Alamodome.






I was so happy to take a trip up to San Antonio with these incredible ladies. What a great day!




The cookies and cream cake I made for Collin's cake. You can see the inside of the cake matches the frosting... Haha. Maybe next year I will redeem myself.





Happy 29th Birthday Collin!!!





Someone else got a slice of cake.






Our Thanksgiving Day Dinner






Collin's Magnificent Beef Wellington






Our little turkey enjoying her Thanksgiving dinner.






What do we do the day after Thanksgiving?? Put up Christmas decorations of course!






I love our Christmas trees. The white lights add a good touch.













The Magic of Christmas


















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