Where did November go?!

December 5th... how is it December already?! Where has all the time gone?! It has slipped between my fingers yet again. We woke up to snow outside this morning, and suddenly I have to start preparing for Christmas! Being insanely busy doesn't help the time slipping by. Every moment has been completely filled with something. It's the moments that seem to stop that are hard.

The month of November was kicked off with one of my favorite Halloweens. We had so much fun trick or treating, even though my costume was very last minute and very thrown together. I guess you can't beat the $3 price....

The trick or treating gang :)

The cutest Marshall EVER!

The pie I was supposed to make... it got eaten before I could finish it.

The rest of the month is a blur. I got up every morning at 4 am to teach cute little Chinese children English. As soon as 7 am chimed on the clock, I was then off to substitute teach at another school. Most of my days were challenging, and being away from my sweet little boy and husband was hard! I think I lost my head when my last day substituting was the BEST class EVER! Jason soon reminded me of all the missed time at home, and the many tears shed from previous hard classes. Not only that, but the thought of continuing and having to put Carter into day care, quickly snapped me out of that phase. I'm done with the hours to renew my teaching license, and I must move on.

Jason has been the hardest worker ever, while I was off on my adventures with teaching. Not only was he taking care of our sweet little boy, and training for another spartan, but he was finishing our basement bathroom. I am happy to say it is pretty much done! Finished! Yay!

Our little family didn't really get any time together until the week of Thanksgiving. Just as we were about to jet off on our 10 day vacation, Carter came down with a bad cold and pink eye. Yep that's right, so we ended up leaving Monday before Thanksgiving. We enjoyed ourselves in Nyssa Oregon where we have shared many memories, and got to spend time with Carter's Great-grand parents. I love sharing places of my childhood with Carter and Jason. Grandma's house is definitely one of the best places out there! Carter was reunited with his cousins, and I got to see my sister (who moved to Washington) and my parents. We had so much fun watching movies, going to the temple, running a 10K, eating lots of delicious food, making pie, and watching cousins play together. It was a great Thanksgiving!

Cooking in the kitchen with Great Grandma <3

The starting line for our 10K!

I know I mention our little girls quite often in these posts. Even though they are gone, they are still a huge part of my thoughts and my life. As we were enjoying ourselves with everyone at Thanksgiving I couldn't help but think of them. Oh how I wished so much that they could be there with us! Our little Shanna girl would probably be walking and getting into anything and everything possible. Kylie, Savannah, Ellie, and Lexi would probably be needing lots of attention. There would have been plenty of hands to pass them around to. We would be loving on those girls just as much as we love on Carter everyday. Even though my sweet angels are not here with us, I noticed so many blessings that came from our loss. We've been able to meet so many people, hear their stories, and reach out to so many families. We've been able to share in the joy and sadness of others and (hopefully) bring hope to those who feel that they've lost too much. My heart may hurt every day of this life until I am reunited with my baby girls, but there is far more good in the world to let go just yet. All that light gives me hope and helps me move forward.

As we start our December and end another hard chapter in the life of our little family, I hope we can continue to bring hope and light to those around us. I hope that each of you can only see the good that comes of things that are hard. We are children of a loving God who cares for us and wants what's best for us. I can't help but think that he has something great in store for our family. His plan is always so much greater than our own and more glorious than we can imagine. Continue to be the good in the world and focus on that good through out this holiday season. If you don't hear from me for a while from now, keep your head up. Keep on keeping on. Have a wonderful Christmas season!

We went to the festival of trees. 

Yes, I am hiding stuff behind my back. Awkward pose lol