Thanksgiving Break

So I feel like ever since Thanksgiving break, time has gone by super fast! I've been slacking on keeping up with the blog. Being super sick hasn't helped and neither has the fact that I've had a ton of homework to do. But today was the last day of classes and I'm FINALLY feeling better. So, it's time to get back on track. 

It was SO nice to have a break from school and work. Idaho is perfect for relaxing since Declo is so tiny. We only have a limited number of things that we can do so it's definitely a stress-reliever. I was determined to go running while on vacation and took Rue with me. She did great! I'm sure it helped that there was nobody on the road when we ran. That way, she wasn't distracted. She gave me consistent 9-minute miles! I need to run with her again now that I feel better. 

One night, Mekhi was able to sleepover. We played Monopoly Deal and Hangman. Mekhi actually beat me at Hangman several times. One of the words he chose was "Cuban" and I couldn't guess for the life of me! Mekhi is one funny and smart kid. We loved having him around. He and Blaine also played tons of video games together. 

On Thanksgiving morning, Blaine FaceTimed with Keith, Brian, Kim, Aston, Chase, and Tucker so that Grandmom could see them. It was so neat to watch. You can tell Grandmom really enjoyed it. Technology is seriously awesome. 

Thanksgiving dinner this year was smaller than other years in Idaho. It was just us, Aunt Jan, Uncle Lynn, Grandmom and PopPop. But Aunt Jan didn't scale the food down. There was enough food to feed dozens of people. We cooked for 2 days for all the food to be ready. I learned how to do almost everything since it might be the last Thanksgiving we spend with the Idaho fam. My favorite dish that Aunt Jan makes is her sweet potatoes. They are so good! I also made my first pumpkin pie, along with 2 coconut creme pies and a pumpkin cream cheese roll. It was all so delicious. We had leftovers for days on end. 

After our Thanksgiving lunch, PopPop and Blaine sat in front of the TV for the rest of the day. When football is on, these two can't seem to do anything else. The Redskins beat Dallas and Blaine was ecstatic for the rest of the day. 

During the rest of our stay, we did what we usually do. We help everybody with whatever they need around the house and listened to Grandmom and PopPop tell stories. I love listening to them. These moments with them are cherished and very precious to Blaine and I. 

After Thanksgiving, Aunt Jan and I got into Christmas-decorating mode. We made several wreaths and decorated the entire house. Uncle Lynn and Blaine helped us with the tree. I love her tree! It's gorgeous.

Rue had a great time in Idaho as well. She got to play (almost non-stop) with Rusty. We also had Chester (Janae's dog) with us for a couple of days. She was in doggie-heaven. One day, Uncle Lynn took her to the farm and she rode in the tractor with him all day. He said she loved it. 

She also got to cuddle with Grandmom. They really like each other :) 

On Friday night, I started learning how to knit. Aunt Jan bought this yarn for us to make scarves for our big family picture in December when the whole family is going to be together. I was intimidated at first and made several mistakes that required me to start over. But after a couple of tries, I really got the hang of it. I didn't want to stop till I was done. Blaine had to take it away from me so that I could go to bed one night. But I woke up the next morning and finished it before it was time to go. I love it! I'm asking for knitting needles and yarn in my stocking for Christmas this year :) 

We had a great time in Idaho, except for the fact that Blaine started getting really really sick towards the end of our break. We decided to leave a little bit early because it was going to snow and Blaine didn't want to drive sick in bad weather. I can't wait till everybody gets here in December. Grandmom & PopPop are going to be so excited. It's going to be great!