November

Wowza! I think I've been overly productive in every area of my life to keep myself from working on the blog - I've always got something else to work on... or so I tell myself. I have no real reason to avoid the blog - maybe it's that another month has passed and in some ways I feel like nothing has changed. But then I look back and think about everything that has gone on since November and I have missed out on documenting so much. Sometimes documenting is the hardest part of this whole journaling thing. I find myself worrying too much about a picture turning out the way I want and just avoid it all together. Then I find myself regretting not having captured those moments. Oh the whoas of the social media world! I just need to focus more and why I really want to capture moments.
I pretty much failed in the capturing department for the month of November - like I think completely. Luckily I have family that captured some great moments over Thanksgiving.
Anyway, enough of that - on to November!
My grandpa was recently put into a home that could better meet his needs and assist him when/where needed. It was a hard thing for our family to do - I think mostly because it was the reality that he was getting old enough that he needed to be somewhere like that. But it has been a good thing! We have found opportunities to visit him, spruce up his room to make it feel like home, and share some stories of our visits and the laughs that come with it.
We had the opportunity to visit him the beginning of the month with (almost) my whole family. It was good to be there and to visit with grandma for a bit as well.

We found plenty of opportunities this month to spend time with cousin Lizzie. We went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity, did some Christmas shopping at a boutique, and had some play dates at home while Hannah and I worked on Christmas decor ideas, etc.

We also had the chance to celebrate a family friend's birthday at Provo Beach Resort. It was fun to get together with childhood friends and catch up a little. We had some $ to spend in the arcade and we were trying to use up the last of it so we could cash in the tickets. Welp we won the grand prize! We never win anything! And guess what it was?!? A little boys tool bench! Guess what was number 1 on our Christmas list for Carter?!? A little boys tool bench! It seriously was perfect! All I had to do was find a matching drill and it was perfect! Found a matching one at TJ Maxx and we were done! Best day!

Thanksgiving with our Marsh family was fabulous! We met in the "middle" - St. George. It was decent weather and so fun to see some cousins, aunts & uncles, and see the fam.
Carter was actually able to enjoy his Thanksgiving dinner this year and we had fun watching him. We also played a round of golf and I realized I need to play more - I'm losing the small bit of skill I had!

literally - we did this every night - a constant source of entertainment

kissin cousins

aka best buddies

And of course, we continue to be mildly obsessed with little Carter man, so here's a few moments from the month of November: 

Carter is still obsessed with lights and now determined to turn them "non" and off all by himself. When he enters a room, the first thing he does is look around for lights and the switches. Then makes sure we help him turn all of them on. His nickname in nursery is brute - my oh my. He walks like one and acts like one and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. He has started this thing where he falls asleep just about anywhere and it's been kind of fun to see where he ends up sometimes.