Tag: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Weekend

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope your turkey day and thanksgiving weekend was a relaxing and joyful one. I hope that you had the chance to spend time with loved ones.
Our Turkey Day weekend was a nice and relaxing one. Grandma Zoe came out to visit from Spokane and we cooked a small but very tasty turkey dinner. Because it was such a small crowd, we decided this year to cook a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. I love left overs but even a 10 pound turkey leaves more than we cant get rid of in a weeks time.
The bird before its long nap in the oven. 
The process of homemade pumpkin pie, including crust made from scratch.Turned out amazing.
Our amazing turkey day dinner of Turkey breast, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy and saute’d carrots. Yummy!
The day after Thanksgiving we took it easy. Shaun had to go into work for a a half day and when he came home we went out and did a little Black Friday shopping with Grandma. The deals this year were OK, but nothing worth going out at 10pm on Thanksgiving day for. In all honesty there isn’t a deal good enough to make people work on Thanksgiving for. It was a pretty low key day and that was fine. I think we were still suffering from a turkey coma.
The next day we got moving, had breakfast at our favorite cafe and then headed out for a ferry ride over to Kingston and Port Gamble. It was a bit of a dreary day but that didn’t stop us! It was nice to get out of the house, move around and enjoy the outdoors. Our biggest hope was that Port Gamble would be decorated with Christmas lights and more!
Its a bit chilly out but we are loving the ferry ride.
My beautiful girl… Ellie was asleep with Grandma Zoe in the car.

State Champion Camperdown Elm. This tree has been in this spot since 1875. Just read the sign below!
This tree looks very different during the spring and summer, but its almost ghostly appearance without its leaves made us stop and take a look.
Our favorite general store all decorated for the holidays.
Pretty! Can I take it all home to decorate with??!
I love these ornaments and I would love to take them all home for my tree!
Ellie felt like such a big girl with her cup of hot chocolate. Have I mentioned that its some of the best hot chocolate that I have ever had?
The Port Gamble General Store is getting ready for Christmas!
The bistro in one of the historic homes is all ready for Christmas. So pretty!
Love this little town. We discovered Port Gamble on a late night drive when we lived in Seattle before the girls were born. It was Christmas time and the whole town was lit up at night. Glad we get to share this with our kids.

After our stop and fun in Port Gamble, we made our way to Bainbridge to take the ferry into Seattle. We wanted a more close up view of the Space Needle. At Christmas time the Space Needle gets a little something extra to celebrate the season and who can pass up a picture to celebrate our first holiday season here in Seattle! So cute and festive if you ask me.

Even the Space Needle gets into the Christmas Spirit.

Today was the final day of our Thanksgiving weekend and it was spent at home relaxing. Shaun and I did some grocery shopping while the girls hung out with Grandma Zoe and then I used some of the leftover turkey to make my moms famous Turkey Tetrazzini. It turned out amazing and was the perfect end to a fun weekend. Now its back to school, work and reality tomorrow. It certainly was fun while it lasted!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
I hope the day finds you doing well and enjoying lots of turkey and yummy goods with family and friends. Our day was a simple and relaxing one, so much so that I don’t think I took a single picture this year!
Grandma Zoe came over for a yummy turkey feast that Shaun and I cooked. Well, it was mostly Shaun and I made some of the appetizers. Abby and Ellie played outside on what was a beautiful California afternoon. Grandma kept them busy with walks around the block, sidewalk chalk and much more. When dinner was ready we sat down to eat although there were some at the table who were uninterested in eating. The girls hadn’t been the best nappers that day so dinner was interrupted a bit so that we could put Ellie to bed. Aside from that we enjoyed all of the turkey we could and a bit of pie afterward.
Once dinner was done and both Abby and Ellie were in bed, Shaun and I headed out for some Black Friday fun. We didn’t have any deals in mind but its always fun to see the rush of people and the madness created by holiday deals that in the end aren’t all that great. We found a few and got a bit of shopping out of the way. For the most part the fun of the evening was watching everyone else! It was another fun Thanksgiving for the history books!

Thanksgiving 2011

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There isn’t much I can say about Thanksgiving that cant be told by our pictures. We had a wonderful relaxed day. This year we decided to do the traditional feast instead of the BBQ we did last year. Shaun’s turkey came out amazing! It was extremely tasty and very moist. No dry turkey in our house! Grandma Zoe came over and spent a few days with us, hanging out and watching the girls. After dinner we decided to brave the crowds and do a little Black Friday shopping at midnight. Don’t worry, it wasn’t us involved in the crazy pepper spraying at the Wal-Mart just down the street from us. Our patience and casual approach to our Black Friday shopping paid off. We were able to go out and find some great deals, like my Dirt Devil Stick Vac for only $10! We also have a new LED HD TV downstairs that we love so far. It was a steal too but I will keep the price of that to myself. 🙂 Happy early Christmas to us!







Thanksgiving 2010

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Happy Thanksgiving!

This year was Ellie’s first Thanksgiving and while it was important because it was her first, it was also a quiet and low key weekend. This year Shaun and I decided not to cook the traditional Turkey Dinner and instead opted for a BBQ dinner from Famous Dave’s. While I am sure we missed the turkey dinner we normally have, I cant say I was disappointed with their brisket. I did keep a little tradition and cooked two pies, pumpkin and apple, which were both a hit with the family.


Grandma Zoe came over on Thanksgiving day to enjoy dinner with us. Afterward we hung out, letting all of that yummy BBQ settle and watched a movie of Abby’s choice… Toy Story 3. It was an excellent movie for Thanksgiving! The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying the four days that Shaun had off. We visited with Grandpa Pat, Nana Fiona, Uncles James and Aunt Brittany. We also tried to hit some of the sales on Black Friday. We did find some great deals and took advantage of them as best we cook. Merry early Christmas to Shaun who found a few new shirts and a couple other items that he was in need of.


The Thanksgiving holiday was a great weekend and I hated to see it end. I feel spoiled when I have Shaun home for more then just the weekend. It was hard to let him go back to work but I know we have another big holiday coming up and more time off to spend together!

Turkey Day… Gobble Gobble

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Our Turkey day was a pretty low key day. We cooked and had our dinner here and Grandma Zoe came over for a while to enjoy the evening with us. All in all it was a wonderful day and Shaun cooked a great dinner, with a little help from me too.

Shaun woke up early to start the turkey and wow… it was quite the process. Not because it was a large turkey or because it was a complicated recipe. Shaun chronicled the entire process through Facebook. It was one sexy turkey, as Shaun put it. Usually the smells of all of the food cooking on Thanksgiving get me hungry and super excited for dinner, but this year was a little bit different. Morning sickness and extreme food aversions made the smells a tad unbearable, but in the end I was able to eat a bit and enjoy some of it. Pregnancy certainly can do a number on your favorite holiday foods!

All in all it was a wonderful day and there were plenty of laughs to be had. Abby enjoyed her first real Thanksgiving dinner. She seemed to enjoy her mashed potatoes the most!

That is one yummy looking turkey if you ask me!

Shaun enjoying the aromas of a perfectly cooked turkey. He is a bit of a goof! Can you tell?

Our Thanksgiving table. It certainly wasn’t fancy but it was full of lots of yummy food!

Abby is enjoying her mashed potatoes, turkey and stuffing. I think Daddy is helping her out a bit and Abby doesn’t appear to be thrilled about taking the picture. Ah family!

Most of November… In a Quick Nutshell

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November, just like most other months, flew by too fast. At the same time we had a lot of fun. We were busy as usual and excited for the yummy holiday season to begin (Turkey Day and then Christmas of course). Several of our weekends were spent out and about, finally able to enjoy some time together as a family.

The second weekend of November we were given the opportunity to go to the “Meet the Kings” party at Hollywood Park. This is generally a family event, so we were able to take Abby with us and enjoy the day. Shaun and I had the opportunity to meet some of our favorite Kings players and get their autographs as well as pictures with them. Some of the players you see us with in pictures are Dustin Brown, Sean O’Donnell, Michal Handzus, Jarett Stoll and Jack Johnson. Abby was certainly a hit with most of the players… What a Flirt!! She was even the one who put that huge smile on Michal Handzus’ face, and let me tell you he doesn’t smile often. We had a wonderful time and hope to participate again soon.

The following weekend we decided to take Abby to Disneyland. All of the lovely holiday decorations were close to being completed and the castle looked absolutely beautiful. I have to say that the holidays at Disneyland is probably my most favorite time of year. The night was fun and Abby seemed to be very entertained by all of the lights and decorations. Abby and I took our picture with Santa, whom Abby seemed a tad wary of but also interested in. We even had the chance to see the park bench that Walt Disney would sit on every Sunday when he took his daughters to the carousel and playgraound. As he sat on this bench he would think and dream up ideas of what is now Disneyland. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Catching Up After the New Year!

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Greetings and Happy New Year!

Well I said I would get everyone caught up on what has happened since I last posted and that is what I plan to do. I think I have basically left everything out from Thanksgiving until now. So here I go!
Thanksgiving in the Wharton house was quiet, fairly uneventful and wasnt even spent at home! I think after moving, adding Abigail to the family and not being completely settled yet made us want some quiet time away from it all. So there wasn’t too much to report there. It was nice to have some quiet time with Abigail and Shaun and just forget the stress we have been under.

Abigail seemed to enjoy her time, although she slept a lot. We helped her celebrate her First Thanksgiving by dressing her in her cute little turkey “onsie”. Hehe… our little butterball!


Before we knew it Thanksgiving quickly slipped by and all of a sudden Christmas was upon us. This year Christmas felt a little detached for me, as we were still in housing limbo, my parents were far away and it was the first without my Grandpa Prueter. It hit me hard and for the first time in my life, I actually had the blues at Christmas. I was determined, however, to keep the blues from getting the best of me. I continuously reminded myself that this was Abigails’s First Christmas and it would be a joyous occasion. Which it was.

Christmas Eve was spent at Mary and Tom’s (Shaun’s Aunt and Uncle, mine too now!). It was wonderful to visit with family and see all of the Oliver’s and Wharton’s together. After the party we came home and I stayed up way too late packing and getting ready for our getaway(more about that later!). It was our plan to leave early in the morning the day after Christmas and I knew Christmas day would be a busy one. I also had to throw in some holiday baking and try out the recipe that Patrick gave me for Molasses Cookies. They came out great and made some wonderful snacks on the road. Thank you Patrick and thank you Grandma Pat.

Abigail, dressed completely in red and looking a lot like Santa’s little helper in her red Santa boots, gets ready to leave her first of many Christmas Eve parties at Mary and Toms. By the time we got home she was passed out and ready for Santa to come!

Christmas day started off at a decent hour. Give it a few more years and I am sure that wont be the case! We opened presents at home and enjoyed our version of a Christmas tree. We opened gifts from my side of the family and all I have to say is that Abigail beat both Shaun and I in regards to the gifts under the tree, not that there was a competition! Daddy also gave her a very special gift from Tiffany’s. The first piece of jewelry a little girl receives should always come from her daddy. Now she has something very special to wear when she gets older. It was so wonderful to spend this time with Abigail and I know we will cherish her first Christmas always! Jack even enjoyed the day too and got a stocking full of toys from Grandma Taylor as well.

Its hard to see it among the presents but there is a little tiny tree in there somewhere.

Even though Abigail is far too young to remember or understand Christmas, it certainly looks as though she had a lot of fun! It was all of the bright colored wrapping paper.


After opening presents at home, we headed over to Patrick and Fiona’s house to celebrate. We had a wonderful breakfast complete with sausage, bacon, danishes, and Fiona’s famous egg souffle. Abigail received several books and outfits from the family and an absolutely adorable dress from her Aunt Brittany. James and his girlfriend Samantha were there as well and spent plenty of time holding and playing with Abigail. Although it seems that James always makes her cry!! (Just Kidding..its a bit of an inside joke.) I think Abigail is loved by all and I know as she grows older and understands it more, she will appreciate it and love every moment of it.

Uncle James certainly loves his niece! Its show in the amount of time he likes to spend with her and hold her. He also seems to like to share things with her like Grandpa’s new hat! She’s too cute!

The Wharton’s together at Christmas! Unfortunately Brittany was unable to be in the picture, that’s OK though, well get one of all of us soon!

After we had brunch with everyone, we made our way to the final house of the day. Around 4pm we arrived at Zoe’s house ready to make a tasty and simple Christmas dinner. Shaun and I worked in the kitchen making the stuffing and mashed potatoes while Grandma Zoe had the chance to spend some time with Abigail. We ate a lovely dinner and then opened gifts afterward. Abigail received a handsome amount of clothing, books and toys from Grandma Zoe. She’s set for quite some time! More importantly though is the amount of love that she is given. That is truly what makes Christmas special. That night we spent time together until about 9 or 10pm and then had to head home. Shaun had planned a getaway to Park City Utah for us and we needed to finish packing.

Not sure what this was all about… but I think it has something to do with the shirt…


Grandma Zoe and Abigail… look they match!

The next morning, Shaun and I jumped into the car with Abigail in tow and headed toward Park City. It was a bittersweet trip as I was excited to go but I also knew that even though we wouldn’t be far from Montana, we wouldn’t have the chance to visit with my parents due to their schedules and the fact that this trip was planned at the last minute. The drive through California and Nevada was nice, just a little bit of snow on the ground. Just outside of Las Vegas we stopped for a break and it started to hail and snow for a little while.

Across the California desert… the moutains appear to be getting a bit of snow!

Crossing over into Nevada… this is the first time that Abigail has been out of state! Only 3 months old and a national traveler!

Just outside of Mesquite Nevada, Shaun let me open a pressent he had placed under the tree with a note attached, banning me from opening it until we arrived in Park City. It was a little purple box, beautifully wrapped I might add. When I opened it I found a little scroll inside and the message the scroll contained blew me away. Shaun had written a note, letting me know that we werent going to Park City at all. We were actually on our way to Montana to see my parents!! He got me good!! Apparently everyone else knew about this, except for me! Unfortunatly we were driving when it happened so he was unable to take pictures or video of my reaction, but lets just say that I was at a loss for words, aside from saying “really??”, over and over again. Yes I cried… but most of you already knew that. It was the best Christmas gift ever! That night we stayed in Salt Lake City and the next day Shaun planned to drive from Salt Lake City to Bozeman.

The trip to see my parents was incredible! The weather going up was a bit crazy at times, but we survived. We arrived in Bozeman late Saturday night and the next morning we were over at their house with bells on. Even though it was a few days late, we had the traditional Christmas breakfast of German Pancakes and enjoyed each others company. Mom, Dad, and Jillian had the entire day to cuddle, hold and play with Abigail. They even had the chance to babysit Abby while Shaun and I took a drive. We ended up in Trident, which is the headwaters of the Missouri River. The Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison Rivers come together to form the beautiful Missouri river. This time we had the chance to see it completely frozen over! Seeing them spend the holidays with Abby, especially her first, made my heart soar. Shaun is the best husband in the world for giving such a gift.

Interstate 15, North of Tremonton… trust me it was worse then this, but I wasnt thinking about my camera or pictures at that point!

Stopping to get a bite to eat in Pocatello… in the Jack in the Box parking lot. Hey when you need to eat, you need to eat!
All bundled up and warm.. which is good considering its only abut 10 degrees out! Her cozy sleeper was a Christmas present from daddy! He did a great job picking something out for her! She’s adorable!

The Headwaters of the Missouri River… completely frozen over.

Me…

Shaun…

The next day, Grandma Prueter, Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Mike (who was visiting for the holidays as well) came over from Anaconda to visit and have lunch. We went over to the Baxter Hotel in downtown Bozeman to Ted’s (Ted Turner’s restaurant). We had a lovely lunch and enjoyed each others company. Abigail did a wonderful job and was a little lady when it came to sitting in the restaurant. Grandma Prueter was very proud and extremely happy to get the chance to see Abigail again.

Great Grandma Prueter getting the chance to spend some time with Abigail… such a special moment!

Aunt Diane (Great Aunt Diane to Abigail if you want to get technical) spends a little quality time with Abigail.

Shaun and Abigail laughing it up. What a cute smile! She is growing so fast, its hard to believe it!

Mike, Jillian and Shaun at Ted’s in the old Baxter Hotel.

The rest of the trip was spent hanging out and enjoying family. We didnt really do too much, but that was all I could ask for. We had talked about driving out to the road through Yellowstone that goes out to Cook City, but the weather stopped usfrom doing so. One night Shaun and I ran to Target while the Taylor’s spent more time with the little one. We went into the store with chilly but nice weather. When we left, you could barely see out through the front doors. Within a half an hour a major storm blew through causing a blizzard. It was a fun ride back to my parents house!

My parents street after only about 45 minutes of the blizzard… it was lots of fun!

Abigail sitting with her Grandpa Taylor, doing one of two things… 1. attempting to eat the cupcake on her shirt or 2. staring at her little toes and trying to figure out how to reach them. She’s only 3 months old, what do you think she is actually doing?

On New Years Eve, we jumped into the car (me with tears in my eyes) and headed home. Our intent was to stay in Jackson Hole that night, but unfortunately the weather prevented that as well. Pesky snow! Instead we stayed in Pocatello, Idaho. This did work out though, as it allowed us to stop in and visit with Grandma Pat, who was absolutely thrilled to visit with us and meet her great granddaughter for the first time. That night we stayed in Las Vegas and ended up there for two nights due to holiday traffic.

Abigail and Great Grandma Pat meet for the first time. Grandma Pat looked so happy to have us there. Put a smile on my face!


Coming home was bittersweet but I felt blessed that I have a husband who was so thoughtful. It truly made my 2008 end with a bang and start off my 2009 with nothing but love and a smile on my face. Happy NewYear!!