Thanksgiving

Our families had a lot going on over Thanksgiving, so we ended up staying in San Diego and doing it on our own for the first time. I was a little worried I'd get sad/homesick/whatever, but it ended up being great.

On Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, we headed to Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs. We did some short hikes in Joshua Tree and then in Palm Springs we took the Aerial Tram up to San Jacinto State Park. There was snow up that high and the kids had fun playing in it.

Wednesday was cleaning, cooking, and prepping for Thursday's feast. We had Joseph's BFF, Ashton, and his parents over for dinner. I made all of the things that are most important to me: rolls, cream corn, mashed potatoes, jello salad, cranberry relish, stuffing, banana cream pie, and pumpkin cream pie. Ashton's mom made a great turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, and two more pies. It was a LOT of food but it was delicious! Since I didn't cook the turkey this isn't saying much, but it didn't end up being too big a deal doing so many dishes and they turned out very yummy. In fact, Joseph and Audrey loved the rolls so much that we caught them finishing off the whole bunch of leftovers the next morning ...

Halloween!

Joseph wanted to be a hamburger for Halloween, which I thought was cute particularly considering he's at an age where lots of kids want to be superheroes or characters from T.V. shows, etc. It must be because we never, ever let him watch T.V. and so he's so creative. (HAH!!! Just kidding. Everything that kid knows he learned from PBS.) Anyway, since Audrey and William didn't have an opinion, we went with a family theme. Cute banquet, huh?

We had a Halloween party at work, a trunk-or-treat at church, homemade caramel apple night at homes, and finally, trick-or-treating on the actual night. Joseph went with his buddy Ryan. This was the first year where Audrey knew what was going on. It was hilarious. She would just stare people down as they kept giving her candy until she felt she had a sufficient amount. Then she'd say, "duh duh" ("thank you", obviously) and move on to the next house. If people let the kids pick their own candy, Audrey would grab two handfuls. She also strongly preferred lollipops and took them whenever available. It was a little embarrassing but she is such a tiny thing that everyone just thought it was funny.

We decided that the day after Halloween, the kids could just eat all the candy they wanted - but then it was going to disappear. So they did gorge themselves but it wasn't too bad and they were fine the next day when it disappeared. The best part was that with all the lollipops Audrey had collected, she'd have us open them, then take a few licks, and decide she was done and throw them in the trash. Fine with me!

Smiles

Capturing baby smiles is always tough, but William sure has some sweet ones. He is really happy. Especially right when he's slept and eaten. He gets that from his dad.

Pumpkin Patch

We've gone to the same pumpkin patch every year since we moved here. Also, clearly I'm a sucker for holiday-themed clothing.

Road Trip

We took the kids to Utah so that William (and the rest of them) could spend some time with family. They had a great time at Grandma White's house, and the fall weather was beautiful.

One day we took the kids to BYU to hang around where Todd and I met. We took them to the Bean Museum, which is basically just a bunch of dead stuffed animals. Joseph was very concerned with what was going to happen in that building during the resurrection. Good point. He was also curious about whether his body was going to be put in a museum when he died. We said NO, and we will remember not to take him to BodyWorld anytime soon.

We also took a road trip to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. I think National Parks are definitely our favorite family destination and I have been pleasantly surprised at how accessible they are and how many hikes are available that even we can do. The kids love being outside and Joseph especially enjoys doing "awesome hikes."

William Shadrach Goodsell

We welcomed sweet William into our family on August 7th. Todd and I love him, and Joseph and Audrey also love their baby brother like crazy. He is a sweet little thing.

We named him William because Joseph's suggestion that we name the baby Phil Mickelson didn't gain much traction.
His middle name continues our family tradition of names from literary heroes. In the Bible, Shadrach was wise, brave, and unwaveringly faithful in a challenging world. Shadrach is also a family name of a great-great-great-great grandfather who did a lot of things worthy of gaining a namesake.

I can't talk about William's birth without giving a huge shout out to Todd's parents, my mom, and my dear, dear friend Lauren. Todd's family stayed with Joseph and Audrey while I was in the hospital. Four days after William was born, Todd had to go to Indiana for two weeks. My mom and Lauren both spent time with me so that I did not totally lose my mind and I would not have survived without them! Many other good friends also helped with meals and babysitting and we were well taken care of.

Life has been pretty crazy with three kids (hence the severely delayed birth announcement), but we are sure a happy little family right now!