thanksgiving.

i wasn't very good at documenting thanksgiving this year.

we did lots of good stuff, but apparently i wasn't in the mood to take pictures of it.

the only one i took was of these dorky little turkey treats the boys and i made:

they didn't turn out quite like the picture on pinterest, but nothing ever does.

..including the halloween costumes i am currently working on!

despite the lack of pictures, i definitely have lots to be thankful for these days - most of all for my family.

i love 'em to bits.

best friends.

then:

now:

haha they might be getting a bit big for that!

i honestly can't get over how well chet and holden play together these days.
there is no doubt.. they are best friends.
it makes matt and i so happy to see those 2 playing together, helping each other, sticking up for each other, and even getting into mischief together.

holden speaks pretty darn well for a 2 year old.
but there are times when i just can't figure out what he is asking for.
and then, from across the room (and in a tone of voice that implies that i should be embarrassed for not understanding) chet will translate for me.
he always knows exactly what his messy little brother is saying.
and he is always holden's advocate when he is in trouble.
chet is a good big brother. a good helper. and - for the most part - a good example.
and that makes us especially happy because holden will do just about anything his big brother does.
he follows chet everywhere.
chet is lucky to have such an adoring little friend.
holden is always willing to share toys with chet, laugh at chet's lame jokes, and accompany him on a scary trip into a dark part of the house.

chet and holden like to play with lego and train sets, go on family bike rides, play at parks, and wrestle with dad.

chet loooves lobsters (for some odd reason). he was thrilled to try this on at target.

i told holden we were going to pick up chet from joyschool, so he grabbed his backpack for the ride.

obviously.

chet and matt had a campout in grandpa leavitt's backyard, with haden and uncle todd.

chetty's first talk.

chet gave his first talk in primary last sunday.

it was too cute.

matt and i could not get over how brave chet was.

if you would like to watch the 2 minute talk, you can click here.

or, you can save yourself some time, and just read his talk here:

In the Book of Mormon, Nephi said, “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.”

This means that when Nephi and his family obeyed the commandments Heavenly Father gave them, they were blessed to be happy.

Some of the commandments Heavenly Father has given my family are:

- Pray.

- Read the scriptures.

- Be kind to others.

- Have family home evening.

- Go to church.

- Take care of our bodies.

I know that when my family and I obey the commandments, we will be blessed with happiness too.

I want to obey the commandments because I love my family, I love my Heavenly Father, and I love being happy!

my best half marathon yet!

i ran the harvest half marathon this morning, here in calgary.

it was such a fun race!

the last organized half marathon i did was almost 2 whole years ago - just after holden was born.

i had forgotten what a thrill an organized race like that is.

the mornings here have been pretty chilly lately, so i was worried this morning would be the same.
i don't like running when it is too cold.
 ... or too hot, or too dark, or too windy ...
good thing i have a treadmill, huh?

while waiting for the race to start, i was shivering like mad.

i literally could not get by body to stop shaking!

but, once i got running, i warmed up pretty quick and it turned into a perfect running day.
the sun was out and there was a nice fall breeze.

most of the run took place in fish creek park.

and, for those of you who don't know calgary, i must tell you that fish creek park is so lovely in the fall!

all the fall colors were the perfect distraction while i ran.

the best part of this half marathon was that i ran it in my best time yet!

i finished in 1:43:17

that placed me 94th out of 950 runners.
and 3rd place out of 119 in my age group (girls 20-29).

i was pretty pleased with that :)

another best part of the run was that my family surprised me by showing up at the end.
i had told matt and my parents not to come, because it didn't seem worth the effort.
but when i reached the last mile marker, my parents were there rooting me on!
and when i crossed the finish line, matt was there with the boys!
(which was super impressive, seeing as how our boys aren't early risers).
it was such a nice surprise to have some cheerleaders.

if you didn't already know, i. love. running.

i honestly crave it.

is that weird?

maybe. but it's true.

it's how i start every day - i wake up before my family, head down to my treadmill, turn on my music, and just. run.
i have that time all to myself. and it makes me happy.

i am sooOOOoo grateful for a strong, healthy body that let's me do all the things i love.

and i make sure to thank my heavenly father for that every day.

this is a blurry picture of me waving to my mom at the last mile marker:

and here is a screenshot of the top chunk of runners in my age group. see my name in 3rd place?!