Diamonds are girls best...

If diamonds are a girls best friend, than what are emeralds? Good friends?

And topaz? Maybe... acquaintances?
For thanksgiving Stephen and I went down to St. George to spend it with my parents and my brother Jeff. My sister Mindy and her family were going to come, but she had an opportunity to get her knee surgery earlier and decided to take it. So we were a rather small party, but still a fun one.

We left Thanksgiving day early in the morning because we didn't want to have to leave after Steve got off of work and drive at night the night before. It was our first car trip with James; I know, St. George is only 4 hours away, but we still weren't sure what to expect. Luckily going down he only started getting fussy when we were 15 minutes away from home, but the trip back is another story. While we were there my brother Jeff showed us his jewels... wait don't freak out, I'm talking about the picture posted above. My dad and brother went mining at a place called Topaz Mountain here in Utah for fun. They sent what they found to Thailand to get cut. Most of them are Topaz, but one is an emerald, or is it ruby? Anyways, that's the red one, but the quality isn't that great. Still he could get a couple hundred for it. So, I told Stephen to go down there and get me one, too. (Maybe some day :D) The day after Thanksgiving Stephen went with my dad and brother hiking...

while us girls went Christmas sHoPPiNg. Mainly for James, I had already got Stephen his presents online, but I wanted to get James' presents without Stephen so that at least one of us could be surprised, especially since James is still too little. The trip was a lot of fun, my parents were excited to see James, and us too. However, we were glad to get home. James didn't sleep very well while we were there. It might just have been because it was a new place...


I don't know, but he was up every three hours, 2 out of the 3 nights we were there. It was like he was 4/5 weeks old all over again. So, that was our Thanksgiving.
BUT...I'm not finished yet! I have so many things that I'm grateful for this year, that I wanted to mention them. Ahem.

I'm grateful: that James was born healthy and strong and that my C-section went smoothly, that I have a husband that still finds me beautiful and tells me so despite the 30 pounds I have remaining from being preggers, that I have a wonderful husband that has the priesthood and a strong testimony of the gospel, that my mother and bonus-mother came and stayed with/helped after James was born, for an understanding and patient brother-in-law/landlord for not kicking us out for being unable to pay a few months rent (well we started paying in September again, but we still have catching up to do on the months before that. We love you Nathan!), that Stephen has a job (despite the fact that it pays a couple dollars less than the job he quit last year), for the church, for good family and friends, for food in the fridge and a roof over our heads, for a loving Heavenly Father and his beloved son, Jesus Christ. Happy Late Thanksgiving to all and to all a goodnight. opps...afternoon that is.