Thanksgiving

So for the first time, Ian and I hosted our very own Thanksgiving. We were really excited to have everyone join us because we weren't really able to go anywhere because of Atley. We had 14 people (plus Atley) to eat with us on Thanksgiving Day including, My parents, ALL of my 5 sisters, Ian's Mom, Grandma, and Great Grandma, and my Grandma and Uncle.

Here are the pictures I was able to take while they were here. Enjoy!

This was Mom's first time holding Atley. She was really excited to meet him and he was VERY grateful to be held almost non-stop.

Here is Atley with his Great-Great Grandma Cressi. She'd been waiting a long time to hold him, and she was so excited when she finally got the chance.

The food was amazing and these pictures prove it!I'm pretty sure Atley was Maria's new favorite baby by the time she went back to Provo. I bet he likes her a lot too.

"It's TRADITION! You HAVE to put olives on your fingers at Thanksgiving." At least, that's what I was told...

I was so thrilled to have everyone there to enjoy the baby and the food. Maria was kind enough to do the thumbs up for me.5 generations...WOW!

Atley wore his special turkey bib for the occasion. How cute!

Not 5 generations, but there's all my sisters plus the Mom. It has been 2 years since we were altogether. It was sure great to see them.

Erin was such a great help while she was here. She a lot of time caring for Atley and I think got really attached to him.

Darien and Dad arrived on Saturday and she was so excited to finally hold the baby she'd seen so many pictures of! Atley kind of looks like a doll here though.

One special thing that we were able to anticipate was the arrival of Atley's crib. Here's Grandpa Sorense, Taran, and Ian setting it up in his room.
This is our beautiful, hand-made, one of a kind crib. He even added a little touch with this purple heart wood. No, it's not painted, it's actually that color! Cool, huh?

This holiday, Ian and I had a lot to be grateful for. Our families were all here to celebrate the birth of our first baby and we enjoyed every minute of it. Since they've left things have been a lot quieter. grat⋅i⋅tude: the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful.

Here are some things that I've been very grateful for this holiday season.
1. The gospel
2. My marriage
3. My baby
4. Family

I hope that everyone was able to find something they've been grateful for and express that appreciation. As President Brigham Young says "I do not know of any, excepting the unpardonable sin, that is greater than the sin of ingratitude." (Teachings: Brigham Young, 177.)

The Great Merger!

So, you may notice that they link to the baby blog is gone. Because Atley is now a part of our family and we do so much together I've decided to merge the baby blog with our family blog. If your someone who love nostalgia and you want to look back on the baby blog to remember all the fun posts, you can still visit it. The web address is www.thesorensenbaby.blogspot.com.

For future news about all 3 of us, you're in the right place. Keep reading!

Fall Treat

Ian and I decided that since it's the season for it, we need some caramel apples. It was our first attempt and we were pretty pleased with how they turned out. I must say, they didn't taste too bad either!

Putting on the caramel was a joint effort, but someone had to take the picture. Ian won out on that one and did a wonderful job.

Maybe it's something he'll regret, but Ian turned the camera over to me and I got to capture the memory of his messy try at eating the apples.

Here's the proof...I, of course, was much more graceful. I didn't get near as much on my face. Of course, it wouldn't be caramel apples if you didn't make a little bit of a mess.When we were finished we took a picture to show how well we did. My apple is the one coming off the stick. They were really really tasty!Take the chance and enjoy all the fall treats while you can. Winter is on its way fast and then we'll have to wait a whole year!

Pampering

Slowly but surely, I've begun to convince Ian that just because it's "girly" doesn't mean it can't be fun or satisfying for men. No, I don't want to turn my husband into a woman. I really do like his manly qualities, but at least in some small way I can help him understand why girls do some of the things they do.

This one particular evening we decided to try a mask. I had recently had a facial for my birthday (thanks, Mom) and told Ian about how wonderful it was so he consented to try this little experiment.

At first he wasn't really happy with the way it felt. He wanted to take this picture so that we could be sure to document his protest.After a while I think he got used to having the gunk on his face. He even admitted that it smelled rather good. It was a fruit mask. I thought the mud one was stretching it on the first try :-)
After the mask was off Ian was a much happier man. He said his face felt smooth and soft though I don't think he'll make it a regular part of his grooming routine. I certainly enjoyed the smooth face of my husband and that he was such a good sport about it all.Another cool thing you may notice in this picture is that Ian got a haircut. It was such a rush that I forgot to take pictures of it, but yes, I did it! This was only a couple days after and I admit, it was my first time on his hair and I cut it a little short. Once again, Ian was a really good sport about it and is happy that it was at least free! It's been a couple weeks and it's started to grow out and he's even gotten a couple of compliments! I was a little hesitant to take responsibility at first, but at any sign of a compliment I'm sure to tell them who did it. Our future haircuts will get better and soon I'll be a professional (at least at Ian's hair).

Another Trip to Utah

Ian and I were blessed to return a couple of weeks ago from a trip to Utah. We planned on going down during General Conference because my sweet sister was going to throw us a baby shower! Now, I say it was a blessing, because just before leaving Ian had his Saturday shift changed and had to find someone to cover it in a hurray.

Everyone he asked seemed to be really busy and not able to help, but we added it to our prayers anyway, hoping that something would come up. The very next day, one woman that Ian works with volunteered to work because the weather wasn't going to be good for the activities she had planned for the weekend.

So, as we made the trip, we realized that it would be the last one for really who knows how long. We enjoyed the sights of the changing colors and the beautiful Utah mountains. Here are some pictures from our trip! Check out the baby blog for pictures from the shower!

Ian and I aren't sure when we'll be getting a chance to go back to Utah so we had to take some pictures of the mountains. These were taken just after we left Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen's home for Rexburg. Ian was really amazed at how the clouds and the mountains looked together.

We always pass this rest area on our way home, but we've never had a reason to stop there. This trip was our chance and while I was busy using the facilities, Ian ran up on top of the building to get a better view. I guess there are some things you don't grow out of, including curiosity.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Like I said, check out the baby blog for pictures from the shower!