Nix the Chicken! It's Donut & Turkey Time!

I despise breakfast, but I love holidays, and it just doesn't seem right to let a holiday get off on the wrong foot by not having something great for breakfast!  So last year, we instituted:

"The First Annual Thanksgiving Chicken & Waffles Breakfast!"

Last year was also the:

"LAST Annual Thanksgiving Chicken & Waffles Breakfast!" 

Don't get me wrong, we LOVED the breakfast, it's just not the kind of meal you take in on this particular holiday with so much delicious fare waiting to be consumed throughout the rest of the day!

So what did we opt for instead?

 

How about donuts from Raleys?

It's simple, convenient, FUN, and also gave us an excuse to pick up a paper with those coveted Black Friday ads!

 

After our donut-run we made it back in time to tune in to another of our traditions:

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

 

While we watched, Gabriel experienced the wonderful world of rice cereal for the very first time!  What's the verdict?  Quite a lot of spit-up.  I think he's holding out for some mashed potatoes and gravy...

 

This little guy sure is a comfort to his momma.  I can't tell you how many times he's cuddled close only to make my heart warm and swell with gratitude.  All of my children are great blessings from the Lord.  Every single one of them brings joy beyond measure.

 

After a morning of cooking and baking we headed off to our various destinations.  We ate dinner at my mom's and she had an incredible spread!

 

My girls...I love them so!

 

The kiddie table!

 

Owen taking in his first course.

 

Iris sampling the buffet.

Way to practice good sanitation practices, honey!

 

My mom and I.

More and more I'm realizing how much we have in common.  She is one strong woman, and I admire so much her tenacity, her inner strength, and her ever-cheerful spirit.  She is a great example to me and it is a privilege to be her daughter.

 

Later in the day we visited my in-laws for dessert.  I regret only getting one picture of the evening, but it captures the spirit of another tradition:  Street Football!

The man you see here is so dear to my heart.  I love him so much, and am truly grateful to be his wife.

What am I most grateful for this Thanksgiving?

FAMILY

One of my favorite songs shares this:

"The Family is of God"

(Words and music by Matthew Neeley)

Our Father has a family.  It's me!

It's you, all others too; we are His children.

He sent each one of us to earth, through birth,

To live and learn here in families.

A father's place is to preside, provide,

To love and teach the gospel to his children.

A father leads in family prayer to share

Their love for Father in Heaven.

A mother's purpose is to care, prepare,

To nurture and to strengthen all her children.

She teaches children to obey, to pray,

To love, and serve in the family.

I'll love and serve my family and be

A good example to each family member.

And when I am a mom or dad, so glad,

I'll help my family remember.

Chorus

God gave us families to help us become what

He wants us to be-

This is how He shares His love, for the family is of God.

God did give us families.  And they do help us become what he wants us to be.  I know families are how he shares his love for us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Left Foot Green...

With Samuel in school several nights a week, the kids and I view our time together as an opportunity to get silly.  On this night, we broke out Twister...

 

...and it was a treat to see my little ones all tangled up!

 

The fun stopped there when it was my turn.  Apparently I'm too big to play with others so they gave me the mat to use all by myself!  Ava was in charge of the spinner and she was sooo slow calling out-I thought I would die!-but it was great exercise!

Gabriel watched the fun from the sidelines, but was pretty intent on his own class of fun!

I'm grateful for this time with my children.  We miss Dad of course, but it's awfully comforting to spend time with people-little people-who you absolutely love!

The City that Never Stops Eating

If New York is the city that never sleeps, than I'm convinced that San Francisco is the city that never stops eating.  How can it with the veritable cornucopia of restaurants, stands, and markets representing every cuisine imaginable?

San Francisco is a favorite haunt of ours, and while the kids enjoyed some special time with their grandparents, Samuel and I had the opportunity to explore more of the tasty delicacies this city has to offer.

 

Every time we visit we try to avoid repeating what we've seen or eaten before.  This time, we were determined to ride the Cable Cars, and I was absolutely appalled to see people literally hanging off the side as we went up the crazy hill from the Financial District to Union Square.

 

 

At the Square we went in to all the crazy fancy stores we would never take the kids in.  We got a big kick out of Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton, and couldn't wait to get out of those places where everything is just too, too much!

 

We made dinner reservations at the Fog City Diner on the Embarcadero and loved the upscale classy interior that's totally contrary to the sleek dining car exterior.  All the silly plaques they have posted every where were hilarious!

The one on the coat rack said:

"Not Responsible for Stolen Items or The Style of Ugly Clothes"

The one mounted at our table said:

"Don't look at me."

It was super-chilly outside, so though the Dungeness Crab with Avocado Salad looked SO appealing, I went with the Classic Pot Roast, Root Vegetables, and Crisp Potato Cake, while Samuel went with the Pork Chop.  We were NOT disappointed!

 

After dinner we had planned on seeing a violin concert-FREE-but in the end all we wanted to do was grab some ice cream!  Our goal was to hit the Bi-Rite Creamery for Sam's Sundae which is chocolate ice cream with bergamot olive oil, maldon sea salt and whipped cream-sounds crazy-good right?  It was featured on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate, but blast the lack of parking and all the people who had the same idea as we did!  We tried for over 30 minutes (that's a long, long time for me!) to park within 2 miles of the place before we gave up and hit Mel's Diner for sundaes!

The Creamery will just go on the to-do list for next time when we take the whole family!

 

 

We struck a great deal on Priceline for the Hyatt Regency.  They went crazy with the Christmas decorations which made for a beautiful sight.

 

Yes, that's a pizza box, and yes we were still eating!  There's something about take-out in a hotel room-it's SO yummy!  And it usually is, except this happened to be the worst pizza on the planet!  Sometimes you take a risk and discover some incredible gems, and other times you take a hit!  Never go to Napoli's!

 

 

We had a incredible view and a super huge balcony.

 

 

The buildings here are absolutely amazing!

 

Our second day we scheduled a visit to the King Tut Museum at the De Young Museum.  After a day of tromping up and down hills my feet needed a break from my flats so Samuel ran back to the car for my...

 

Flip-flops!

 

Happiness is comfortable shoes!

 

My Pharoah!

Ha!

 

The exhibit was amazing and it truly is awe-inspiring to see all these ancient artifacts preserved from so, so long ago.  If you decide to visit too, be sure to buy your tickets at Costco.  Not only is it a better price than you'll find anywhere else, but it also comes with the pricier audio tour. 

 

 

We took the opportunity to explore the De Young Museum and it truly is a fantastic place.  Hands down, our favorites are the beautiful pieces of sculpture.

 

Lunch was spent at a San Francisco icon:  The Swan Oyster Depot!  This place is OLD school (literally it dates back to 1912!) and that's what makes it so charming.  The line is long outside the door, everyone coveting one of the nineteen stools that line a super-duper tiny counter.  The menu features nothing but the freshest of seafood, and the experience is truly like none other!

 

I munched on sourdough bread and watched the gal next to me go to town on three orders of oysters!

 

Our plan was to do the same (with only one order), but we totally chickened out.  When I asked her what they taste like she said their very briny, some are more salty than others, and that oysters are not something you savor and chew, you just kind of bite down once or twice to release the juices and then down the hatch it goes!

Noooo, thank you!

 

This place is a MUST-SEE!  The cash register is ancient (bring cash because there's no ATM or Visa here!), the staff fiddles with a relic of a radio for the local station playing Christmas music, and everyone feels like apart of history, apart of the family.

 

Because our tickets to the De Young Museum permitted us to visit the Legion of Honor free of charge, we could'nt pass that up.  By far this is our favorite art museum, even topping San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art.  The grounds are breathtaking-how can you top the Golden Gate Bridge in the background?-and the museum itself is so stately and grand!

 

I need to do this more!  Take more time to really think and ponder.  Life is too easily beset with things that don't matter (like yes, food :),  I want to make every second count!

 

I love Claude Monet!  My grandmother gave me a book when I was just a young girl called, "Linnea in Monet's Garden" and it completely enchanted me!  I would love to visit France, munch on crusty baguettes, and tour the beautiful countryside where he painted!

 

It's hard to believe this is a picture and not a postcard!  Not to say that my photographic abilities are anything to write home about, but seriously, was there ever a picture taken of this bridge that didn't look fantastic?

 

Like I said, we try to visit new places but we can't leave without seeing the best place of all, The Ferry Building Marketplace.  This time we did try something new, The Salumi Cone, at Boccolone.  It's literally a paper cone (think ice cream), that's filled with delicate swirls of thinly sliced cuts of-what else?-salumi, or Italian cured meats!  It was too rich for me, but Samuel was in heaven!

I am so grateful for this time I was able to spend alone with my husband.  One of my favorite lines from

The Family: A Proclamation to the World, reads:

"Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

I testify that that is true!

Pass the Chips!

On this Thursday I was absolutely exhausted so Samuel suggested taking the family out to one of our favorite restaurants:

Felipes!

It's a small, hole-in-the-wall, to-die-for restaurant that has amazing chips and salsa-Owen was addicted!-and the best Chimichangas, Pork Tamales, and Tacos.

 

 

The kids absolutely LOVE the SUPER-cheesy quesadillas, rice, and beans.

 

We were one happy family, and I think I'll have to remember to be exhausted more often around the dinner hour!

Park Days: Inspired!

 Our Relief Society has organized one day every week where we can get together and let the kids play at various parks around the city.

I admit, I hardly ever make it out (mornings are so crazy!), but when I do the kids never fail to have a great time and I love the opportunity to visit with other moms.  It is such a great opportunity to get to know them better, and I always come away smiling.

 

I am so grateful for for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I know the Relief Society Program is ordained of God, and that the meetings and activities truly are inspired and are designed to draw us closer to Christ.

What a resource! 

What a blessing!

As we all strive to strengthen our homes and our families.

Eight is Great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this girl!

 

Isabella,

thank you for being such a wonderful daughter!

 

Truly,

you are a light to this family...

and to the world!

 

We love you!

 

Mom