The Pollard Place: November 2024

Riding with Dad!

Amelia went on her date with Gigi! They went to Kangaroo Zoo, got food at Chick fil a, and got dessert at Menchies.

Fell asleep on her way to her date

Rusty went to Sema with Chase! They had a great time walking around and seeing all of the cars. It was in Vegas, so they also got some good food! They want to do it again next year.

After Sema, Rusty and I had tickets to the ballet. He was very tired and not at all interested in the ballet haha.

Kaden and Porter visited! We had dinner with them and then Rusty took them for rides in the Sierra car and then we played some video games.

It was time for a road trip to Colorado to celebrate the anniversaries of Irv and Joan and also Kirk and Phyllis. The drive out was uneventful but busy with whining kids and giant Christmas stuffies being injured.

See note about Della's stuffy being "impaled"

We visited Kandi at her work!

With all of the cousins!

We went to Wendy's and got food

Then they rode the 4 wheeler with Grandpa!

We got to go to the Denver temple with Kirk and Phyllis to do something really special. We went and got Phyllis sealed to her parents, and it was a very incredible experience. I'm so grateful we got to be included in that!

The party was really fun! We filled out some fun papers about things that were popular during the years that they were married. We played human Hungry, Hungry Hippo, and ate and talked. It was great to see everyone!

We went on a walk with Bailey and Sneaky kept following us behind. We decided we would just carry him with me or put a leash on him. He didn't like either of those options haha but we were scared he'd get lost and not find his way back so we didn't have much choice.

For school we have been learning about US history. So, I called the capitol building and set up a tour! It was really fascinating, and I think the kids really enjoyed it. I invited Larissa and Bryndee to come along with us and then afterwards we walked and got some lunch. The weather was so nice and the leaves were too fun to ignore!

We stopped at the Museum of Curiosity on our way to the Capitol Building

We had Friendsgiving at the library with our co-op!

I went to Hobby Lobby and got a few things for my porch this year and now I have a Christmas porch! I've wanted to buy some Christmas porch stuff for a long time so I was so excited to get to do it!

This year we didn't get tickets for the Heber Valley Polar Express train. Apparently they sold out at the beginning of August which is just crazy. I asked Mark Nelson (in our ward) who owns the train when I should get the tickets next year and he said he'd put me on a list. I got a call and they had a cancellation and we were able to go that night! I was so excited! We put everyone in their Christmas pajamas and headed over to the train.

Henry was so proud of himself for stuffing his shirt so he'd be fat like Santa! Santa even commented on it much to his great joy!

FOUR MINUTES UNTIL WE LEAVE!!!

Big belly

Yummy chocolate chip cookies!

Henry showing off his belly haha!

Everyone's bells!

Dance Party!

When we got home, the girls played downstairs and just got a bunch of their excitement out through wrestling haha. They had a great time and I loved watching them!

We got to set up the new nativity we got in Austria in August! I have been so excited about it and we put it right on the entry table. It is so beautiful!

One day I asked Rusty if he wanted to go work out with me, and he just stayed in bed and looked at me like this.

I decorated our school room for Christmas! We did a Grinch theme and it was so cute!

The girls and I met Jessica at the Hale for seeing Beauty and the Beast! It was a really amazing show, I couldn't believe it! It was a little too realistic though for the girls because they were extremely scared of the wolves haha.

Right after Beauty and the Beast we drove to the cabin to meet Rusty and Henry. We stayed up there for a while and then we even hosted Thanksgiving up there for the first time! We had a great time and had Jess and my parents come up. Rusty smoked a turkey and it was soooooo good! Definitely my favorite. We had too much food, too much pie, and then we decorated the Christmas tree!

Grandma and Papa's car!

We pulled the kids around on the sleds behind the side by side for a while and were wearing our turkey hats haha.

Now and then!

Papa made reindeer pancakes the next morning for the kids and they were so excited!

Charlie came!!

We played some games!

After Thanksgiving we played some more on the side by side, before we went home really quick for the Tree Lighting Ceremony in Midway.

Last year was our first time in Midway for the tree lighting ceremony, and I loved it so much that this year I wanted to make sure we didn't miss it. We drove back from the cabin for it and then went back up afterward. They played the alpenhorns, gave out our candles, we sang songs, and then they lit the tree! Afterwards we got to see Santa and then also some reindeer before getting our little baggies of goodies!

Afterwards we went to Kneaders for some food and yummy treats! The Cowleys came with us which always makes everything more fun.

Henry's Highlights:

Babysitter said that he said: "I just finished reading The One and Only Ivan. I came to the conclusion that Ivan was quite intelligent. Yeah, that book was lit... I've never used that word before but I've heard my friends say it. I don't think I'll use it again"
Rusty was joking and yelled from upstairs: "Henry! Your ants are out!" Henry was sitting at the bar and he said, "Oh the ants are out..." and tossed his head back and forth. And then it hit him and he yelled "THE ANTS ARE OUT!! I DON'T WANT THEM!!" and got up and sprinted to my room and shut the closet door. We were laughing so hard and finally told Henry it was a joke and he started laughing so hard. I said, "Henry, were you really going to leave me all alone out here with the ants?" He said, "Technically..... yes. But in my brain I was just scared." And Rusty said, "Henry, that's not what a hero brother does-leaving his little sisters in danger." And Henry said, "At that moment I was not a brother. YOU KNOW THE ANTS EAT MEAT!"
Porter said that he was really looking for a wife and Henry said, "Oh do you need a wife because you have a lot of laundry to do?" WHAT
I smelled something and I said, "Henry did you just fart?" He replied, "No, but I have one ready to go!"

Adeline's Adventures:

Was telling Jessica about trick or treating for Halloween. She said, "Guess what? I hated that pig guy." There was a creepy pig guy that scared us at one of the houses.
"Mom can you sew this for me? He's been impaled... I'm sad he's been impaled, that's the worst thing that could have happened. Actually falling off of a cliff and dying would have been worse" on discussing Gingerbread Cookie's hole.
Is crushing school work! She is growing in her confidence all the time and she is learning so much!

Amelia's Updates:

Said randomly and sadly to me, "When I'm a mommy do you think my husband will let me go to a Taylor Swift concert?"
We were reading about Samuel the Lamanite and I asked her to tell Rusty the story. She said that he was up on the wall and then people started throwing things at him and then he yelled "Aye caramba!"
"I am my own best friend and I love myself."
"Do I have to watch when they kiss? Because I don't want to" at the Beauty and the Beast play
We'd been talking about ministering angels lately, but one morning we were definitely not talking about it at all and just reading our scriptures. Amelia randomly got really fussy and said, "I've been praying for an angel to come but they keeped not coming!"
Henry had to eat a piece of grapefruit today and he didn't want to. So Amelia leaned over to him and looked him in the eye and said in a sweet voice, "Awwwww, poor Henry!" Then she sat up straight and yelled, "NOT POOR HENRY!"

Extra Pictures:

Beautiful sunset!

We had to go to the bank and it was going to take a long time. Amelia said she wanted to bring a chapter book, not a picture book and I said she probably wouldn't like it. But she sat there and read the whole time!