Get you some grub!

As I was eating breakfast today I realized that our Halloween decorations have stayed around long enough that they get to meet our Christmas decorations this year.  How exciting for them!  These past few weeks have gone by in a blur.  I really want to blog about a few things before Thanksgiving comes and goes on me so it's another blogging marathon today.  Sit back and enjoy the show!

Maylee was hungry and Mikayla is a problem solver.  Enough said.

In case you were enjoying Mikayla's outfit, here's a couple more from her adventures in dress-up yesterday.

Maylee was grateful for her tutu chewing toy!

Wedding Dress Shopping

The girls and I bombarded DeeDee's wedding dress shopping party on Monday.  They were really good the whole day long.  Luckily, Mikayla LOVES to shop!

Mikayla loved the three-way mirrors and little stages.  She pretty much thought she was the star of the show as she sung and danced on all the stages.

Taking a very important phone call and talking in full volume and animation in the bridal store.

Getting tuckered out!  She lasted so well.  When DeeDee walked out in the dress that she later decided was "the one" Mikayla said "Dee Dee look so pretty!"  It was the first time she had really said anything about any of the dresses.  It was pretty cute.

Enjoying one last Hostess treat on the way home before they become extinct.

When Mammy asked her if she was ready to be done shopping (after the rest of us were exhausted) Mikayla said, "Not so much!"

Trip to the Marm

Mikayla, Maylee and I took a trip to the Marm to help set up the new trailer in time for Thanksgiving.  We ended up staying all week and waiting for Uncle Dillon's Mission call to come.  We worked hard and got some great playing time with Grandad and Nanny Jill in, too!

This mirror was leaning against the wall waiting to be hung up and Mikayla was in LOVE.  We finally had to cover the mirror with a blanket every time she went to sleep because she wouldn't stop making faces and dancing in front of the mirror!

Grandma and Grandpa Kartchner came for dinner one evening.

Unpacking!

Nanny Jill and Mikayla riding in the canoe.

Our Krispy Kreme calendar shot!

Grandad went shopping and came home with the Oreo score of the century.  One of each kind-true Grandad style!

We finally got the call that Dillon's mission call came so we headed to St. David.  We squeezed in taking engagement pictures for DeeDee and Devon before he opened the call.

My amazing photography team!

Mikayla is deathly afraid of dogs so she voted to stay in the car at one of the places we went.  She had the time of her life with full reign of all the buttons in the car and Mom's phone.

Cousins Maylee and Alaya are 3 1/2 months apart, but there's less than a pound difference between them.  We love our chunkers!

The call!

Dillon is going to the Chile Concepcion mission!  He reports January 16 and DeeDee gets married January 3!  Craziness!

One Last Grandmother's Tea Party

Dearie's funeral took place on November 10, 2012.  We headed up to Phoenix the night before for a family dinner and slide show.  

My adorably squishy girl asleep in the car.

A comfy seat for the slide show!

We stayed in a hotel the night before the funeral with my parents and Maren and Jake. Mikayla was introduced to jumping on the bed in hotels by Uncle Jake-who teaches them all things great!

All the girls wore polka dots to the funeral in honor of Dearie.  She wore some crazy outfits and liked all the girls to be frilly and dressed alike.  We all had matching polka dot dresses for her wedding to Grandpa Harold.

When we got to the church I was surprised to see the back of the cultural hall decorated so cute.  It totally did not look like a funeral!  Each year Dearie would put on a huge Grandmother's tea party with her kindergarten class.  She went all out for her parties, complete with food, decorations and a performance.  The ladies from the ward arranged one last Grandmother's tea party for Dearie.  They had tons of different kinds of cookies and bars and every kind of milk you could imagine.  It was really special.  We decided every funeral needs to have a "tea" party.  It really was a celebration of life.

Dearie loved Mary Engelbreit and bright colored decorations.  A lot of the decorations from the tea party were hers.

Some of Dearie's favorite sayings lined the walls and were on the tables.

The pallbearers...

Grandpa Harold met Maylee for the first time this trip.

We sure love our Auntie Maren and Uncle Jake!

Because the graveside was in Pima, AZ, instead of a sit-down meal the ward made amazing sack lunches to go for us.  They took all the lunch bags to the school Dearie used to teach at and the kids decorated them for us and they were so adorable (the bags in my Dad's hand).

At the Graveside

I couldn't stop looking at the flowers on Dearie's casket.  They were gorgeous and they were so "her".

My Dad gave the eulogy at Dearie's funeral and Grandma Kartchner made an appearance at the graveside to remind him he was NOT to speak at her funeral!  It's a longstanding joke between the two of them because Grandma says Dad is too long-winded and is not allowed to have any part in her funeral.

Overall it was a hard day, but a happy day.  We have lots of great memories to remember Dearie by and I am grateful for the things she taught me.

On the day she passed away the primary president (Dearie's visiting teacher) stopped by to bring some cards that the primary had made for Dearie the day before.  Her visiting teacher had no idea Dearie was about to pass away, but those cards were an awesome gift to those of us saying our good-byes.  This card touched my heart because to me, it summed up Dearie pretty well.

She loved others and tried to teach everyone else to do the same.