So Much to Be Thankful For this year!!!

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving holiday. It all started a week early when my sister, Janae, and her family came to visit. They arrived on the Friday before and stayed until the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was GREAT! We loved having the kids around and playing with them, as well as having our kids play with them. Except for the silly face Ryden taught Keara...

We played games, went to the park, made crafts, cooked and baked, watched a couple movies with pizza and root beer to boot, and wore ourselves out. Right before they came, Taryn spent a day throwing up. She felt great by the time they arrived, but apparently the bug hadn't left. Jordan lost his breakfast, and lunch, on Monday. Enoch and Keara spent a night throwing up on Tuesday, and Braden and Aspen did the same on Wednesday. Thankfully, they all felt much better after those nasty episodes, so it didn't ruin any days. Janae and I (and Kyler and Ryden) were SO lucky not to get any of it! Hooray!

We had a great day on Tuesday. First, Janae and I took the kids to the park so Enoch could get some work done. The kids had a great time and Janae and I enjoyed a visit. Then we went to Gilbert with everyone (except Braden). We went to my Aunt Katherine's for lunch and then to her community pool. Only in Arizona can you go swimming outdoors at Thanksgiving. However, it was still cold and the kids had a lot more fun in the showers than the pool. Janae got a great haircut here and looked stunning all week. If anyone's interested, I know a GREAT girl. You just have to come visit. (Thanks Jodi!)

The kids and I made crafts to decorate our Thanksgiving table. It was so fun, at least for me. We made napkin holders with turkeys, Indian headdresses, and Pilgrim hats on them, pinecone turkeys, chair covers, and a turkey bread basket. For Family Home Evening, we all wrote a few things we are grateful for on the "feathers" and stuck them in the basket. Then, on Thanksgiving, we each picked a few out and read them. It was a nice variation on an old tradition.

We had a great meal too. Our turkey was delicious, especially with the cranberry orange sauce our friend's taught us about. The stuffing turned out great, the mashed potatoes were so creamy, the homemade grape juice was delicious, and the pies were great too. There were no disasters and no mistakes. Phew!

It was so funny that Aspen was asking to eat the drumstick all week. She gets the drumsticks at home when they make chicken, which are SUBSTANTIALLY smaller than turkey legs. When we put that thing in front of her, her eyes got huge. She did a great job gnawing away at it!

Thanks for coming!!!