Thanksgiving Recap

This year our whole family (minus Hannah on a mission in Peru) was able to get together for Thanksgiving. We love to be together, so holidays are always highly anticipated in our family. We were also lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa O. and Kurt and Teresa and their kids come this year. Since I was still recovering from surgery, I wasn't feeling great, but I knew that being with my family would be the best spiritual, emotional, and mental healing that I could find. I was right!

The kids loved spending time out on the farm. They went on a hayride, fed cows, jumped on the trampoline, and helped Grandpa remove a tree stump. 

The big kids also had fun on the farm. Most of the adults spent an afternoon trap shooting. Jonathon even got in on the action. 

The three newest cousins also got to meet. This was the year of baby boys, and they were all so cute.

Matt/Carter, Joe/Bridger, Sarah/Hyrum

Carter (2 months), Hyrum (4 months), Bridger (7 months)

A party in Idaho is never complete without a trip to Uncle Mike's awesome pool. I wasn't able to swim, but I couldn't miss the fresh cut french fries that have become tradition. They are oh so good! I held Hy-Guy while Jonathon swam with the boys. They are getting much more comfortable in the water and went down the water slide and off the diving board several times. Uncle Ben was such a big help making sure the boys had fun and were safe. They sure love Uncle Ben!

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, we had an early Christmas. None of the married kids and their families were going to be in Idaho for Christmas, but Mom really wanted to see the kids and grandkids open presents. The grandkids didn't mind opening some presents early one bit. It was so fun! Every year we draw names for who to buy for. I got Daniel this year. I saw an idea for a Rootbeer Sampler years ago and knew that this was the perfect time to attempt it because Daniel is a root beer lover. I got a wooden crate from Michaels and filled it with 8 different brands of root beer. In the center was a root beer mug filled with root beer candies. To make it a little more interesting, I made a little chart with facts about each brand of root beer and what type of taste to expect from them. I made a Root Beer Sampler for Daniel and one for my Dad. They were both so excited to get them. Since the specialty root beers came in packages of 4-6 bottles, we took the extras and let everyone else sample the different brands. It was fun to stand around and discuss each brand and which one was the best. It turned out to be such a cool gift.

Sampling the root beer

We also had a little family "talent show". Some of the acts included: a magic show, karaoke, riddles, piano playing, singing the BYU fight song, and a Harry Potter wizard's duel. It was nice to forget all of the bad/hard things that we have had to deal with over the last few months and just laugh and have fun.

Kym and Daniel dueling

Christian playing "Harry's Wondrous World" on the piano

Last, but not least, Matt and Katie were able to bless baby Carter on the Sunday after Thanksgiving while everyone was still there. It was wonderful to be able to be there for their special day. Afterward, we got a lovely family picture. I particularly love the two babies in the front row. What a happy and special Thanksgiving it was!