Lots to be Thankful for...

Family has to be number one on our list.  We had a fun with with family.  Mike and Laura surprised us and came to visit on their way down to Phoenix!  We realized we haven't seen them for a year and a half!  That's way too long.  

Cami and Brianna were already strapped into the car, so they weren't able to get into the picture.  We really enjoyed having them.  Then it was time for Rod and Julianne's families to come to visit us for Thanksgiving.  We are so grateful that they would take the time and resources to come out and have Thanksgiving with us.  

Here are some of the pictures of activities.  Thanksgiving morning we were up and cooking.  Then the majority went hiking on a 4 mile hike.  They always say it isn't going to take long, but then end up gone all day and without water!  But they said they found a cool cave.  Olivia, Brooke, Ashton, Julianne, and I stayed behind and played Apples to Apples.  It was fun having time with just those three.  Julianne and I knew which card were each others.  It was pretty funny.  Then the group came home at the perfect time...time to eat!  This was really the first year in 20 years of marriage that I have done Thanksgiving.  I must say it was like any other meal.  It seemed really easy.  The turkey turned out great and so did everything else.  I was proud of us girls :).  After eating, us adults played a game together and that was fun.  It was fun breaking out games and playing.  We don't get to do that often and it's something we really enjoy. I wish I had a set up of the garage.  My boys camped out in there.  They took the big tv in there with their beds and set up camp.  The great thing is that they were hardly in there.  They really enjoyed being with their uncles (especially) and cousins.  The younger boys had fun making a fort in the trees in the back yard.  Alec was an awesome cousin and made a campfire in the backyard and the kids made smores.

The next day, us girls ventured out and hit a couple of the Black Friday sales.  It was not too bad and there were actually some things still available.  I found a cheap stocking stuffer for the boys and that made me happy.  Then when we came back we all went and shot guns.  Rod and Chad brought their guns and the boys had theirs.  First were the 22's and then came the shotguns.  That was more entertaining...almost like fireworks.  Cade was a great shooter.  It was fun to see him keeping up with the older cousins, and out-shooting them sometimes!  Alec was great at throwing the clay pigeons.  After that we showed them around town and took them to the temple.  Then we went and got ice cream at Basha's (they have an ice cream counter) and sat and ate ice cream.  It was fun to be together.  We were laughing that we were out eating ice cream when there was a ton of pie sitting at our house!  Oh well, it was a nice change, and we went home and at the pie, too :).

They left Saturday, and things returned to normal.  Dallen, Alec and Calvin all crashed and took good naps.  Dallen was weepy that they had all gone.  We really loved having them all here.  I got a little sad when I realized that this was Alec's last Thanksgiving with us before he leaves home.  It's just weird when they start to leave because you realize that what you have known as "normal" will no longer be the "normal" and you have to change, which is fine, but I like our old "normal" and I just realized that they are growing up and reflective on where we are in life.  I love that they are turning into men.  They really do surpass all my expectations.  It was fun to watch Alec and Calvin playing a game with Chad and Rod and laughing and playing board games with them, shooting guns, and having a great time being one of the "men".

Now it's back to life :)  But we are still grateful and realize we have so many blessings.