Happy Thanksgiving

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving in Utah this year!  And a total bonus that the kids did not get sick!!

We left on Tuesday after Rachel's preschool program and returned Sunday night.  We drove all during the day both there and back, and it went fine - it's exhausting when they're awake for most of the drive, but they are great travelers so I can't complain.  And on the way back it was warm enough to stop at our favorite park in Kanab, Utah.  

I think it actually felt like a vacation to Brandon, which makes me happy since he is always working so hard.  He went golfing with his dad and Chris & Scott and he got to play football on Thanksgiving. The kids and I jumped back and forth between the Hale's and Parker's houses and of course we made room for TWO Thanksgiving dinners!  First at a church building with the Allred's (Brandon's mom's side) and Rachel had been especially excited to see second-cousin, Allie Jenkins, and cousin, Kennedy.  Rachel tried and loved the turkey, although she's been a little distraught to have learned the last few months about all the animals that we eat.  Poor thing, she's my little animal lover.  Dinner #2 was at my parents house and they worked all day setting up a gorgeous set up and my mom always has assigned jobs for everyone so that makes clean up pretty quick.  

I ventured out to Target on Black Friday at midnight, and what a disaster that was.  I got there at 11:30p and stood in a line and people watched by myself (since Brandon was getting up at 3:30a to go to Sears & Home Depot).  My favorite was when there was a couple trying to cut in line and then everyone in line started yelling and pointing, "line cutters! butters! they cut in line!"  Then a security guard quickly asked them to go to the back of the line and everyone cheered - hilarious!  By the time I got to the doors it was 12:30p and at this point I thought this was a bad idea.  But I went to check to see if they had any iPod touch's left and they did, but they had a ridiculous electronics line that didn't move for 45 minutes with only two checkers, so I left at about 1:30a and went home empty handed.  Terrible idea.  Then I found the dumb iPod touch on sale the next morning online for about the same savings that I would have got at Target.  So silly.  Brandon scored on a miter saw and air compressor that he's getting for Christmas so that made Black Friday worth it.  

My brother moved into his first house in Eagle Mountain, so we helped them move on Wednesday, and it was confirmed to me again that Brandon is a master-truck-packer!  I think he's had enough experience after having helped so many people move.  Then we enjoyed their new home on Saturday night and hung out with my family.  Logan and Andrew are only 4 months apart, so I'm excited for when they'll get older and be little buddies.

Kacie & Chris also moved recently and bought a house in Pleasant Grove near Mt. Timpanogos temple.  The house and neighborhood is amazing and we're so happy for them!  We hung out with the Hale family at their house on Friday night for dinner and games.  We played "Things" and laughed our heads off.  (Example questions:  "Things you should not play catch with" or "Things you shouldn't lick".  Example Answers:  always included disgusting things like poop, farts in jars, Brandon's colonoscopy results, Chris' colonoscopy prep, robots needed to wipe bums ... you know, the usual.  I was terrible at the game because my answers were "clean" so they could guess which answers were mine immediately.    

I took pictures for the Winchell's and Chad's family, which is good practice for me.  We also took some impromptu pictures with the Hale Family on Thanksgiving and they turned out very cute.  However, look at the family photo ... and tell me why Brandon and I are complete giants compared to the rest of the family?  Both height and width - yuck!  :)

Thank you, Val, for taking this picture!

Rachel doing Thanksgiving crafts with Kennedy & Allie

Love this boy!  Always has a "bonk" somewhere near his eye though!

Kennedy (age 4) was our photographer

I think he had at least 10 pieces, and still wanted more!