This year we decided to pull an all-nighter and drive to St. George for Thanksgiving. It was a quick trip, but it was so great to be with family at Grandma and Grandpa Steed's. Nathan's brother Daniel, his son Damien, and wife Kym were there too. The cousins hit it off right from the start. Damien is an amazing golfer (only 3 years-old) so he brought his putter and shared some of his hockey sticks, so our boys could join him on the putting green at the hotel.
Between Damien's cars and our boys' trains, along with a few surprises from Grandma Brady, the cousins kept busy and had a lot of fun. They also played hide and seek, and just got each other giggling. We also had fun in the hotel swimming pool and hot tub. 
The weather was nice and kids couldn't be kept inside for long. Daniel said it best, "Let's go on an adventure!" Some of the adventures were collecting golf balls (more than 3 dozen) from the driving range, playing soccer (until the ball got kicked one too many times into the prickly bushes), laughing and cheering for the grownups playing tennis, visiting a neighbors' dog, and making up stories playing Star Wars with dirt, rocks, and sticks in the backyard. 
This Thanksgiving I am so thankful to know the two angels in this picture. Nathan's mom and Grandma Steed are amazing wives and mothers. They are such great examples to me. One of the greatest things about them is how welcoming they've always been to me. From the first moment I met them (and even from the first time I spoke to Grandma on the phone) I felt their love and joy at the prospect of being part of their family. It was an immediate bond. I remember after that first phone call with Grandma and Grandpa Steed that I no longer was sad that my Grandpa Carr wouldn't be the one sealing me to Nathan (he had passed away when I was a senior in high school). Grandpa Steed was already family to me and I loved him so much. I was thrilled that he could seal us.
Caleb didn't get many of his usual naps with all of the visiting and playing so he was pretty worn out. But I loved one moment when Caleb crawled up on Grandma's lap and she sang to him and rocked him. And he just cuddled with her. Such a sweet memory. 
The trip was exhausting. Daniel got sick with a cough that wouldn't stop. Nathan always prefers to leave for home at 3 or 4 AM, which is 2 or 3 hours too early for my body to make sense of, but this time I actually agreed. We didn't get any sleep, because of Daniel's cough and then a fever. So before 3:00 we were on the road. Afterall, we may as well drive since we certainly weren't sleeping. 
The trip was exhausting. Daniel got sick with a cough that wouldn't stop. Nathan always prefers to leave for home at 3 or 4 AM, which is 2 or 3 hours too early for my body to make sense of, but this time I actually agreed. We didn't get any sleep, because of Daniel's cough and then a fever. So before 3:00 we were on the road. Afterall, we may as well drive since we certainly weren't sleeping. 
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