Thanksgiving

Since the 'holiday season' is Nathan's busy season at work, we don't often get to spend it with family. This year my family decided to join us for Thanksgiving right here. Boy am I spoiled! I love you guys. My boys talked about Grandma and Grandpa and cousins coming for weeks. And they are already talking about a visit to Utah. The Brady Inn doesn't have a lot of room, so we felt so blessed to have our friends the Arnolds offer their home to my family (It worked out nicely, because they were out of town while my family was in). I told Daniel and Liam that Grandma and Grandpa would be staying at (their friend) Alaina's house. They didn't understand at first. They couldn't understand why their grandparents were going to their friends' house and not theirs. It cracked me up trying to explain it all.

They got in very late (or early, depending on how you look at it). So Thursday we spent talking and cooking, while the guys watched a game or two. We tried to watch the Macy's Parade, but were disappointed because they didn't spend any airtime on the cool balloons that we had told all of the kids about. They spend the whole parade trying to hype actors from new TV series--I don't follow actors/actresses and I was as bored as the kids--show us the giant balloons, cool floats, and the marching bands! It was nice to have the Arnold's oven in addition to ours. I love the turkey dinner. I never make gravy and that was a yummy treat. Of course my mom made delicious pies. She wasn't satisfied with them because the pumpkin was from a can, but they still beat everything else. During the cooking, the cousins ran in and out playing and getting treats. Emily and I started sending them out running laps for a chocolate chip. It was so nice to be together.

The next day we sent the guys to the zoo with the kids (which has always been free the day after Thanksgiving--but wasn't this year!). I think they had fun, but missed us girls a lot. Daniel got Grandpa to take lots of pictures of animals for him.

Meanwhile, we girls took advantage of our break and had a girls' day out. (Which for a mom of 3 boys was heaven sent.) I decided to take my mom and sisters to Old Folsom to peruse the shops. I tried on hats with my mom (one of our favorite things to do together--I have a bit of a hat fetish). My sisters and I had so much fun together. We went in some antique shops, boutiques, and a few other shops on the path. We were talking and laughing most of the way. We took some silly pictures, including Emily as Princess Leia, and a flower child. Saw books about real witches and the effects of fuzzy red slippers. Then my mom introduced me to one of the finer things in life...Gelato! Yummy. A little bit goes a long way. I love ice cream and frozen yogurt, but Gelato is in a league all its own. I had the dark chocolate. It was like eating frozen fudge brownie mix. I also had the pumpkin. Also yummy. (You can be sure, one of the next date nights we go on, will be for Gelato.) Then I took the girls to Old Fair Oaks to a few additional shops (that aren't much fun when you are worried about what 3 boys are touching-or breaking). Mom got us each a few Christmas decorations. We about doubled over reading some great cards. I don't like mushy cards--it doesn't seem heartfelt when a total stranger writes the message. Funny cards, on the other hand are an entirely different matter. I love them. (Nathan has been known to buy me a totally mushy card as a joke.) Honestly, the fun we had together that afternoon, made the whole trip worthwhile. I would love to live closer to my sisters and Mom. We would love to have one day a month to just relax and go out with the girls. I came home feeling totally rejuvenated. What a great day.

The guys were nearly exhausted, so we all went out for dinner at the Spaghetti Factory.

The next day we weren't sure if our company was staying or going. The Arnolds had to schedule an early return due to weather, so part of the day was spent packing and cleaning up (Mom got a little carried away cleaning-and left everything spotless). Once that was taken care of we decided to go to the Capital to take family pictures. Of course it was raining, so there were very few places dry enough for a picture outside. It is so difficult to get a happy family picture. My boys seem to think that family picture is synonymous with torture. Daniel started out really upset, then we went inside and unbeknownst to us, Liam was pulling faces in the pictures that the rest of us were smiling in. Then back outside and Caleb decided after just a couple of shots that he was done. After the torture session we tried to go see Tangled, but it was sold out. So we went back home and played Apples to Apples and ate pizza. What a great game. We had a lot of laughing. At the end of the game someone suggested that the cards we won described us. My sisters held cards like beautiful, charming, feminine, honest. I held the most cards but they were things like grumpy, miserable, boring, cold, difficult. Yikes! It was pretty funny.

By this time, the family decided to stay the night in hopes of avoiding the storm in Donner Pass. They got one hotel room and then Andrea and Paul stayed with us. Unfortunately, in all of the chaos, the Arnold's key disappeared and we were all stressed out looking for it. We had to tell the Arnolds that we weren't sure where it ended up, and were so relieved when they told us 'no biggie'. My family had left them lots of toilet paper and the new Thomas Monson book as a thank you. Their brother had lost 2 or 3 of their keys. What amazing friends. --It did turn up in a bag of stocking stuffers that Grandma left for the boys. (But not for a week.)

I tried calling my family as they traveled back to check on their progress and found out that my sister had hit a patch of black ice and slid off the road, hitting another car and rendering the truck undrivable. No one was hurt. The other driver was caravaning back to BYU and said that his car was old and falling apart anyway. (So nice.) They were delayed about 6 hours or so and made it back in a rental at 6 in the morning! Then they had to drive back to Elko to retrieve the truck a few days later after it had been worked on. Nathan and I felt so bad. Here our family had come so far out of their way to visit and it ended on a bad note again. (On previous visits, my dad cut his hand to the point of needing surgery, someone hit their car and ran, my dad got really sick and had to get a blessing...the list goes on and on.) I worry every time that my dad will decide he's had enough. No more visiting. My dad assured us that we're worth it, but I feel horrible. He said that it could have been much worse, which of course he was right--at least no one was hurt. I guess this is one time that we need to revisit our Thankful list and count our blessings. Hopefully, we haven't scared off visitors for next time.