Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we were so excited because we were getting together with all of my siblings & their families. I'm pretty positive that it has been over 10 years since we have all been together for Thanksgiving. So to me, this was a big deal. With all of us living on the east coast we just could not pass up this chance to spend this holiday together. And luckily, Jason & Becki live in Atlanta which is right in the middle of us here in Florida and  Hyrum & Anne living in Virginia.

So we loaded up the car & got an early start on Wednesday morning at 4:15AM. It sure made the drive go by faster getting a lot miles covered in the dark. They boys did really well & we only stopped twice for gas. 

 The more north we drove the more the scenery changed from palm trees to pine trees. I was loving all the fall colors that we got to see on the drive. This isn't the best picture, but it filled my longing for my Buffalo fall that I miss.

 We actually avoided traffic some how & made the drive in only 10 1/2 hours!!! Wahoo! We were all so excited to see cousins & get out of the car! In fact about an hour after we arrived, Aunt Laura took all the younger kids to see the Rise of the Guardians. So fun!

That night was spent hanging out & getting lots of food prep taken care of for Thanksgiving dinner. 

THANKSGIVING DAY

I started out the day by going on a run with Becki & my niece Ashley. I'm so thankful Ashley came with me so that I wasn't completely left in the dust by fast lightning Becki. haha! I must admit this was the first time in my life that I have ever worked out on Thanksgiving Day & I quite enjoyed it. I think it will be something that I continue to do in the future too.  Helps ya not feel so guilty eating that pecan pie. :)

{Ashley, Becki & Me}

We had a craft table all set up for the kids to stay busy with while we were cooking in the kitchen. I did this little turkey craft with them & they turned out so cute!

 {Norah, Sophie, Savvy, Hailey & Gavin}

 The craft table

Becki is so crafty & thoughtful to think of this genius idea.

And as you can see, they were fully entertained & stayed busy with it for quite a while. Well, their girls did. Gavin lasted about 2 seconds & was off running around. Sigh.

It was such a beautiful day that we could not resist playing outside as much as possible. All of the cousins that are Gavin's age are girls. He plays pretty well with them, but as soon as the BIG boys come around, Gavin wants nothing more than to be with them. McKay, Carson & Logan are all so good with Gavin too! It just melts my heart to see them interact & care for him. As soon as Gavin saw them head out to throw the football he immediately put on his shoes & ran outside saying, "Hey guys! Pass it to me!!!".

 

Check out my little football player. He has quite the throwing arm if I say so myself. :) Doug was so proud of this action shot. 

Logan is almost 10 & is really very good with kids. But there is something different about him & Gavin's relationship. They have quite a bond & love being together. Gavin talks about Logan non stop! The entire vacation we really didn't see much of Gavin. He wouldn't even let us help him with things because "Logan will do it!". Even though there is a 6 year gap in their ages, they are best of buds. We are so grateful for Logan & the kindness he shows our little boy.

The big boys wanted to play a little Turkey Bowl so off they went while we played on the playground with the smaller kids. Of course we had to go watch them in action for a bit. Becki got some great photos of everyone. *Most of these pictures are hers that I stole from her blog*

 My oldest brother Jason

Handsome boys

{Doug & Liam}

 

 My older brother Hyrum

Lovin the hairdo he was sportin for the game!

 Gavin & Logan chasing each other. Pure joy spread all over their faces. LOVE it!

 Best buds!

 Hailey & McKay

 Anne & Norah

{Anne, Brittany, Becki, Laura & Me}
 And of course we had to get a picture of us ladies. My cousin Brittany & her husband & son live about 45 minutes away from Jas & Becki so they were able to join us for the day. It was so much fun catching up with her & getting to know her family better.

Upon returning to the house there was quite a lot going on...

Just a little pre-dinner munchies. Okay not a little...a LOT! :)

 Some football watching...

Some movie watching by these cute cousins!
{Gavin, Hailey, Savvy, Sophie & Norah}

 Hailey & Jason

Anne & Me

 Hyro helped me & Becki out a lot in the kitchen getting all the food ready. We had a blast cooking with each other!

 Becki had the tables placed & decorated so beautifully. She really does know how to do everything to perfection. I strive to be like her one day. :)

 The kids settings.

Before we all arrived, Becki had asked us all including our children to name 4 things we were thankful for. I was curious as to what creative thing she had planned for this & it wasn't until I sat down to eat that I found out. She had typed up each one & attached it to the garland that ran down the table. It was so fun being able to read what everyone was thankful for.

 Becki had quite the dinner planned. We started off our meal with some homemade soup.

 Butternut Squash

Then we all enjoyed the most delicious appetizer I have ever had. Seriously folks, it's the best!

Cauliflower/Brussel sprouts

After we finished our starters we headed into the kitchen to feast on all the other scrumptious food. I about died laughing when I entered & saw my Jason sporting his server vest while slicing & serving the turkey for everyone! :) I love my family & all our silliness!

Bon Appetit!

 Yum!

And of course you can't forget about the pies. Oh the pies! We had apple, pecan, sweet potato, pumpkin & chocolate. As you can see, we all dug right in.

Here we are all 20 of us!
  Thanksgiving this year was very special to me. I was bummed that our parents were not able to join us as they are serving their mission in Hawaii. But I loved being able to be with my siblings & their families! I am so thankful for the love, kindness, support & laughter that each & every one of us brings to our family. Thank you Becki & Jas for hosting the grand feast!

FRIDAY

Thankfully, we had the entire weekend to spend together so we fit in a lot of really great things. Friday morning Jas, Hyrum, Doug & McKay went golfing. Of course I don't have any pictures of the because they are men & just don't do that. ;)

Logan & Liam coloring or just sitting in the pencil box. Either one is fun!

 Gavin helping Logan cut strawberries for breakfast crepes. Such good boys.

While the guys were golfing we decided to have a picnic at the park & let the kiddos play.

 At one point I glanced around to find Gavin & I saw him laying down on his back in the bark. I called to him asking what he was doing & he replied, "Making a snow angel Mom!". This kid cracks me up!

 Having fun climbing the rock wall.

 Ash made it to the top & Gavin is close behind her. Hopefully he stopped & didn't follow suit of his big cousin. I don't remember.

 Miss Sophia striking a pose! Love the pouty look.

And our little gymnast Savvy. She is amazing! She showed me all her medals that she has won & there is a total of 21!!! She is going to the Olympics for sure. She is THAT good!

 A little afternoon snack. Nothing better than blowing bubbles in your chocolate milk.
I really can't get over how adorable these two are. I kind of wanted to kidnap Logan & take him home with us.

 Liam & Gavin both were just a little bit obsessed with the race car track. Liam just wanted to rip apart the track, but Gavin really liked using the remote control.

Savvy, Becki & Me
Love these girlies!

That night we got to have a Girls Night Out. We did some shopping & then had dinner at this yummy place called Seed. It was so fun being with my favorite girls. I love them all to pieces!

Ashley, Becki, Laura, Me & Anne

SATURDAY
Saturday was our big family outing & we went to the Atlanta Zoo. I really wanted to get a picture of all of us, but it was very difficult to keep us all in one place for more than .2 seconds. Haha! The weather was more chilly & my son Gavin has turned into quite the wimp. He whined about being SO COLD & insisted on sitting in the stroller with a blanket wrapped around him almost the entire time. We are in trouble when we head to Utah for Christmas. :)

 At least I got a smile out of him.

 Liam didn't seem to mind the chilliness one bit. And that's probably due to the snazzy pink & purple beanie he was sporting. That's what happens when you have all girl cousins your size.

Our own little cub. Roar!

 Me & Jason

My sweet Gavin. Love this photo that Ashley got.

 We had a blast seeing all the animals at the zoo. It was the perfect family outing. Love my little family.

That night Jason & Becki's older children McKay, Ashley, Carson & Logan took on the HUGE responsibility of watching all of our young kids so that we could go out on a sibling group date. I was so nervous for McKay to deal with Liam as he suffers from some serious separation anxiety these days(months). But everything went well & I am SO thankful for McKay's willingness to take on the baby. I wasn't worried one bit about Gavin. Logan was of course in charge of him & Gavin does anything Logan asks.

{Me & Hyrum}
Getting our game face on!

So off we went all loaded up & headed down town. My brother Jason was able to get some serious hook ups & got us all these amazing seats for the Atlanta Hawks vs Clippers basketball game. We had to enter through the VIP doors & get a wristband & everything. I felt very special indeed. :) It even had it's own food area so you didn't have to man the crowds out with the poor folk. haha!

 

 Doug & I have never been to a NBA game together before. It was a lot of fun! We cherish our date nights dearly.

A pretty good self group shot if I say so myself. :) Love these guys with all my heart! Thanks Jas for spoiling us with these tickets.

Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast & loaded up the car to head home. We had such a wonderful time with family & are so happy that we all decided to make this tradition while we are all located where we currently are. It really was the best Thanksgiving ever!