Thanksgiving 2012, A St. George Getaway

For our Christmas present my parents brought our family out to St. George for a little fun in the sun and a family Thanksgiving at their St. George house. It was so much fun...really, a crazy good time. It couldn't have been more perfect. My parents put a lot of time and thought into making it a memorable experience and that it was!

HELLO HELLO!

We flew into Vegas, then had about a 2 hour drive to St. George, so when we got out of the car it was a mad dash to say hello to everyone and see how much the babies had grown. I love watching my siblings be parents. They are all so good at it in their own ways. I feel so blessed to have siblings and in-laws that I can't wait to see and spend time with.

FAVORITE THINGS, and MY FAVORITE THING

The theme of the week was "These are a few of my favorite things." Each night my mom had a small gift for everyone or for the group: someone's or everyone's favorite thing in brown paper packages tied up with string. The kids looked forward to this moment every night. Before the gift, every night we would have a family devotional, a scripture and a family prayer. It sounds a bit cheezy, but these were some of my favorite moments. I must be getting older because there is nothing better to me than feeling the spirit as a family and watching my kids begin to understand what is really important in this life. They were great, loving, teaching moments.

DOUBLE SHOT

My parents put a double shot in the garage and it got plenty of use. The boys loved challenging each other and the dads to a little one on one.

HELPING HANDS

In a house full of people, everyone has to pitch in. My favorite moment was when Mitch loaded the dishwasher with dishwashing liquid. I would say something rude about it being his first time, but he is actually a big help and master cleaner ;). Honest mistake.

 OUTSIDE PLAY

We were loving the positively beautiful weather all week. Everyone took advantage of a basically empty street and spent the afternoons throwing a football or riding scooters up and down the street. 

GOOD DEED CARDS

My mom came up with a fun way to encourage kindness...Good Deed Cards. The kids loved getting "caught" doing a good deed and the kindness was contagious. Amazingly, the boys were all so good to each other this time. Hardly any tattling, fighting or meanness. We couldn't have asked for more!

FLAG FOOTBALL

One of the favorite, favorite things was a flag football set. The boys took the gear out on the golf course to try it out. The dads played too, so of course there were tears :)

THE FESTIVAL OF TREES

Most of the dads had to work a few of the days, so we took the kids to the Festival of Trees. When I lived in Utah it was always one of my favorite Christmas activities, so even though this one was on a much smaller scale, it was so much fun to be there. It was basically empty since we went while most kids were in school, so the kids had everything to themselves and got to make lots of fun crafts. Jace even said, "This was more fun than I thought it would be."

JUMPIN JACKS

The days were warm but the nights were chilly, so we ended up at a bounce house called Jumpin Jacks. It was a huge hit for everyone but Maddy who was terrified of it all. My mom was sure the boys were going to die with the crazy way they played but we all made it home in one piece.

POOL!

The weather was great, so we basically spent every second possible in the water. My dad heated the pool and hot tub way up so they were completely pleasant even when the air was a bit chilly. We all spent hours enjoying the water and sunshine and Pierce especially loved the water.

ADULT GAMES

We were able to get the kids to bed pretty early each night, so the adults spent time playing games...arm wrestling (Mike came in second, I came in second to last), 5 deck, church trivia...good times. I love spending time sans kids!

COUSIN TIME

The very best part of the trip was watching my boys interact with all their cousins. It still amazes me that we can live so far away and only get together a few times a year, but their love and friendship is instant with each other. I hope it is always that way!

S'MORES

These are always a hit but this year we fancied them up a bit and added candy bars like Almond Joy, Milky Way or Reese's to the mix. Sinful, but so good.

LUNCH

We ate lots of meals together, but loved spending time out on the deck eating lunch. The babies just scavenged around looking for someone to feed them something they weren't supposed to have.

THANKSGIVING!

I love Thanksgiving. In fact, it might be my favorite holiday and I loved spending it with family (missed Katie and Spencer and their kids though!). I love cooking with the adults the night before, eating really GREAT food the next day and talking about what we love and what we are grateful for. Our family is blessed beyond expression and I often step back and hardly believe the love and happiness I have been a part of in my life. I love going around the table, listing our favorite blessings. It was so fun to watch the kids unload "Grateful Pig." All week everyone had been placing little papers inside the pig that listed what they were grateful for, then we read them aloud together. Every single one was so sweet.

Especially grateful for these turkeys...and the one taking a nap. They make my world go round.

How cute does my mom look here? And of course, baby Beau too.

Not planned :)

A family stroll after too much food.

Grateful pig

HIKES

One of the coolest things about my parents' house is that there are tons of hikes and biking trails in their subdivision. We had such a blast climbing our favorite rocks. The view is breathtaking, so beautiful and just a jaunt away. I am always amazed how boys seem to have no fear. They all literally just jump from rock to rock, higher and higher and further and further away without a care. Incredible really. 

Pierce loved climbing the red rocks too.

SNOW CANYON

Snow Canyon, a hidden national gem is only about 1 mile away and we spent so much time there. There are acres and acres of hiking trails, sand dunes and lava tubes. The boys were able to go miles underground into the lava tubes and explore. It was dangerous and crazy but I heard it was amazing. We stayed above ground with the babies but next time I am going down!

A little owie

TEMPLE LIGHTS

We don't get to see lights on a Mormon Temple in Michigan, so it was fun to see the gardens of the St. George temple all lit up...although I must admit it pales in comparison to the Salt Lake temple. Nonetheless, it was a fun, barely chilly night that was a great way to start the Christmas season.

SNOW CANYON SAND DUNES
We discovered these sand dunes too late. The kids loved playing in the cool sand that was as fine as Caribbean sand. We could have spent all day there with buckets, shovels and snacks. Next time!

MOVIES

With the gorgeous weather, we didn't spend much time inside, but the kids did watch a movie in the theater room a few times, plus cartoons every morning. They love it and we love that the sound is contained :).

JAMMIES

Since we were not all going to be together for Christmas, on the last night my mom busted out her favorite thing...new jammies. Some of the cutest pictures ensued. It was really an unforgettable week with so many great moments and memories. It was a perfect mix of relaxation and free time and time to be active and enjoying nature. We rarely felt hurried or rushed but always had something fun to do, and the kids were all just fantastic. I know I am missing photos of card games played, babies playing with the mini-kitchen, cooking, aunts and uncles loving on nieces and nephews, grandpa squeezes and grandma snuggles. Morning walks, courtyard Zumba, late night chats, stories shared, treats eaten, devotionals, meaningful family prayers, Nielsen's custard, Pierce's ear infection, indoor basketball, pool and the kind of love and closeness that is too hard to capture in a picture. It was a wonderfully, unforgettable holiday!

ZOO

Since flights were significantly cheaper after the holiday, me and the boys drove back to Salt Lake to spend one more day with my family. The weather was strangely nice, so we decided to go to the zoo. It was Pierce's first time and we all just ate him up as he stood in awe of all the new animals he was able to see and watch. My favorite thing about his age is watching him discover the world all over again. Makes every tough moment worth it. 

So, so crazy about this picture. My boys are all at such fun ages still. Freeze time please!

Elephants

Never too old to pose on every animal at the park.

Cool, new exhibit

Look at the wonder in his eyes as he watches the seals. I could have stayed all day watching him.

We saw feeding time.

Thinks he is so big.

WORST PART

We hate saying good-bye, but we love to visit. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for an incredible 10 days. We love you so much.