Thanksgiving Weekend

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with Jake's family this year down in Utah. His parents rented a cabin up at Sundance so we were all able to stay together in one place. It was a beautiful area, but surprisingly, no snow. After driving up to the cabin, we were glad there was no snow on the roads--it was steep & could have been pretty dangerous.
We enjoyed being with Jake's family & we had a good time. It's always fun for the kids to get together with their cousins & just play. I think Allie got a bit overwhelmed with all the boys around, but she figured out how to get them to play card games or Candyland with her & have a little calmness during the games. There was lots of food, many conversations, games, Rock Band, service project of making blankets for elderly people, hikes and Nerf gun wars. There was always something going on & plenty of eating yummy food. Of course, it wouldn't be a family gathering without someone being sick. Fortunately, this year, it didn't go through as many people as last year. Thanks to everyone for all they did to make this weekend so much fun. You are all the best!!
On Saturday our family took a quick trip to BYU to buy some souvenirs then headed up to Park City. We met everyone at the outlets & then our family went up the mountain to the Olympic Park from the 2002 Olympics. We walked through the museum & then walked around a little bit seeing the ski jumps & bobsled track. We then headed to SLC to walk at Temple Square & see the Christmas lights. It is always so beautiful there. It was extremely busy & we had to keep our kids close so they didn't get lost in the crowd, but it was fun to walk around.
We are grateful to Jake's parents for making it possible for all of us to spend Thanksgiving together. We enjoy spending time with family & making new memories.


Allie learning how to get a turkey ready for dinner.

My kids got their first exposure to Rock Band & got hooked pretty fast. Melissa liked the vocals, Nicole got the beat on the drums & Brittany rocked out on the guitar.

Brooklyn had a little party for her birthday put on by her aunts, uncles, cousins & grandparents. They were all so sweet to remember her birthday. She loved all her gifts & still talks about having a birthday.

Brittany learning to tie a quilt from Grammie. She loved putting these blankets together. She stuck with it until the end. We hope the elderly people enjoy these quilts. Great idea, Karen!

Erin was teaching Melissa how to sew on the sewing machine. I think my girls have found a new talent & may be wanting me to pull out my sewing machine so they can practice some more.

The kids enjoying the hike up the mountain. It was a little slippery, so we didn't go too far.

The kids had almost as much fun with the nerf guns as the adult guys. It felt like a war zone at times.

The girls all riding together in a bobsled. When there isn't any training going on, you can actually ride down the slope. I might even try that one--what a rush that would be!

The girls at the top of Olympic Park. I can't imagine how crazy it was up here during the Olympics. Glad we didn't have to fight the rush today.

Enjoying the Christmas lights at Temple Square. What a beautiful place!!