Santa Parade '15

We've started a new tradition with my family. We go to a movie over Thanksgiving break. There is usually a new Disney movie out to see. This year we saw The Good Dinosaur. The kids enjoyed it and the minis were great! This is the first movie where they stayed in the movie theater the whole time. The theater wasn't crowded so when they were bored we took them to the front row and let them walk around.

We went to the Lehi Santa parade after. I don't know if this tradition will last. It was like pulling teeth to get the older kids to go. We did leave with a bag full of candy so that helped. My mom stayed back at home with the minis who were napping. Thanks mom!

Marshall's Birthday

Marshall's birthday started early. He got presents and breakfast before he left to work.

It was the most crazy day with our renter and definitely a post for another day. So Marshall got home later than normal but we were all excited to see him. We had his favorite meal which is lasagna and then his favorite dessert, strawberry squares. Then he sped off to bishopric meeting. Gotta love the craziness and you just go with the flow, enjoy the time you have together and trek through the tricky times.

Thankfully we got to officially celebrate a few nights before by going to the Jazz game with Ali and Dan (thanks Ali and Dan!!!) Thanks Betsy for babysitting! It was a fun date and a great way to celebrate.

Thanksgiving '15

Thanksgiving was such a great holiday! We spent it with my family. Ali was a great hostess. She had lots of yummy hors d'oeuvres. Then Thanksgiving dinner was amazing with a perfectly cooked turkey, ham and lots of delicious sides.

The minis aren't great at posing for the camera but they loved getting their own plate of food.

The kids table was very energetic! These guys had a blast all day long playing.

It was fun being around one table as adults. I love big gatherings but small gatherings are fun too.

My dad is so great. He entertained the kids in the basement playing Dr. Mario after dinner. It is his favorite game and the kids loved it too.

We went for a walk after, the minis napped,  and we cleaned up. The guys went to the movies during the afternoon. A few of us went shopping for a bit when the stores opened.
Then we made crafts. The kids made ornaments at their table.

We made crafts from the Wood Connection. We love their crafts because you can finish them in a short amount of time.

Here's the finished product.

I really do feel so very blessed. It's been the most trying year with our renter but it's been good to re-prioritize and focus on what matters most.

St. George '15

I'm happy it worked out to go to St. George again this year. It has been so stressful with our renter that we weren't sure if it would happen. It was a much needed family trip.

 We took off on a Friday morning and hoped the minis would sleep most of the trip since it was nap time. They were too excited to nap though and then Sienna threw up. Thank goodness we were near Beaver when it happened so we stopped at McDonald's to clean up and get lunch.

Thank goodness the minis fell asleep after that for the rest of the ride.

We enjoyed the warmer weather when we got there. The boys rolled down their windows.

We hiked around Pioneer Park Friday afternoon. There is so much to explore and we see something new every time we go.

We went to Chuck O Rama for dinner. It is the best place to satisfy everyone. It was much easier this year compared to last year since the minis can sit in high chairs.

I couldn't believe how much the minis ate. We were worried about Sienna since she threw up earlier but I think she was just car sick because she ate a lot at the restaurant and held it all down.

We rearranged seats since Sienna's car seat was still wet from being cleaned. The girls took the back row and the boys took the middle row.

Taggart doesn't like getting in the car.

Saturday we spent the day at Sand Hollow Park. It was our first time there and we loved it. We had the beach to ourselves. It was warm and the kids loved playing in the sand.

It wasn't hot and the water was cold but Marshall and James still went cliff jumping. James is pretty brave.

The minis loved the sand!

We stayed at Uncle Lew's and it is so great! Leading up to the trip we kept telling Kaden we were going to St. George and staying at Uncle Lew's. So once we got there Kaden asked where Uncle Lew was. Then all of the kids got confused and said we were at St. Lewis. Kaden asked who was St. George. Kaden was very happy there and said, "I love vacation!!!"

The minis kept playing on the doggy bed. Yikes! We couldn't keep them away from it.

The rest of the pictures are from Marshall's phone and got added to the end of the post. It is not easy to put them in order on blogger so it is just easier to leave them at the end of this post. We both took lots of pictures at Pioneer Park. I love these ones.

On Sunday we planned to go to sacrament meeting at the nearby ward. We started loading up the car when we smelled an awful smell. Unfortunately James had stepped in dog poop while running on the grass when he was waiting for us and he got it all over his pants, booster seat, and inside of the car. Then Kaden who was already in his seat and buckled began throwing up due to the strong odor. We unloaded everyone and got it all cleaned up. By the time we were done we decided to go to the temple instead. We told the kids we were having temple church. We spent some time in the visitor's center watching some movies. While we were there Kaden said, "I like temple church!!!"

Going to the temple is always a nice way to end the trip. The drive home was uneventful thank goodness.