Thanksgiving and Marlow's 4th Birthday

Everyone came in Friday for Thanksgiving. We had all the kids with us - Justin, Jenna, Greg, Chad, and all their families. Marilyn was our host for the weekend; she set up the garage so the kids could play out there. We had a meal together that evening. Saturday at lunch we had a charcuterie board to snack on. Our traditional "turkey and trimmings" meal was that evening. Tim joined us as well.  After our meal, we did Christmas crafts. We actually did crafts with all the littles the entire weekend; the "big" guys raced on Rickie's set up all weekend.

Yesterday after church we had Marlow's 4th birthday (unicorn) party. Everyone was there except Justin because he was on duty.

It was such a huge blessing to have everyone under the same roof at the same time for Thanksgiving!

Babysitting Marlow and Jackson 

We went to Mansfield Friday to stay with Marlow and Jackson. Jenna and Jared went with some other  couples on a "Friendsgiving" weekend trip. Yesterday morning, we enjoyed going to a local park. We let them play for about an hour and a half. Then we went home for lunch and naps. Because it was so pretty, we got back outside yesterday afternoon in the backyard. This morning Jared's dad came over to watch them so we could go back home.

Weekend Fun

We had everyone here this weekend. Jenna, Jared and the kiddos came in Friday. Marilyn and I cooked an Asian meal (fried shrimp, egg rolls, etc.) for dinner. On Saturday, Jared and Jonah went to the store to get things for the evening meal. Justin was off, and Keelie cooked lunch for all of us. It was a beautiful afternoon; the kids enjoyed playing outside. Saturday night, Marilyn, Jared and I cooked Mexican food; we had a lot of food!

After church and lunch yesterday, Jared and Jenna packed up to go home.

Halloween Fun

Although we were in Utah on Halloween, we sure got some cuties' photos!

Girls' Utah Trip

We just spent eight days in the southern Utah area. We flew into St. George, Utah. We explored the "Mighty Five National Parks," two state parks, and two Navajo tribal parks. We actually were in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada on one or two consecutive day all with different time zones.

Our national parks in order of our favs were:

Bryce Canyon National Park (the hoodoos)

Capitol Reef National Park

Arches National Park

Canyonland National Park

Zion National Park

We got to spend the night in Monument Valley on Friday.

Saturday morning we took a Cultural Navajo Tour. Our guide was terrific, and we learned so much about their life.

On Sunday, we went to Page, Arizona where we did the Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend Overlook Tour. It was fantastic. The slot canyons are magnificent and definitely were an overall favorite for the whole trip!

We were so close we drove to Las Vegas. We spent one night downtown which was a treat; I had stayed on the strip but never downtown.  We went back to St. George and flew home Tuesday evening. What a trip!