Happy Thanksgiving!

This year our Thanksgiving was a little warmer...and a lot more wild! Thursday (Nov 20th) evening, Jonas and I, along with Jordan and Camden, headed to St. George/Mesquite where the rest of the Tanners and my parents were for Nolan's football tournament that weekend. (Jeff ended up flying down with Danny on Sunday because there was so much still to do at home.) We spent Friday and Saturday (Nov 21st-22nd) hanging out in southern Utah/Nevada. Nolan had one game each day (including Thursday, but we obviously missed that one). Both games were in the morning, which gave us the rest of the day to play. After the game on Friday, we took a quick detour in Mesquite to see some art installations in the red sandstone before heading back to St. George. The different carvings were actually pretty cool. We liked the Statue of Liberty the best. After that, we headed back to St. George to grab some lunch and play! We went to Thunder Junction park and hiked around Dixie Rock. Jonas always loves running around on a playground, especially if his cousins are with him, but I think he liked scrambling around on the rocks the best. Once we finished playing, we grabbed some custard at Nielsen's before heading back to the Tanner's grandparent's condo...where we played some more! We actually took the crazy kids swimming. There was a perfectly heated, comfortable indoor pool, but the boys insisted on challenging each other to jump in and stay in the cold outdoor pool. Jonas and Lincoln stayed in the water the longest.

Saturday (Nov 22nd) we packed everything up and headed back to Mesquite for one final game before making our way to AZ for the rest of the week. Nolan played with a lot of heart. His team didn't win any of their games, but I was proud of how well he played. He didn't give up. He gave his all...and it showed. Once the game ended, we moved on. We had a 7 hour drive ahead of us, but we made one little pit stop along the way - Las Vegas! I haven't been to this city in forever. We decided to take a detour to the Strip to visit the Coca Cola, M&M, and Hershey stores. We only stayed a couple of hours (we had lunch there too) and literally only went shopping in those stores and took a few pictures outside of the casinos. It wasn't much, but it was enough of a taste of Las Vegas and enough to check Nevada off Jonas's list of states that he's visited. (He's up to 22 now!) Once we got our chocolate and caffeine fill, we drove the rest of the way to my parent's house. Camden, Lincoln, and Addie joined us in our car. Along with Jonas, they played games and watched movies and even took a little nap along the way too. We got to Mesa after 8:00 p.m. The kids were ready to play, but the adults were not. We set up the sleeping arrangements then sent everyone to bed to rest up for a week of play!

Sunday (Nov 23rd) morning, I picked up Jeff and Danny at the airport. We then spent the rest of that day and most of Monday (Nov 24th) morning just hanging out at my parent's house. Jonas was in heaven and there were enough little projects to entertain Danny and Jeff as well. Prior to the trip, Jonas kept telling me how excited he was to go play at Gma's house, especially with his cousins. They played video games, backyard games, and card games. Jonas climbed the citrus trees to see if anything was ripe, tossed the football or frisbee, and even ran down to the park a couple of times with the rest of us. Oh...and we ate...and ate...and ate. We got to see Nichole, Ryan, and Kate on Sunday (and Monday evening) before they headed to Colorado for Thanksgiving with Tyler and Sydney. Michael, Jackie, and Samson joined us throughout the week as well. Samson is so stinking cute! He is almost two and can keep up with all of the cousins. He hung out with us on Monday morning while Michael and Jackie were at work. That afternoon, we headed to the theaters to see the final part of Wicked. We were anticipating this movie since last November when the first part was released. It had more depth to the characters and deeper meanings behind the overarching themes, but it was just as good as the first. We met up with Nichole, Ryan, Michael, Jackie, and Samson for dinner after the movie. Before we went back to Gma's house, we swung by Kate's work to say hi (and bye) and grab some shakes. 

We picked up the pace a little on Tuesday (Nov 25th). Jeff and Danny finished some little projects around the house then we headed to Golfland for some mini golf and arcades. This is always a fun time...a little chaotic, but fun. After golfing, we went to Bahama Bucks (where Krystle worked in high school) for some shaved ice then on to the temple to walk around the grounds. We knew we would miss the Christmas lights, but we wanted to see some of the displays anyways. From there, we headed to Joe's BBQ in downtown Gilbert for dinner. There are certain restaurants that we like to eat at while we're in town and this is definitely one of them. With full bellies, we headed across the street to fill needs at the Giving Machines. We kicked off our Christmas Acts of Kindness a little early. I loved that we got to do it with my parents. We all picked out an item we wanted to donate (and then Jeff picked a few more) then watched as the tiles dropped into the bin. I always get a little teary-eyed when we do this. I am so grateful of the abundance that I have to share, but it hurts my heart to know there are so many people out there without that kind of abundance. We were all thoughtful in our donation choices. There are situations that resonate a little differently with each of us. The best part is that both Danny and Jonas wanted to make sure that the donations they chose were ones they paid for. I love that they want to give too.

Wednesday (Nov 26th) we headed to the zoo! I like zoos. I like seeing all the incredibly different animals. I think we all enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure we all liked the monkeys the best. They are just so active and mischievous.Samson and Jackie joined us. Samson was so cute! I'm not sure he realized there were animals behind the fences, but he sure loved to run around.  We walked around for a few hours before we headed back to Gma's house for the evening. 

Thursday (Nov 27th) was Thanksgiving Day. Jeff, Danny, Nolan, Lincoln, Jonas and I decided to start the day with a hike to Hieroglyphics Spring (which they are really petroglyphs, but no one bothered to change the name of the trail). This is one of my favorite deserts hikes. It's fairly easy with beautiful views of the saguaro cacti. Plus, it ends at some pools of water. Usually the water isn't flowing this late in the year, but because the valley has gotten a lot of rain recently, there was plenty of water to enjoy, which you did! All the boys (Jeff included) got wet. They found natural slides on the rocks and dipped themselves into the pools. Thankfully the weather was just warm enough to enjoy the water without freezing. Once we got back to the house, the boys played while the adults made the Thanksgiving meal. It was a pretty simple meal this year. None of us really had the energy or desire to make a ton of side dishes so we stuck with the basics and no one complained. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, homemade sourdough rolls (thanks to Jackie!), and a veggie tray. It was delicious, but what made it a unique experience for my family was that we all ate outside. This might be their one and possibly only outdoor Thanksgiving feast. We followed our dinner with yummy pie then the boys tossed around the football until dark. The evening ended with card games and more time with family. It was a great week! We played together and chilled together. There were fun things planned and even more fun unplanned. We simply enjoyed being with family. No crazy schedule. No big demands. Just an opportunity to reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for.

The next morning, the Tanners and us said an early goodbye and started our way back to Utah. The Tanners drove back that day, but we elongated our trip an extra two days to give Jonas and Danny an opportunity to hit the slopes. Friday (Nov 28th), we made our way to Flagstaff. We dropped the boys off at Snowbowl for 5 hours of fun on the slopes. For only having boarded two days last season, Jonas was able to get up and down the mountain with minimal crashes. Danny quickly found his post-mission groove and easily went down the slopes. While the boys were on the slopes, Jeff and I wandered around downtown Flagstaff. I love that place! It is such a quaint area with lots of good food places and fun boutique shops. Once we picked the boys up, we drove to Page where we stopped for dinner at the Grand Canyon Brewery (one of our favorite places to eat when we do our Lake Powell trip) then made our way to Kanab for the night. 

Saturday (Nov 29th), we made our way to Brian Head Resort. This was day two of snowboarding/skiing! Jeff and I took off for about an hour to see some viewpoints at Cedar Breaks and wandered around the little general store, but there wasn't much else to do, so we made our way back to the lodge. We found a little table outside overlooking a beginners hill. The weather was nice enough that we weren't freezing. We grabbed the picnic stuff we'd purchased before leaving AZ and set up there. Jonas actually loved that he could board on that hill and see us so he decided to spend most of the rest of the day there. It was a shorter hill that was less steep where he could practice some of the skills he has been working on. Danny went down the larger hills as many times as he could in the 6 hours we were there. Jonas still went back out on the bigger runs a couple more times with Danny, but he was more than content to simply ride alone on the beginner hill. I have a feeling I might be bringing him back to Brian Head before the season is over. After another several hours of boarding, we packed up and made our way home. We did stop at the Beaver Creamery for some yummy soup and cheese sandwiches...and some ice cream too. 

Sunday (Nov 30th) we wrapped up our Thanksgiving week at home with the rest of the family. This year was an "in-law" Thanksgiving year, which is one of the biggest reasons why we headed to AZ. We knew Laurin, Amber, and Dallin would be celebrating with their spouses' families so we took advantage of the off year to celebrate in AZ. However, we all gathered together on Sunday for our little Thanks-mas tradition. On the years we don't get to celebrate with everyone, we still try to have a mini-Thanksgiving meal (which is basically just a Thanksgiving casserole with roasted veggies and rolls) then kick off Christmas together with cookies and homemade hot cocoa before going to see the lights in Spanish Fork. Up until that day, I had been struggling to feel the Christmas vibes. I was doing all sorts of Christmas things (wrapping presents, prepping activities, watching Christmas movies, etc), but I just didn't feel it. Today I felt it! Jeff, Danny, Jonas and I decorated the tree after church while flurries of snow whipped around outside. It was the first valley snow of the season! It made the day all the more perfect. Jingle also arrived that day with everyone's annual Christmas ornaments. Then, after dinner, we all bundled up and headed to see the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork. There was a light snowfall as we huddled close together in the back of the dump truck admiring the lights. Jeff always goes slow through the lights so we can enjoy them a little longer (and evidently so Danny could jump out and make a quick snow angel before jumping back in). I think what we love the most is simply being together, laughing together, and making memories together. I love that the holidays just give us more of an excuse to gather...and to have holiday themed fun. I don't have to plan much; most of the time, the kids provide their own entertainment, but it is fun to have a few activities that we all get to look forward to. That was the most perfect way to wrap up the Thanksgiving week and the month in general. Now bring on all things Christmas!

Noteworthy November

For the most part, our November was pretty chill, especially the first couple of weeks. This year, I was almost not going to celebrate El Dia de los Muertos. I usually try to do it right after Halloween, but that weekend was crazy with a couple of basketball games on Saturday and other family stuff. Plus, it's not like we do a whole lot to celebrate it any way. We create a little ofrenda and eat Mexican food. I consider it like our recognition of Chinese New Year or Cinco de Mayo. However, the following Sunday we were studying sections 127 and 128 in the Doctrine and Covenants, which discusses the ordinance of baptisms for the dead. I figured maybe we should loop a yummy Mexican dinner and a small ofrenda into our discussions. I even made a "Guess Your Ancestor" game as we talked about some of our ancestors. It was fun. Laurin and Casey even joined us in the game. It wasn't anything big, but it was still fun to celebrate nonetheless...and no, I didn't even think to take a picture of anyone with the ofrenda or the game papers, but I did take one of the ofrenda before I took it down. Like I've said many times, life is all about the small moments, the fun things we do to take a normal Sunday and make it a little special. Holiday celebrations don't need to be big to be memorable and fun.

A couple nights later (Tuesday, November 11th), we got to witness another memorable moment where God reminded us of His presence. He showed us the beauty of the world He created as we saw the night sky lit up with the pink and red hues of the Northern Lights. It was incredible! I wasn't even aware that the lights could be visible this far south until I happened to notice a post on Instagram from a friend. We quickly went outside and sure enough we could see the lights even without the use of our phone camera (usually it's hard to see the colors this far south with the naked eye, but if you use your camera you can see them appear). I don't know what it is about those lights, but I just have to bow to the Creator for their beauty. There is something so serene and magical about them. Now we can say that we've seen the blue and green hues in Iceland and the red and pink hues in Utah. I would still love to see them dance across the sky, but I feel like I have witnessed the lights enough to check them off my bucket list.

That following weekend, our month ramped up a bit! Julie and Brad flew into town and Stan and Kristi drove down to join the party too (they had double the reason to come because Grant and Liz had their little baby boy, Lawrence Lee, on the 13th). Saturday (November 15th) we enjoyed hanging out with extended family in the morning then Jeff, Jonas and I raced off to another weekend of double header basketball games. After the games, we met up with the rest of our growing family for our annual Luminaria tradition. Yup! We started Christmas festivities a little early. It was literally the only day we could find that worked best for everyone (plus the weather was much more mild than later in December). It's getting harder and harder to coordinate our schedules, especially during December when there are so many other parties and activities. Besides, I don't think any of us minded kicking off the Christmas fun even before Thanksgiving. We met up with everyone at the Harvest restaurant for dinner then spent a few hours wandering the magical light displays at Ashton Gardens. I'm always surprised at how much time we spend there. They keep adding fun activities and enchanting experiences. I love watching the younger kids most of all. There is a magic to this season that is palpable even if unexplainable, but kids are the ones who experience it the most. This year they added this "snow" (bubbles) animated projection that we enjoyed, plus the jumping lights were back and always a family favorite. The reindeer are fun for me to see as well. I guess you can say that I still get excited for Santa and his reindeer too.

Sunday (November 16th) we had a Southwick Thanksgiving dinner since all of Gma Penny's kids were in town. (We were obviously missing a few cousins/spouses, but the majority of us were there.) We had fun hanging out with everyone. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. I'm usually off my game when it comes to Southwick things because they generally don't do pictures. However, I did grab a photo of our Thankful tree. It was a shorter month because I took it down shortly after our Southwick Thanksgiving feast since I knew we would be in AZ for Thanksgiving, but it was full of so many incredible things to be thankful for. I think that is what I love most about the month of November - the opportunity to reflect on all the things I have to be grateful for, including hard things. Life isn't just about the easy road. Sometimes the trials in our lives are the very thing we need to mold and shape us into who we have always meant to be. I am incredibly grateful for my little family, but it didn't come easy. There were years of feeling alone then years of feeling rejected. I'm happy to report that now I get to experience years of love. We have an incredible life. It is not perfect, but I'm perfectly content with all the imperfections.