Thanksgiving 2010

This year we headed over the mountain(s) and through a few woods to Grandmother's house- my parent's house in Idaho. We drive everywhere we go these days- with 6 of us now, it hard to justify flying anywhere that is close enough to drive. And yes, close enough is 10 hours in the car, but it just makes more sense to us to drive- financially it is much cheaper and we can also bring more stuff! Being limited to just a few suitcases is hard, especially when you need to bring double strollers, 2 portable high chairs, pack and plays and whatever seasonal toys we need/want to bring along.

The weather on the way there was perfect- we just escaped the snow storm that hit Auburn and missed an unseasonably snowy and cold Thanksgiving in Seattle. But no fear- it was even colder (sub zero temps) and plenty of snow in Idaho.

The second night we were there, Papa shared his traditional pomegranate with my kids. It was well received by all.

Ben loved having an entire week with no work and we sure loved spending every minute of every day with him. The kids often go days without seeing him during the week at home, due to their early bedtime and his work schedule, so we soaked him in.

He also enjoyed my dad's 4 wheeler and 4 acres of land to haul the kids around on for rides. Someday, babe, someday...

It was a very relaxing week for all!

The twins enjoyed everyone, especially Papa!

Mitch and cousin Carter had a wonderful week together. They spent a LOT of time watching shows together, mostly Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The adults will never be able to get the theme song to that show out of our heads (M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E.... and Oh Toodles! And not to leave out "Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog!)

But when the TV was off, they had fun playing in the snow together, too.

Papa's four wheeler was hours of fun, used to pull everyone on a tube and sled.

Daisy even got in on the fun- she loved all of the acreage as well. Someday, Daisy, someday.... (Yes, she made the 10 hour car trip too. She's the quietest, least neediest "kid" we have).

Oh, and baby it was COLD outside!

My second set of twins.

These boys had a great week sharing everything- they even shared Strep Throat with each other, and Chloe got in on the fun too. Nothing like a family get together to share meals, toys and a little sickness.

The day before Thanksgiving we all sat down and helped my mom with "Project Rudolph", a non profit organization that sends goodie bags and motivational letters to the troops serving our country for Christmas. It was a fun project and the kids had a great time.

On Thanksgiving morning, we gathered up the entire clan and got a group shot. The kids did really well for this picture and it was a miracle that we got everyone looking.

The same cannot be said for the shot with the grandkids and Grandma and Papa. The kids were done at this point and this picture captures perfectly how they all felt... bored, angry and sad. This was the "best" shot of all of them- there was not a single one without someone crying.

We decided to try and grab a quick shot of our family after all that- not our best idea, but worth a shot. This is what we got.

Thank goodness when Thanksgiving dinner was ready. Leah and Lexi enjoyed their first real Thanksgiving meal.

Not pictured, but they LOVED dessert even more. Each of them ate an entire slice of pumpkin pie themselves, plus some.

The babies loved spending a few days with Great Grandma D. She is a fit and healthy 89 years old and still gets down on the floor and plays with my kids like she's 20.

Despite what this picture shows, Leah loved her.

Black Friday was the best day- my mom and Grandma gave me and Ben the best Christmas present ever- they watched all four of our kids while Ben and I went shopping. We never get to go shopping for 8 hours without kids. It was truly a priceless gift.

When we got back home, we had a joint birthday party for Chloe and her cousin Tristan. Their birthdays are one day apart. Chloe is turning 6 and Tristan is turning 3.

Ben and I both commented that the week really did go by much too quickly- we had such a great time, even if the ride home took 3 hours longer than normal (some nasty roads and weather). Good thing we get to see Grandma and Aunt Catherine in less than a month!