Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was amazing!!! 

Ryan took off an extra day and we headed out nice and early, still with the intent to stay in Moab for the night. We got there mid-afternoon. We really wanted to visit Arches and we only had time for one real hike before it was going to get too dark, so of course we chose Delicate Arch. Pierscen was really excited to see the famous Utah Arch!

The weather could NOT have been any better. Mid 50's. In fact, I started out with my sweater on and carrying Darren in the carrier. HUGE mistake. I didn't make it too far before I felt like I was going to pass out. So off came the sweater. Ryan really was the only one dressed appropriately. :)

The kids did incredible. You can see Devry on Ryan's shoulders in the picture above, but that was just so that she wouldn't fall off the edge. Pierscen did that whole thing, no problem. 

It was perfect! I, personally, would have liked to have stayed and enjoyed it a bit more, but Ryan mentioned swimming and the kids pretty much ran the whole way down. 

Darren slept through the whole hike, waking up right as we got back to the car. This was his "where are we?" face.

Balance Rock as seen from the car on our way to dinner and then the hotel. 

And right here is the biggest reason we go up a day early. A mini vaca before our time is all accounted for. These kids (Ryan counts as a kid) LOVE to swim!

And our baby fish even got to take his first dip in the water. He did pretty good! He stayed in for a few minutes, and then I wrapped him up and took him upstairs for a nice warm bath. 

In the morning the kids went swimming, then ate breakfast, went swimming again, and ate second breakfast before we headed out. 

Next we drove to Goblin Valley. The kids did really well on the Delicate Arch hike, but staying on a marked path isn't their strong suit. We just wanted them to be able to run. Goblin Valley is the ticket!

Can you spot Pierscen? 

Devry and I spotted a lizard and Devry was obsessed with trying to catch it. (Of course there was no way this was going to happen. I don't have the boys skills in this regard, and they are super fast). We did give it a valiant effort before it disappeared under a rock. Devry couldn't understand why we didn't just push the rock over to get to it. Uh huh. Have you seen these rocks?! The picture below was her yelling, "Catch it!" as it ran away. You can see about 3/4 across to the right in the middle of the frame, but it blended in pretty well. 

Below is a picture of Devry trying to comfort Pierscen. He took a spill over the rocks and scraped up his arm pretty good. Ryan handled it really well teaching him about limits. Pierscen learned his, and then we were able to go on and have more fun. 

I discovered trying to get family photos via selfie is getting increasingly hard. Had to get creative:

It was a really nice outing. From there it was on to Orem. We checked in with my family, then headed to Matt and Jen's to see the new addition to their home and enjoy dinner over there as well. We played... I can't think of the name. This one:

It was really funny. You use those spacers and then read a tongue twister card and your team has to guess it. I just have to say, I was pretty good at it!

Thanksgiving morning tradition: Thankful 13 5k run! Here is the whole crew: Me, Kara, Samantha, Owen, Caroline, Deiderik, Helen, Necia, Paxton, and Ryan. I forced Ryan to bring his shirt so we could have a matching picture...

Which he promptly ditched afterward. :) That's alright. The weather was so much better this year! Much warmer. And they pushed the start time back a bit too, which was nice. If I could change one thing about it, I would say it would be to add a 10k. They have a 5k and a half marathon. Something in between would be awesome. I finished this one and felt so good I would have happily run another 3 miles. Weird, I know. But true. 

We don't take normal pictures in this family. :)

Success! I actually ran/walked most of it with Caroline. Not the fastest pace, but I felt really good about it. And it's not like I was going to kill myself off. Ryan says that it is my new PR since "everything starts over once you have a baby." Sure, I'll take that. ;)

Now this kid... Wow! Deiderik took 3rd place in his division. How incredible is that?! His grin was infectious. So proud of him! 

It was a fantastic way to start the day! Earned our turkey! We enjoyed a wonderful meal at my parents and then went to a church in Provo for dinner with Ryan's side. I didn't take any pictures, but I think Opa took the ones below. Ryan's uncle Karl brought a several sets of these magic car sets that light up in the dark. The kids put them together all over the gym and had a blast!

Friday was double park day. First with Ryan's side where Devry passed out in my arms. She has to be insanely tired for this to happen. The fun thing about this was that I ran into my friend from high school and her sisters, one that I danced with, and one that I taught dance. The whole family was there actually, and it was fun to talk to their mom as well. Hooray for big holidays that bring family together.

Next we went to the All Together park with my mom and Issy. Issy is seriously the best kid alive. She is the sweetest girl. My kids are incredibly blessed to have her as their cousin. 

Friday night was crab night. I have no pictures of it, but it was glorious, as always. :) Thank you Karl!

Saturday was the main event! We were able to coordinate with Jodi and Jessica to make Saturday one big family celebration. First, Zach was baptized! Then we blessed Darren. Then we headed over to the church and had a birthday party for Kris (Saturday was his REAL birthday) as well as Jodi and my kids (December birthdays) and then basically all the birthdays from August to the end of the year. Haha! We did a potluck style lunch with everything disposable. It was perfect. That way we could celebrate everything and no one would have to host! 

Here are some pictures from the blessing and baptism. Darren is sporting the same suit that Pierscen wore. It ran a little small on both of them. ;)

Four generations:

In case you were wondering if he could smile any bigger: Bahahaha!!!

Check out this handsome, handsome stud!                                                                                                                                                             

The party was incredible. I am so thankful for our families - for their incredible support and love. Things really could not have been any better. (Except if I had given Ryan the pacifier during the blessing as an in case... because that would have been helpful. Darren cried through most of the blessing, but it was a wonderful blessing all the same.)

Following the dinner, some of the family took off to go play volleyball. (I thought about going, but decided against it when I learned they were going to be playing with other competitive people. Ha!) Instead, I went to hike the Y with Necia and family. 

The weather this entire trip could not have been more glorious. And it was so nice to be so active! I was sure that hike was 3 miles each direction (at least!) but I was definitely off on that. It's on 3 miles total. It feels like a lot more than that though. Ha! Great hike with great company. Sure love my family. 

Sunday we went to church at Opa's single's ward, and spent the day with family. 

Monday morning we got a later start because Ryan wanted to play basketball with his dad. I'm telling you - this was a very active visit! My mom came over to say goodbye. Goodbye's are always rough. 

The drive home was smooth. We actually got home in really good time. I think it may have actually only taken the 9.5 hours that Google Maps claims, though I don't know how that is possible with the amount of potty breaks and such. But we made it!

Thank you to our amazing family for all they did to make this trip possible. I think this was one of the best trips home yet! Love you all so much!