Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving Extravaganza 2009!!!!

I love Thanksgiving! I love that you get to be with your family and celebrate all of the wonderful privileges and blessings we have in our lives! I have SO much to be thankful for and am grateful for the opportunity we have to celebrate that once a year!

We had an absolutely amazing Thanksgiving weekend in Newton, Iowa! Where, you ask? Well, it's south of Des Moines and pretty much in the middle of nowhere but my parents somehow managed to find this cabin out there and determined it would be the perfect place to celebrate Thanksgiving as a family! Perfect is an understatement! This cabin (more like a lodge) was beautiful! It had 2 kitchens, 2 dining areas, slept up to 22, had a bowling alley, movie room, game room, and more! It has a little lake out back to go canoeing in, a fire pit where we cooked hobo dinners and was the PERFECT getaway! We had fun from the moment we arrived until the moment we left, and the time was way too short! I know we all could have spent a lot longer there! It was so nice to be with family and to visit and hang out and enjoy one another's company! The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious and I know I'm not the only one hoping we can do it again sometime! :) A BIG thank you to my awesome parents for treating us all to this vacation and for once again, proving what incredible, selfless people they are.

We took lots of pictures and I think we got some great shots of everyone! The kids absolutely adore their Granny and Grampy and aunts and uncles and they never wanted to go to bed! :) They loved staying up late and playing games on the Wii, watching movies, going on walks, bowling, teasing, running around, etc, etc, etc! They couldn't get enough of how much fun they were having! They loved spending time with everyone and the trip home was full of questions as to why we had to leave and when we get to see everyone again! (Val and I were asking ourselves those very same questions!)

We all enjoyed a little rest and relaxation as well as testing out our bowling skills, making and devouring delicious meals, getting our hair cut (Thank you Katch!!), and more!

It was truly an awesome Thanksgiving and it made me realize that much more how truly blessed I am. I am so thankful for my amazing family, my wonderful husband, my beautiful children and for all that I have in my life. I love my life and am grateful to my Father in Heaven for blessing me so abundantly!!! I hope you all had as incredible a Thanksgiving as we did!





the girls coloring in one of the dining rooms...


the boys testing out the bowling alley....


Mr. Lennon checking out the cabin!


Granny and Lainey bug on our first night there...


Katchie helping make the best apple pie EVER!


MaryRose whipping up some delicious pumpkin pie...


Grampy and Lennon still checking out the cabin (and loving it!)


MaryRose and Leecy T


some of our yummy pies....


a belly shot of me at about 26 weeks


making turkeys out of apples and candy! The kids love this tradition!


the girls rockin out to some music...


sweet Leecy T


Leecy T and MaryRose


Granny and Lainey bug


Katchie and Granny setting the tables for Thanksgiving dinner...


the boys watching Thanksgiving day football...


MaryRose and Brent


Patty, Leecy and Lainey


Katchie, Leecy and Lainey


Patty and Katchie


me and my dad!


Trey and Mom


Brent and Leecy


Lainey bug and MaryRose


Patty and Eric


Val and I


Lennon and Trey


Jeff and Lainey bug


Sisters!!!

Steph, Mary Rose, Trey, Patty and Katchie

Mom and her girls!

the belly again....

me and my sweet boy on Thanksgiving


cutting the turkey--Grampy and Trey


cool chandelier in one of the dining rooms


eating the yummy food


Cheers!

Playing up on the balcony


beautiful sunset


Grampy matching his Wii character :)


gathered around the campfire


mommy and Mr. Lennon


Katchie and Lennon


mommy and Leecy T


MaryRose and Brent


Katchie and Jeff


Daddy and Lennon


Grampy and Granny


Leecy T LOVING cooking smores over the fire! :)


me and my sweetie


Eric and Patty


cute little Lainey bug being silly


mommy and Lainey bug


Brent, Lainey, Leecy, MaryRose and Grampy--canoeing in the beautiful weather


Leecy T and MaryRose canoeing


Brent and Lainey canoeing


my awesome parents


the back of our cabin


my parents canoeing


Leecy T playing the Wii--she was really good!


the girls boxing on the Wii


Lainey bug boxing! :)


the kids running around upstairs


Leecy playing


Grampy and Lainey


what a cutie!


me and my beautiful mom


Leecy getting her first set of highlights from her Aunt Katchie


Lennon and Grampy