Thanksgiving!

What a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend we had! Ben's brother, James brought his family all the way from Mesa to spend the holiday with us. Aren't they a cute bunch!?

We are so glad they came to visit! The cousins had a blast together! I remember spending many Thankgivings with cousins and I am glad that our kids have some of these wonderful memories now. We spent Thanksgiving morning at the playground because the weather was so perfect and beautiful. Here are a few pics of the kiddos having the time of their lives:

Sam

Carli and Joey

AdamMy GirlsBrandon and KateTime to eat! We fed the kiddos first and then the adults got to sit down and eat. It worked out really well and everyone got very full on all the yummy, yummy food! We also had the Putman's and Prince's over from church. It really was sooooo fun! I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family (this pic also gives you a little glimpse of the new paint in the kitchen)

Tea Party at Grandma's

I have one of the sweetest Grandma's. She loves to have little parties for the kids. Today she had the little girls over for a tea party. They had lemonade and mini cupcakes, played on the swingset, played Polly Pockets, and made little scrapbook pages. They had so much fun and it was so cute to see all the little cousins together.

Carli swinging

Kate, Carli, Shelby, Megan, and Addy enjoying their treats. Megan is such a poser. LOL!

Addy (my cousin's daughter) Kate
Shelby (my cousin)Carli loving the frosting. Megan got this cute dress from her NaNa for her birthday. She loves it!!!

Here's Carli learning to use scissors. She insisted on being part of the group, of course. :) Notice the concentration with her tongue hanging out. Hee, hee.

Trek to Utah

About a week and a half ago we started our trek up to Utah. We have done it every summer for quite a while. The kids usually do ok, but this time they were exceptional. Carli was the only one who really complained and got very tired of being strapped in her seat. It was a really great trip on the whole. We stopped at a lookout at Marble Canyon in AZ. We have never ever stopped there before and I don't know why! It is stunning and just so beautiful!

When we got to Cedar City to my parents' house the kids were so happy to be able to run around and not be in the car anymore. Carli explored their gorgeous backyard. She loves to look at all the flowers and yesterday she was even found climbing the apple tree. LOL!

That evening we celebrated my sister Charisse's birthday. We had all the fam over for BBQ and cake. It was a lot of fun. This is one of my favorite things about coming to Cedar City--all the family get-togethers. They get to do it all the time, but it's pretty much a once-a-year thing for us. I treasure them.

Kate and Megan with their 2nd cousin, Addison, making a home for their potato bugs they found.

My dad at the grill. It was pretty yummy!

Charisse getting ready to blow out the candles on her birthday cakes. We had lots of people there so we made 2 cakes and I decided we should spread the candles over both cakes. She didn't appreciate it too much, but it looked pretty cool!

Lovie, the dog.

Here are the babies of the moment in the family. From left to right: my Uncle Paul with his son, Carson (6 mos); my Uncle Bryan with granddaughter, Eliza (5 mos); my cousin Bryan with son, Kyler (1 month).

Close-ups of the babies: Eliza

Kyler

Carson

More pics to come! This is just the beginning of our trip and we've already been gone for 1 1/2 weeks. We are having a great time.