Thanksgiving Weekend

This year for Thanksgiving we were given a special treat from Ryan's parents.

For many years it was a tradition for their family to spend Thanksgiving down town at the Little America Hotel. His Grandparents would come up from Cedar City and stay at the hotel. Some years Ryan's family would just go to the dinner, and others they would stay a night or two at the hotel too.

Then we lost Grandpa McArthur and the tradition did not seem the same without him, so the passed couple of years we have celebrated a nice Thanksgiving at Ryan's parents home.

This year his mom was ready to go back to the Little America, and she wanted to make it special so she treated us all to two nights at the hotel.

so Thanksgiving day we headed to The Grand America for our feast.

Ryan's sister and her husband were not able to join us this year and asked for lots of pictures and I tried to get enough for her. We missed having them with us.





Joe had been really close to Ryan's Grandpa and spent a lot of time with him, but Joe was pretty young when he did and I did not think he would really remember being there with him.

When we walked into the building Joe looked around and got really quiet and sad looking. Someone asked him if he was okay and he just said.

"I miss him."

The first time we went to the Gand America with Great Grandpa I took a picture of the kids with him in this sitting area. So Joe and Grandma sat together for a picture this year.



Dinner was even better than I remembered it, and it was nice to get to visit with Ryan's family.



The kids loved the food too. They have a little kids buffet set up in the corners of the room so the kids went there first. I knew it was going to be a good meal when all three of the older kids started their Thanksgiving dinner with a Carmel apple.


I think they only went to the kids buffet once. Then they discovered the shrimp and crab legs at the main buffet.

Last thanksgiving Valerie was too young to eat real food so this was her first time experiencing Thanksgiving dinner, and she loved it!

I started her out with a few things from the kids buffet, but she was more interested in the stuff on my plate. Her three favorite things were the Crab legs, the berries and of course the chocolate fountain. Luckily she did not discover it until she had eaten a good amount of regular food.

It was my nephew's first Thanksgiving, and he was enjoying it so much he didn't have time to look up for a picture.

The kids always finish before the adults at a meal like this, but they were given coloring books and were happy to sit and color while we finished eating. When Valerie was done she went over to check out her cousin to see what he was up to.

She noticed that he had her favorite blanket in his stroller and I think she was worried that he would not let her have it, because she tested the waters a little before she went for it. Then she carefully took it out watching what his reaction would be.



After dinner was over we went across the street to check into the Little America. It turned out that it was our lucky day because they had messed up on the reservation and did not have three rooms with two queen beds on the same floor. So they gave us 1 room with two queens and 4 rooms with king beds. Now looking back I see the only family this really benefited was ours, because we were the only group big enough to split up, but it made it a really nice weekend for me.

At first I thought we would just take one of the extra rooms for our family. the boys would stay with Ryan and the girls with me.

So Ryan and the boys took the room with the 2 queens. the boys thought it was great to have a boy only room.



Emily however was not too excited about having to share with Valerie and me. The original plan when we only had three rooms was that she was going to stay with her Grandma and Grandpa, and she was looking forward to that.

It turned out that there was an extra room, unless Ryan's parents wanted to have their own room, it was available. So the first night Grandma and Emily stayed in it and the second night Emily had it all to herself. I think she really liked that.


As for me I shared a room with Valerie. they brought up a port a crib for her, but she was not about to stay in it, and I figured sharing a king bed with her would be okay.

I didn't realize that someone who is only three feet tall can take up the whole bed if they want to. I did sleep pretty well. We only had to swap places a few time in the night.








The best part was after visiting the boys in their "boy room." going back to my nice quiet clean room with Valerie.




The little America is my favorite hotel. One of the things that makes it my favorite is the cafe.




The food is good, it is open late, and it is right in the hotel so when you are ready to eat you don't have to go searching for a restaurant at odd hours.





When I have stayed at other hotels I am always disappointed. Even if they have a restaurant it does not compare to the Little America Cafe.


And there is nothing wrong with grabbing a cup of hot chocolate and a couple of hot rolls before bed.

I was a little worried about how Valerie would do staying at a hotel, but I worried for nothing. She loved almost everything about it. Especially having Grandma and Grandpa around to spoil her.

The only thing she did not like were the elevators. The first time she got in them I let her stand, and the elevator made two quick stops right off the bat. She did not like the motion under her feet and started to cry. after that every time we got in the elevators she started to cry. It was not until the very end of our stay she decided they were okay, but still wanted to be held while she rode in them.

The first night I took the kids down to the pool to swim. The pool is half indoor and half outdoor. It was very cold outside so the boys thought it was cool to go out and see the steam rise off the pool. they never wanted to stay out too long though, because it was really cold, but the water was warm.



The next day to celebrate black Friday we took TRAX over to the Gateway Mall. Ryan's mom divided us into small groups and assigned us someone to shop for. We were given $15 for our person and we were supposed to find them a gift that would help them get into the Christmas season.


We had about an hour to shop and then we all met at Barns and Noble where we picked out books to donate to some school children.



Then it was off to the movie theatre to see Tangled. It was a cute show and the kids loved it. I loved it too.



We had put our packages in Grandpa's office while we were in the movie. So after the show we went over to his office building. Grandpa and dad went up to get the stuff while the rest of us waited on the lobby. While we were waiting Valerie and Josh started playing in the lobby and the next thing we knew Valerie had tripped on a rug and bashed her head into the corner of a table.



It didn't look pretty, and the way she was acting worried us. Not being familiar with down town we were not quite sure the best place to take her. So I asked the security guard if there were any medical facilities close by. They asked what had happened and called for an ambulance.



After the paramedics checked her out they told us that she looked okay but that we needed to take her to Primary Children's just to make sure. Because we had taken TRAX to get there the only real option they were giving us was a ride in the ambulance.


At primaries the Dr came in and looked her over and I knew everything was fine when the Dr turned to us and asked. "WHY did you come in an ambulance?"



The bump on her head was pretty big so they kept her for observation for a couple more hours. she slept most of the time. They released us at 6:30pm, and we were relieved it was nothing more serious than a bump on her head.



When we arrived back at the hotel we all got together to give our gifts to each other. The kids were really into it. Especially Josh. somehow he figured out that his Grandpa had him. So while we were shopping Josh's group ran into Grandpa's group and Josh told Grandpa exactly what he wanted. Then when we were opening gifts Josh turned to Grandpa and said. "Now can I open my wand."


The second half to this activity is, on Christmas Eve we have to tell how our gift helped us get into the Christmas spirit. It will be interesting to see what Josh says.

I loved this activity, because even though Josh was worried about what he was getting, the kids all had fun shopping for someone else. Joe told me later that one of his favorite things about the weekend was buying the gifts for someone else, and giving the books to the kids who need them, because it made him feel happy.



The part I loved most about this weekend was just spending time together as a family. We had such a great weekend together and I know my kids will always remember it.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Sledding Season Begins

The snow is here and the kids are ready. Yesterday morning we headed out to the sledding hill.

Emily took Valerie down the hill a few times, and she loved it.

To add to the fun the boy's friends Aiden and Rowen were also there.

The sledding season has begun, and my kids can't get enough of it.

Fully Charged

You could see the energy coming off of Valerie today....................

Don't worry she put it to good use!

Fall Fun in Tooele

At the end of September my Grandma had knee surgery, so my mom came for six weeks to help her with her recovery. After the first couple of weeks my Grandma didn't feel good enough to venture out, but she was happy to have us come and visit and help her with a few things.

It turned out that the timing was great for us too, because the kids seemed to have quit a few days off of school while my mom was here . So we visited over fall break and then we spent the last two Fridays with my Grandma and mom.

The kids were happy to give up their days off, because they love Great Grandma's house, and the job my grandma needed help with was getting the leaves cleaned up in her yard. Something the kids also really like to do as long as they get to play in them.

The boys love jumping into the leaves

And throwing them at each other.

Valerie did not really like the leaves at all. She tried to get into helping for a minute, but mostly she just watched the other kids work and play.



Emily loves the leaves just as much, if not more, than the boys. The second time we went out she raked almost the entire front yard by herself, so she could get a nice big pile for jumping without it getting messed up in the process.

I think Emily was a little sad that Valerie did not like playing in the leaves. She even sat in the leaves for a minute with Valerie to show her how fun they could be. Valerie didn't buy it though and got out as fast as she could.

The first Friday my cousin Hannah (who is Emily's age) and the kids cousin Jaxson were also there visiting. Because it was the Friday before Halloween, my mom planned a special treat for the kids to have after the raking was done. They made Monster Eyeball cupcakes.

The weather was still nice so the kids spent most of the time outside. When ever Emily disappears at my grandma's house I know exactly where she has gone. Emily spends a lot of time next door at my uncle's house playing with the animals.



Valerie is obsessed with dogs right now and was happy to go with Emily to visit Sam the dog.

Joe and Josh love the animals, but they also love playing in the yard and orchard and climbing the trees at grandma's house.

For an extra special treat my Uncle Dean was home one of the days we were visiting, and he saddled up a horse and let the kids have a ride.

The boys were both a little nervous about it, but once they got on they thought it was great.

Valerie really likes to look at the horses and she was interested in watching the other kids ride, but she was not excited about getting on the horse.

She did end up getting on for a minute with Emily, but she only stayed on long enough for a picture.

Emily was in heaven. My Uncle let her take the reins this time and ride the horse for real. She was very timid with the horse and acted like she was afraid of hurting it. When my uncle told her to kick the horse in the side to get it to go she barely tapped the horse. Eventually she got the hang of it, and loved every minute of it.

This alone made the day worth it for Emily.

My Grandma is recovering well from her surgery, and my mom has gone back to her house. It was really fun to be able to go out and visit with my Grandma and my mom. It was also nice to have my mom close enough to see a little more often. I am grateful that we had so many chances to visit with them this last month, and it was a great way to play with the kids on their days off of school.

Catching a Moment

Did you ever see the Movie "The Truman Show" starring Jim Carrey? A movie about a person who had cameras filming his entire life. They never missed anything. Everything he ever did or said was captured forever.

Sometimes I wish there was a camera following my kids around so I could capture and remember not just the big things, but sometimes the small things they do and say. I wouldn't want it broadcast to the entire world. I would just want it for my own viewing and enjoyment, and maybe to share some of the funny, cute or sweet things with friends and family. But because it would not be mentally healthy for my kids to be under constant video surveillance I just have to be grateful for the moments I do witness and write down a few so I can remember them a year from now.

Today I over heard a conversation where I wish the Camera or even the tape recorder was rolling. I over heard it happening from the other room and I couldn't help laugh a little.

This morning while the kids were getting ready for school Valerie found an unsharpened pencil from Joe's backpack. When Joe saw her with it the conversation between Joe and Josh went like this.....................

( all said very seriously and a little panicked.)

Joe : Oh no Josh! Hurry and get that from her.

Josh: No Val!

Joe: Josh did she bite it because if she eats it she will die. That is poison.

Josh: I don't think she bit it. It doesn't feel wet?

Joe: No Josh this is the poisonous part, but it is not wet so she didn't eat it. That is lucky.

Josh: Yeah, she won't die.

I am sure that there are many more things that happen, and conversations had, that I will never know about, but I am grateful for the ones I do see and hear.

Trick-or-Treat

I love Halloween and taking the kids Trick-or-treating.

We started out our night at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Where we went in and visited for a few minutes, and took a few pictures. After the night was over I was glad I got out my camera, because these were the only pictures I got of the boys all night.


After Grandma's we headed to our friends house for dinner and Trick-or treating. Emily's friend Tiana joined us, and this is about all I saw of them too. I am a little sad, because I loved Tiana's costume and I didn't get a good picture of it. She is an Oreo cookie.


After dinner we headed out. The older kids were going so fast that Valerie and I could not keep up. This was the last I saw of them. Ryan and I decided we better split up. He took the marathon runners and I stayed with Valerie.

Valerie didn't seem to mind getting left behind. This was her first time Trick-or-treating and she caught on quickly that if you knock on the door people give you candy. She tried a few pieces right away. (So much for the costume.)

A few houses into Trick-or-treating we stopped by Valerie's friend London's house. London was all ready to go out, so we decided to go together. London and her mom were a lot better pace for Valerie and I.

The girls were really cute together and didn't want to miss any houses. They also loved the houses with dogs, and stopped to pet a few.

Valerie let me know when she was done and we headed back home.

I was impressed with how long she lasted.

Now we have more candy at our house than we know what to do with.

Yesterday I sent the boys into their rooms to get dressed for church. A few minutes later Valerie ran into our room in just a diaper with a sucker in each hand squealing with delight.

When I looked in the boys room they had their candy spread all over their floor. They were sitting in the middle of it eating in just their underwear . They didn't even notice that Valerie was taking some too.

It was not surprising to me that we were fifteen minutes late to church.

There was a report on the news last night about how candy does not make kids extra hyper. That the highs and lows of Halloween are just imagined by the parents. I would like that expert to come spend next Halloween and the days following with us!

Happy Halloween!