Thanksgiving 2016

This year, Thanksgiving was in Vernal with the whole family.  We had everyone there but Cameron, who is on his mission, and Gio, who was with his girlfriend's family.  We even got a picture of all of us together.

Also, we got a new family picture.  I should probably print this out.

This is Erin and I looking bored so we could send it to Cameron (nephew) to let him know he wasn't missing much at Thanksgiving.

Here's Mom and Dad and their great grandchildren.  Poor Olive was picking her nose and I didn't realize it, but it makes for good memories.

We had basketball, scooters, board games, a program and lots of yummy food.  They later used these scooters to play human Hungry Hungry Hippos. 

This is our no distraction basket Mark set up.  Reagan thought it was so we could pick out a new free phone.

We barricaded the hallways so we would only have to clean part of the church afterward.  Liam was disappointed because he was planning on using the church as his personal spy game.  

This is his sign he made for the game.

Daniel brought his awesome Karaoke machine that has lots of settings to change your voice.  It was a pretty nice setup! 

Board games at all the tables.

I had a photo session with the Rosses and I had to show this picture.  We were in a field and this cow did not like us being in his territory.  He kept coming up and sniffing them and licking Daniel.  After a while, he started snorting and pawing the ground, so we decided it was time for us to leave him in peace.

We also cut down our Christmas tree again this year.  While we were walking around, looking for the perfect tree, Owen found "a stick" sticking out of the snow.  He picked it up and it was a Mule deer skull.  Oh my!  That was the most wonderful find he could have imagined.  He even found a little bit of blood left on it, which made it even more special.  Reagan didn't want to leave until she found her a skull too, but alas, we left with only one dead animal head.  I promised Owen it could be the star on our tree that year.

All the kids had fun, the had snowball fights and we had cookies and Reagan and Owen got cold and sat in the car with Grandma for a while. 

Randomness...

Here are some of the pictures I pulled off my phone from the last little while. 

This is Erin and Reagan and the group of girls Erin hangs out with in the neighborhood.  They were playing the scotch tape game where you look at the other person and just say a word, any word at all, and the other person has to say another word and so on and so forth.  If you hesitate at all, the other person can put a piece of tape on your face and you begin again.  They had loads of fun. 

Liam went to a couple of merit badge classes at BYU, and while he was in class, the rest of us toured the campus.  It is Erin's favorite place to be.  We hung out in the science building for about an hour and a half, because they have cool experiments all over in the front lobby.  Then we walked around the campus.  It was rainy that day, so it was nice weather for ducks.  The ducks were out in full force.  You can see one in the picture above in the circle by the tree.

We had just been to a regional conference where Elder Packer spoke.  He talked about a grove of sequoias in his talk and we wanted to see them.  Who needs the Redwood Forest?  Ha!

Owen had brought some apples that Grandma and Grandpa Manwaring brought to us from their tree and wanted to feed them to the ducks.  I would bite off little pieces and the kids would throw them to the ducks.  I don't think they liked it very much.

Cool stairs.

Erin with her beloved Y in the background.

We had time to go to the temple also.  We just walked around a little because it was rainy.

Afterward, we picked up Liam and went to the Creamery.  I had their caramel cashew and it was delicious.  Even Erin, who doesn't like ice cream, thought it was the best ice cream she had ever eaten!  High praise.

We had a few weeks of YM/YW volleyball.  I usually just go to cheer on the girls, but this year, Liam played.  It was fun to see him play and have the family come cheer him on.  He is above in the red shirt.

I think this is the only picture of Halloween we got this year.  Erin was the T.A.R.D.I.S. from Doctor Who, Owen was a ghost, Reagan was a dinosaur zombie and Liam was a scarecrow.  He isn't in this picture because he got invited to a Halloween party with some friends, so he went there instead and trick-or-treated with them.  It was a little sad to not have him with us.  He's growing up (sob)!

I got a job working at an elementary school as a playground duty a couple of days a week.  Here I am in my beautiful orange vest I get to wear.  It has been nice, because it makes me get outside the house.  Not so nice on days like this one was.  January needs to end!!

This is my arm with a perfect snowflake on it.  Isn't it cool? 

Red Fleet...I know I'm behind

In September, we went out to Vernal and Cameron and the kids went to Red Fleet with Spencer and Jenna.  It was a really nice time and they boated for a few hours and then right as they were getting in the van to come home, the sky opened up and it started pouring rain.  Good timing!!