Thanksgiving Break

We went to Sandy Valley for Thanksgiving this year. We left the Saturday before Thanksgiving and returned home the Sunday after. We had such a great time. The kids kept asking if we could stay longer.

In one of our hotels during the drive Jackson said he was going to sleep on a little bench. Everyone thought he was serious so we decided where everyone else would sleep. But then he said he was just joking. The only spot left for him to sleep was with Mackenzie and he decided he'd rather sleep on the bench.

Coleman threw up our first night in the hotel, so we weren't sure how the rest of the drive would go, but he ended up being fine and no one else got sick.

The kids watched lots more movies than normal.

Jackson and Coleman spent most of their time in the car (while watching movies sometimes) making their own Pokeman decks. Jack wrote and illustrated each one. They made 120 different cards. They loved playing with them once we reached Grandma's house.

While Grandma and Doug went to see Grandpa, the kids and I went to the Springs Preserve. It was our second time there and we again had a great time. The travelling exhibit this time was a big room of patterns, with the highlight being a mirror maze.  It took Coleman, Jordan, and I awhile to find our out. Jack and Kenzie made it out pretty quickly. There were different math things hidden in the maze, so Jordan, Coleman, and I took time looking for those, which also turned us around a lot. After we made it out, the kids kept going through it again and again.

We also learned about different kinds of patterns.

It was a warm and sunny day so we happy to check out the outside area.

Kenzie with a town lady at an auction.

The sun was already setting by the time we went out to the play ground so it was starting to get cold, which meant we all were ready to go back inside sooner than I expected.

We went to the clean energy place and Kenzie practiced driving with her feet.

Tuesday morning the kids helped Grandma burn her garbage.

Then we collected some things we could throw and set up glass bottles. We took turns throwing our objects and trying to break the bottles. It took a pretty long time to break them all.

Jackson practiced the piano a lot, and even tried playing with his eyes closed. He did pretty good on some of his songs.

We also went on a hike. Jordan brought a pick ax to do some mining.

Doug with Sandy Valley behind him.

The kids played a lot of football. They convinced Doug to play with them some of the time too.

Jordan and Grandma working on a puzzle.

Kenzie loved these little dolls.

Doug and the kids helped Grandma put some rocks next to the grass. It looks so nice!

Wednesday, Candis' family stopped by for dinner on their way to San Diego where Anna was going to be competing in a soccer tournament the day after Thanksgiving.

Jackson and Isaac

The kids did some jump roping.

It was so fun to see them!

The kids took turns playing the piano.

On Thanksgiving, we had our own Turkey Bowl. 

Kenzie, Coleman, Jordan, and I beat Doug and Jackson.

And we played the Farming Game.

Coleman lost his fourth tooth!

The kids found a dead bird in one of the buildings on the farm.

Kenzie playing the piano so Grandma could get a video of it.

Kenzie helped Grandma make some cookies the day after Thanksgiving.

These are some of the Pokemon cards Jackson made.

And here's a few more.

We were able to see Damon and his wife Danica for dinner on Friday. They were moving from Texas to California and stopped by to see Grandma. It was great to see them!

We left Friday after dinner on our long drive home.

Mackenzie and Coleman at one of our hotels.

We ate at Taco Bell on the way home and the kids loved it! They've always complained when we  go there, so we don't go very much even though it's one of my favorite fast food places. But now we can go whenever we want!

Coleman lost his 5th tooth! 

Jordan also lost two teeth while we were gone! I didn't get pictures of his because they were in the back of his mouth so they aren't as noticeable.

We go home Sunday afternoon, then went to my parents' house for some Thanksgiving leftovers and we watched the Grinch. 

We had such a great vacation! We always love being able to spend time with family!