Living 'near' family is great. A few months before Thanksgiving I casually told my parents "You should come to Colorado for Thanksgiving." (Sounds similar to what happened on Halloween.) And they came. And my sister Jenna came as a bonus.
AND. They actually did their own big family Thanksgiving in Utah the week before, so I felt less pressure to get the meal perfect. They flew in on Thursday, so I got as much of the meal ready beforehand as I could, and opted for the kid-free time in the car picking them up at the airport while Hyrum manned the fort. About an hour of salad prep and last-minute baking, and everything was ready! [I hate the idea of cooking turkey. Both times I've cooked Thanksgiving I've opted for a turkey breast, and this time I put it in the crockpot because I wouldn't have to mess with it during the day. It turned out okay, but I wouldn't mind if Thanksgiving didn't involve turkey.]
We had Gruyere spinach gratin, apple/pomegranite salad, Trader Joes stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, yam casserole, pre-bought rolls and turkey. Plus some fancy TJ drinks. We were going to take it easy on pies (after all, how many pies do 5 adults need?) But after I made Derby pie at home, I discovered all these really cheap pies at the grocery store. Like $4 for key lime, razzle-berry or peanut-butter chocolate pie. So we ate a bit more than I originally planned and there was no extra work for me.
After the kids were in bed I went shopping with my mom and Jenna. This is the only (blurry) picture I got, but let it be known that it represents a lot of good shopping! Lots of comfortable (wearable) clothes and a really cute faux leather coat. After going to Kohls we all said, "That was plenty of shopping." But some how we ended up at JC Penny the next day and did way more damage. But is there anything better than having really cute clothes that you actually want to wear? (At a really great price!) After shopping on Friday we went to Shugas for lunch (because Hyrum always resists the idea of food that resembles soup/salad/sandwiches.)
We had great weather while they were here. My kids were spoiled with multiple trips to the playground and a lot of individual attention.
On Saturday (after a visit or two to the playground) we all loaded in the van and went to Manitou Springs. The weather was pretty unbelievable. We strolled around and ate delicious food. The kids love any excuse to ride those arcade rides. (We've been at least a dozen times.) And they played on the playground there until the sun went down and it got cold.
(Mila was the diva in sunglasses, courtesy of Jenna.)
Late at night (like 5:30 haha) my kids insisted on playing in the backyard. As the logical parent, I'd say, "No, it's dark and cold." But with a fun Grandma and Aunt around, they ended up in their winter clothes jumping on the trampoline together. Then those run relatives bathed them and brushed their hair (no easy feat.)
We all went to church together on Sunday, ate a big lunch of leftovers, then drove them back to the airport. The kids love to sit on the bench and wave as people drive away.
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