Turkey Day

Hi friends! We had a lovely Thanksgiving. My dad, Shelby, and Jake were our featured guests this year. The kids and myself had a full week off from school and Kirk decided to take the rest of his available vacation days as well. It was a lot of fun and I'm grateful for the quality time we were able to spend together. My turkey received his usual special treatment and turned out wonderfully. I had a lot of help preparing the rest of the meal from two wonderful chefs, namely Charli & Olivia, which made it a pretty stress-free week for me. It's hard to believe we are already into December. I haven't started any shopping yet and honestly I'm lacking any motivation to even get started. We are going to decorate our Christmas tree this weekend, so I'm hoping that helps me rediscover my typical overjoyed attitude about Christmas and all its magic. This is a pathetic blog post, but I mostly wanted to share our Thanksgiving pictures. I'll try to add some descriptive captions because I know all my amazing and dedicated fans are deeply saddened by my lack of eloquence. 




This little turkey had a Thanksgiving performance at school and was surprised to find out she had quite a few of her people watching from the audience. It's so convenient that her best buddy, BYA, works at her school. Plus, she had Aunt Taylor & Uncle Jordan in the audience to not only watch her perform but also join her for lunch afterward. They spent some time with Max in his classroom too and it made him feel pretty special. Max's teacher thought it was pretty cool of Uncle Jordan to participate in the silly dancing and to sit criss-cross-apple-sauce during story time. This day acted as a "final farewell" of sorts for the kiddos to Taylor and Jordan before they moved back to Idaho and I felt like my heart was shattering the entire day over it. We are going to miss them so much! They are the best aunt and uncle, it's no question they are going to be amazing parents.

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This is one of the notes clipped to our gratitude tree I started a few years ago. It is my favorite one of 2016 and it belongs to Lyla. This was her first note of gratitude created all on her very own. I didn't have to prompt any ideas for her. She made it by herself, only requiring help with spelling. It says "mom making lunch" and it made my heart happy that she is really understanding the concept of being grateful....because there are definitely some days I question if anything I'm doing will prevent my kids from being asshole adults. Ha! Also, how awesome is she doing with her penmanship? I'm proud of my little smartie pants.

This is Max's super cool hair cut. He went with Kirk right before our family photos so they would be looking fresh. Also, a sneak peak of Lyla. I wish I could share the rest, but you must wait. 

Uncle Jake creating his masterpiece Thanksgiving appetizer. I enjoy watching his methodical cooking methods. And my dad enjoying his LATE Thanksgiving feast. Sadly, this is the only picture I shot of him or Shelby during their visit. FAIL.

TWINS! Max attempting to match Jake was hilarious to me.

Thanksgiving Day Feast, along with photos I force my people to be in.

We also visited the Renaissance Festival. I was laughing because we haven't been to this festival since the last time my dad visited Texas. I like to tease him about this activity being his idea, but truly I find the whole event to be fascinating. I feel like it's a lifestyle I could really dive into if I wasn't already committed to this family thing. Hahaha! At least Max agrees with me, just look at him go to town on that steak on a stick.

My Peeps!

My mom and Jake left us yesterday after a five day visit in Texas. As always, we had so much fun and replenished the memory bucket until next time. We all went to an Astros game together on Saturday evening. My mom splurged on some really great tickets and we had a blast! We haven't taken Lyla or Max to a baseball game in a couple years, so it was fun to see how much they have evolved compared to our last experience. I had the realization it's getting easier to plan adventures as our kids become more and more flexible as they grow older. There was once a time we had to plan activities to revolve around the schedule of these little munchkins, but it seems we are finally moving away from that. It's fun having "big" kids!

I suppose I can't give Max the big kid title quite yet, considering we did have a crisis situation at the very end of the ball game. As he melted into a puddle of hysterical sadness on the floor of the public restroom, I imagined all the diseases he had to be contracting and begged him to hold on a little longer. There was no saving him. It was already too late. So, I decided to relocate him outdoors to a grassy area and give him some space to release all that emotion. I just stood there and waved at strangers as they passed by. "Oh, hi. Yes. That's my child. His apparent exorcism was taking place near the toilet just minutes ago, so believe me this is much better for us. Carry on." Anyway, like I said, it seems we are moving away from planning around their schedules, but I guess we aren't out of the woods quite yet. It was late and the game was almost over, so I'll give him that --- but I can't wait to tell him this story when he's older. It was an award winning performance.

We had more fun times including foot spa night by Lyla, endless shopping, swimming time, football and taco day, Top Golf, and my mom was also able to visit our school. I can never decide whether to call it school or work since it's both, so in this instance it's school. Anyway, it was nice to give her a glimpse of our new daily schedule and the kids enjoyed showing off their classrooms. She even read a story to Max's class. It was adorable! 

My mom is such an amazing grandma and I'm so grateful my kiddos were able to absorb some of her loving energy for a few days. Lyla's Barbie collection has been gathering dust for the past couple months, but I think Lyla remembered how good Grandma is at playing Barbies because the moment she arrived it was game on. I really enjoy my mom's Barbie technique because she bounces back and forth between full on dedication to the never ending game and bringing Barbie into real life scenarios, such as Barbie has to blow dry her hair, make the bed, pour some coffee --- then she returns to Lyla's script. Ha! It's pretty great.

As for little brother Jake, he is an excellent uncle. My heart explodes every time I watch him interact with Lyla and Max. I can't even explain the reasoning, but he has exceeded any expectation I ever had for all the silly uncle-ing abilities I made up in my head. He is the best brother and I'm so lucky my kids get to call him their uncle. My favorite Jake rant from this trip was a surprisingly convincing argument about how real water bottle companies in this country are selling us water that doesn't even hydrate our bodies. Yes folks, non-hydrating h2o. I was giggling, but feeling somewhat skeptical after his lengthy speech. However, knowing it would push his buttons, I claimed this conspiracy theory was nothing more than a first world problem and told him he sounded like a "spoiled millennial." He said, "If by that comment you mean I think for myself, then I'll take that as a compliment." Haha! I love him. He is a riot. I think it's obvious how much I love teasing my brother, but I can't help it. It's been the easiest form of entertainment in my life for the past 24 years. However, as much as I love to harass him about practically everything, I hope he also knows how much I admire his wisdom and overall outlook on life. He will always be one of my favorites, cynicism and all.

I miss them already. I dropped them off at the airport and cried like a baby, because that's what I always do. I wish I could keep them here forever. I know some people may think I'm nuts, but I really think our culture made a wrong turn having families separate from each other as soon as we emerge into adulthood. Why do we do that? Where did all this pressure come from? I think we should reside in the same house, perhaps build a small village, and keep the happy times going forever and ever. I want less stuff and more people. And I'm reminded of this every time I have to say goodbye. 

Idaho Recap: Short Story Long

Idaho was wonderful. It was full of adventure from sun up to sun down. We are completely exhausted from the endless amounts of fun, it almost seems like a blur. It was really great seeing everyone, especially those we hadn't seen since our last visit over a year ago. I never imagined I would only visit Idaho once a year, but it's actually become acceptable for me. I think it helps having so many people come visit us in Texas throughout the year, but regardless, travelling requires a lot of stamina. Airport life is ridiculous, especially if you have an extensive layover. I can still hear that airport announcement voice blaring in the back of my brain. Ahhhh! It's over now. 

Anyway, I think two weeks is the perfect number for us. It give us enough time to see everyone at least once, but also extends just long enough to make us beg to be back home. It also gives Kirk a chance to remind himself why bachelor life is not as fulfilling as the family circus. I knew I was feeling homesick, but it was a pretty tough seeing the kiddos cry for their Daddy the last couple of days. We were over it. I was really wishing we could just click our heels three times like Dorothy. But in a round about way, the whole experience is humbling. It is a reminder of why there's no place like home! 

My favorite part of returning to Idaho is sharing the parts I love with my kiddos! I drove around one afternoon just showing them bits of my childhood. Lyla seemed to appreciate it, but that's still a bit out of reach for Max. We have a giant family circle established there and it's so important to me for them to experience that. It was nice this round to bring mostly self-sufficient kiddos, instead of babies. I didn't feel like we needed to adhere to a schedule as much or feel the repercussions of moving our base camp several times. In the past, I always felt like traveling was overwhelming enough on them and once we arrived it was best to stay put. But now they are big and stuff. They can deal with change. 

We stayed with Kirk's parents for the first leg of our visit. Max went to a car show with Grandpa. they enjoyed four wheeler rides, catching up with Ashton & Jarem, and playing with Scarlett. Ashton loaned a necklace to Lyla for church, and Lyla commented that Ashton was obviously her fanciest aunt. She also had a lot of wisdom to share with little Scarlett, who transitioned into becoming a big sister during our visit. It was such a treat to be there for the arrival of baby Mack. He is the sweetest little dude. I always stare at newborns in such wonderment. Their tiny existence is amazing. Mack probably makes a top three of this visit to Idaho. Max is still calling him "my baby" and insists we take him home to Texas. And I completely agree, but sadly this milk machine is retired.

We stayed with my Grandma Paula for a few short days. She always provides endless amounts of food and entertainment. I am continually amazed by how good she is at playing pretend. And she can play for hours. Boredom does not exist at her house because she is constantly stirring the plot of pretend. I love it. She is the best. We enjoyed time with my Aunt Kari and beautiful cousins. My cousins are transitioning into beautiful adult humans and I'm enjoying watching our relationships evolve. It doesn't seem like that long ago when I was changing their diapers. Now they get to embrace the energy of my kiddos, sometimes against their will...but that's okay. I think it's funny. Life is funny. 

We were able to visit the Idaho Falls Zoo, always a classic, along with the local theme park --- Fun Land. I don't think it can necessarily be considered it a theme park, but I don't know what else to call it. Lol. Anyway, Lyla and I sat together on the ride known as The Octopus. And if you aren't an Idaho Falls native, you may not understand how terrifying this ride is. I still have traumatic memories as a child. But this time I was still the one who was more nervous about it, mostly thinking about how dang old the ride is. As we were going around in circles, I kept imagining the bolts coming loose and us flying off into the baseball diamond nearby. But we survived. And Lyla loved it, surprisingly. Usually she is just as anxious as I am! My Grandma Carter joined us on our day of adventure and we were able to sneak in one more day with her, including pedicures and lunch. That's one of the things I miss about Idaho the most. Grandma time!!!

I decided to accept the challenge and drive to Boise for a few days to visit my Dad & Shelby. I only note this as a challenge because driving with two little people without a co-pilot can be seriously dangerous --- like probably worse than drunk driving. Let's just say...it was nice when they slept. We had a fantastic time at my Dad's, which was actually relaxing like vacation is supposed to feel. That's the nice thing about visiting my Dad, no pressure to see anyone else. The Idaho Falls schedule runs from morning to night. That is not a complaint, just a fact. I love busy and always expect it when going to Idaho. My Dad entertained us with his usual delicious food and backyard antics. The kids are always easily amused by the doggies and hot tub time. 

After Boise, we drove back to Idaho Falls to spend the remainder of the trip at my Mom's house. She was my rock the entire trip and always provided a home base when needed, but we finally got the chance to unpack for a few days. The highlight of my Mom's house for the kiddos is most definitely the plethora of neighbor kids. That neighborhood is swarming with children, it is insanely fun. My Mom also randomly purchased a bounce house, so that made her house pretty popular. We were able to catch up with Grandpa Rick, a few friends, and even Uncle Jake squeezed us in for an overnight visit. It was an exciting two weeks full of adventure. We are so blessed. Life is full of so much love. 

I imagine the same time next year will roll around and I'll start missing Idaho again. I think it takes that long to forget how exhausting it is. Haha! My kids are becoming professional travelers though. They seem to understand the rush of the airport routine. They walk for themselves and their complaints are minimal. They even survived a ten hour layover! I'm proud of those little munchkins. See you next year!