Thanksgiving 2012

Despite the fact that Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays, it tends to get skimmed over on the blog because of its proximity to Christmas.  I'm guessing that like mine, your homes are already buzzing with holiday madness.  If not, may I please drop by and bask in your sanity?

Thanksgiving 2012, on the other hand, was marvelous in its simplicity.  We stayed in St. George and gratefully welcomed family that traveled from afar.  Here's Callie, having come all the way from Washington to manicure the girls' nails.  (By the way, you can look for Callie's masculine alter-ego as a scale double for the dwarf Oin when The Hobbit comes out in just a few more days.)

And here's Adam, looking quite content with Zoe in his arms. Adam just landed a great new job close to their Puyallup home. Congrats!

Naturally, the kids were all delighted to see their pug cousin once more. Here's a candid shot of Talia with her Zoe purse.

With many chefs to help, Thanksgiving meal preparations went smoothly. Here's Callie working on the rolls while NomiAnn checks recipe details from her iPad. Looking back to Thanksgivings from my childhood, it's amazing how much and how little everything has changed!

The turkey cooked perfectly on the barbecue.

Of course, the kids liked these candy turkeys best.

The weather was so lovely that we ate outdoors on the patio. I knew there was a reason we suffer through St. George summers. (If you look closely, you'll notice Brooklyn savagely removing her poor turkey's beak.)

This picture shows Papa Kay and NomiAnn, having flown from Nebraska for the occasion. (NomiAnn's turkey appears to be kissing Eli's.)

The real turkeys, Callie and Adam, close in for a more authentic smooch.

Does every Grandpa act like this, or is ours just special?

After an entire day of preparation, the meal was polished off in 45 minutes. Time for a jump on the trampoline to aid digestion...

On Black Friday, we skipped the stores and headed for a hike at Red Cliffs instead. Apparently we weren't the only ones to have this brilliant idea. Talk about crowded! At least we still managed to get a family photo.

Aww, my hubby's cute, even if he can't really grow a Movember mustache.

Here's Callie helping Eli cross the stream. Good memories, even if I forgot to take many pictures.

All too soon, Callie and Adam had to catch their flight back to Seattle. Mom and Dad stayed an extra day, so they got to meet the cute little redhead I watch. As you can see, she and Eli are doing much better at getting along.

Here we are hiking to Johnson's arch in Snow Canyon. Talia joined us since kindergarten had the day off school.

Testing out what it will be like to have another girl in the family... Feels good. :)

Papa Kay can always be counted upon for some rocket balloon fun.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to be smothered by loving family.

Something about the beautiful outdoors brings the kid out in everyone.

Thanks to all for making this Thanksgiving so special. We feel blessed to have wonderful family that we genuinely enjoy being around--and look forward to the time we can hang out some more.