We spent Thanksgiving in Idaho at my mom's house. Emily & Pete, as well as Taryn & David (plus their families, of course), also came to stay at my mom's house. It was great being with family! Even if that meant we also got to hang with all their dogs!
There was also Yahtzee with mom's fancy velvet board.
Cal and Cassidy came for Thanksgiving dinner, of course, which meant that a kid or two got thrown around like a sack of potatoes. This time, the lucky kid was Gabe. It's usually Gabe, let's be honest.
There were plenty of opportunities to snuggle with dogs. Here I am with Maggie, my mom's dog.
Here's Michael with Milo and Ruby (Taryn's dogs).
And with Milo (Taryn's) and Charlie (Cal's dog).
Here's proof that Michael sat by me at one point during the trip.
And spent time at my mom's house (versus over in the woodshop at my grandparents' house).
It looks like he even helped prep a meal. Here Cassidy, Brian, Michael, and Taryn are forming the rolls for Thanksgiving dinner.
Brian and I found a canned bald eagle in the Outer Banks, so we got it for Ethan. We thought he'd get a bigger kick out of it, but he still laughed about it.
Finally, it was time for the big feast.
Don't let Rachel's face here fool you; she loves the food at Thanksgiving. Here she is with Aaron.
Here's Evie, Henry, and Gabe.
Abby and Elijah (with Jackson, Pete, Emily, Grandma & Grandpa, Brian, Mom, and Taryn in the background).
Ethan, Erika, Jack, Pete, Emily, Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Taryn, Brian, David, Cal, Cassidy, Michael, and me (around the big table).
Brian (and maybe David? Or Michael?) Someone put this shelf together for my mom.
I recruited whoever was willing to help me prep for my ward's Christmas party. We planned a dinner and a night of service. Emily, Taryn, Mom, and I went to Joanns to buy fabric for medical procedure dolls, as well as fleece blanket kits (that were on a serious Black Friday deal). Taryn helped me cut out gowns for the dolls as well as the actual dolls, and Mom, Michael, and I (maybe Emily too?/) helped sew up the dolls so that people at my ward party could stuff them.
We stuffed one doll to test the skill level needed and so I could have an example to show my ward.
Clark Hamilton was kind enough to let us raid his spud cellar (again!) to load up on our year's supply of potatoes. (I mean, we pay him, but it is not very much for how many spuds we get!)
With the spuds all picked out, we also helped my mom set up her Christmas tree, and we did the traditional wearing of the Christmas Tree skirt.
All too soon, it was time to say our good-byes. My grandparents made it easy by stopping by my mom's house.
Taryn's family and ours stopped at the cemetery to say hi to Dad.
I wonder if it will ever stop being stupid that he's gone. I don't think so when I see things like this:
They wanted to make things easier for the rest of us when they pass on. Plus, their plot is right next to my grandma's parents', so they get to use their bench while they're alive. It's actually pretty smart of them, but it makes us all a little sad to see it there. I don't like thinking that they're going to be leaving before too much longer.
We stopped at Cal's house on our way out of town.
I think we stopped by Ethan's house as well and brought him a housewarming gift (since they recently moved from Jerome to Idaho Falls). Then, we headed on home.
The kids all thought it kind of funny/fascinating/weird that Grandma and Grandpa Linville also have a "headstone" at the cemetery. They liked the bench we got for Dad so much that they decided to get one for themselves. Here's Michael and Abby heading over from my dad's plot to my grandparents' plot to check it out.
I'm so grateful for the amazing family that I was born into, the amazing family I married into, and the amazing family Brian and I created. We have such a strong support system on both sides. I've been incredibly blessed to grow up so close to a set of grandparents, and I feel even more blessed that they're still with us, blessing and loving my children as well. We have been blessed with a good car that can get us safely to Idaho and back (as well as many other places), a nice warm house that protects us from the weather and provides us all kinds of comfort. We have incredible neighbors and friends. Brian has an incredible job, and I'm blessed to be able to be home with my kids. We're grateful for heart medicine and modern medicine, as well as healing. We are so grateful for the abundant blessings that we have.