Giving Thanks VoFo Style

After 14 hours of driving through the night we finally arrived in Salinas for our family get together. We were a bit tired but safely arrived and ready to have some fun.

I think all of the family was excited to see each other and ready to makes some plans to lay out the trip. We quickly unloaded and just relaxed after settling in and visited with one another. It was nice to have some down time and catch up with everyone.

The kids wasted no time getting into play mode. They could careless about the talking and catching up. They just wanted to show off toys and get down to playing.

Pretty soon the house seemed to be busting at the seams with running children that couldn't contain themselves. Laurie had a great idea to take us out on a hike to burn off a bit of energy. The kids loved being outside and we all worked up a sweat climbing a tough hill. It was great exercise and definitely got the wiggles out.

We spent a lot of in between time just playing and enjoying being together. We also stuffed ourselves with Laurie's hospitality. Never a shortage of food or fun times at that house. We had a few rough moments being so close together in a short period of time but really I thought the kids did great with each other. I was really thankful for Laurie and Jared letting us come and storm their home with our craziness.

We got to see our new niece for the first time. Lilyanne is super cute and we all wanted a chance to hold her. I think Jeff was the most excited and was sad that Lily didn't bond with him right away. She had to warm up to us for sure. We were four new faces all in her space and she wasn't having it at first. A few days in though and we were accepted family and all was well.

Thanksgiving day we were all packed into Laurie's house and busting down the walls again with our mayhem. The kids stayed entertained and I thought all went well. The food was as always super delicious and you can't beat time with family. We can just be a very large and loud group at times.

I think my favorite part was making rice crispy treats for the kids to decorate. They were so creative with some of their designs and really everyone got into the spirit. We were pumping those treats out in style. After our big Thanksgiving meal we headed out to a local shelter to pass out our treats. This is a VoFo tradition that has really grown on us. I have to say the kids get better every year. They were really really awesome passing out the treats and I was just really impressed with their spirit of giving. The whole experience this year made me a bit emotional to see how far we've come and how much we have all grown.

With the kids being so good we even got to fit in a little Papa and Grandma gift giving to the grandkids. They were all super excited for this part of course. They were all well behaved for the exchange. Jeff got to pass our the gifts with his own little flair and the kids loved it.

This of course created more chaos and fun. The kids loved playing with their new toys and sharing. The house was a buzz with all the merriment. We even got to fit in a spend the night with boys and girls. I can't say it enough the kids were all just super good.

My little family even got to spend a day with my Dad while we were there. It was fun to see him and catch up on what is new in his life. He has a new dog "zip" that the kids loved getting to know. We also went out to my brothers place and got to play with all his animals. I think this might have been a huge highlight for them.

I was glad that they got the chance to go. We are even talking about letting Megan go spend a summer with them in the next couple of years. She was all a glow just at the mention of getting the opportunity. I'd love for her to go and see how I grew up and stay connected to my roots.

We got to see the new Muppet movie, go out to pizza, and hit up the Hartnell Basketball game. It was all so much fun. I know I really enjoyed myself as well as the rest of my family. We just packed in as much as possible. Since we only get together once a year we had to make it all as special as we could.

I loved seeing everyone and doing all the things that got planned. I miss living all together in the same place but I really think that our gatherings are just all the more special from not seeing each other all the time. We get to hold a special place in our hearts for each other till we meet again. There is always plenty to talk about and lots of laughter. I cherish these moments and am blessed to get the opportunity to share them with those that I love. They mean a lot to me and I'm so thrilled to have them all in my life. A huge Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!