Lights & Gingerbread

This year Ken and MarGene had a great idea to hit up a new attraction for us. It's called Fantasy Lights and it's set up in a park. You drive through a few miles of lots and lots of lights. They came over and after a quick bite we headed out.

It was really nice to stay in the car and stay nice and warm. They had a very impressive set up and we were super excited to go. They have the system all set for how to drive through and there was tons to see. Megan and Andrew were glued to the windows and really loved every minute of it. We had the Christmas music playing and just enjoyed the hard work to set it all up. It really is the way to go to see something like that.

After the fun lights Grandma brought over a gingerbread house to help the kids decorate. We've missed doing this for the last few years and were super glad that Grandma thought to include us. Andrew wanted it to look just like the box, while Megan did a few free style decorations. Both kids had a blast and were really happy to get the chance to decorate with Grandma.

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!!

Halloween Hayride

We've had a low-key Halloween this year. We've had a bunch of other life stuff going on that before we knew it Halloween was here. Jeff had an emergency gall bladder removal and I've embarked on my long awaited braces. It seems like one appointment after another. You can't stop time so we celebrated in a small way.

We ended up recycling costumes from last year. These ones still fit and the kids actually were excited to wear them again. We figured why not get another use out of them since the kids were willing. We started our day with a little trunk or treat action.

We were a small little group of families kind of spread out but were super happy to be there. The kids love trunk or treat and had a great time taking a few laps. They even got a bonus donut from the bishop that they stopped to enjoy while handing out candy for us. This was 10am on Saturday so we soaked up every minute.

We had a few options to fill the rest of our day and kind of went back and forth or what we wanted to do. We ended up deciding on this free Tractor & Truck event. Once we arrived we got to go out on a hayride. It took us around this beautiful lake with stunning views. The air had a crisp bite to it and we enjoyed bumping around.

The kids each got a free pumpkin and time to decorate it any way the wanted. Both kids loved getting creative and putting flair to their own special pumpkin. We spent a bit of time in this area just let them have a good time.

Next we were off to explore at least 20 or so tractors, trucks, & service vehicles. It is so funny to watch the kids explore. They love to honk horns, turn on lights, and touch everything within reach. It amazes me that nothing gets really broken with all the exploring going on. Andrew was thrilled to see the firefighters. He told me during parent teacher conference for the first time that he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. He had a great time talking to them and letting them know that he was going to be one of them someday.

After several hours we ended with playing at their play park which was new and different for our kids. They could have spent several more hours there but it was beginning to get dark. We ended our night with some good ol' Mcdonalds and a family movie at home. We are kind of curious to see if we get any trick or treaters tonight. In the past we've gotten one or none. I'm sure the kids would love to pass out some candy so I guess we'll see what we get. A big Happy Halloween to all our friends and family. I hope you have a great time.