Thanksgiving in October

2010 was Matt's family's turn to have us for Thanksgiving. It wasn't going to work out over real Thanksgiving because his sister, who plays volleyball for BYU now, has two away games that weekend. Plus, as everyone knows, plane tickets are ridiculous over the holidays. So instead of a November visit to Arizona/Las Vegas for Turkey Day, we decided to all meet in Provo (where the other siblings are going to school) and have a big fun weekend with all the random family members we could gather from northern Utah. That way we were able to see two of Stephanie's home games, get cheaper plane tickets, reunite with some awesome relatives, and take a blissful walk down memory lane on BYU campus.

Our first morning there, Josh taught Grandpa how to play one of his new games from Grandma. He wants for nothing with Grandma around! Even as we were packing for the trip, I asked Josh what toys he wanted to bring on the plane, and he just said "No I don't want my toys, Mommy. I want to play with Grandma's toys when we get there." And sure enough, as soon as we saw her in the airport, she pulled a new little truck out of her pocket for him to play with right away. He knows his Grandma!

We spent a day on campus and visited the Bean Museum. Here's some of the gang. Emily, Nick, and Paige are Matt's cousin's kids. They are so much fun!

Of course...in an animal museum, Josh finds the one TRUCK hidden in a room off to the side and focuses his attention on that. Matt, I think you're slowing him down there.

A little freaked out by the scary sharks and fish on the walls.

Nick and Matt -- such handsome boys!

We got to play at the cousins' motel pool for a while before dinner one day. Josh had so much fun teasing the big kids. Good thing they didn't tease him back for being too chicken to get all the way in the water.

At the cabin, Matt, Stephanie and I took Josh on a walk to try to get to the pond, but we weren't brave enough to blaze our own trail through the trees. So instead, we let Josh throw rocks in the road. It's almost like skipping rocks...

This was his "follow through" look. Such attitude.

This boy couldn't get enough of Grandpa at the volleyball games! They are good buddies. Aunt Sandra is pictured here on the right. We made lots of trips up to her house for dinner when we were students at BYU. It was wonderful to see her and her children/grandchildren again. That visit was long overdue.

Matt's lovely littlest sister Michelle. She is an incredibly smart BYU sophomore this year. She might try to act tough sometimes, but she secretly gives the best hugs. I'm a little jealous of Matt enjoying one in this picture right now.

On this night, the BYU team wore pink uniforms for a breast cancer awareness night. They were SO cute. Seriously -- it's too bad nobody's school color is pink. 

And by the way, Stephanie DOMINATED! She happened to be the Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week that week and her bio was on the program. She is amazing. It has been unbelievable to watch her play these last few years. (She transferred from U of Arizona at the end of last year.) Oh and the little boy down in the corner is Matt's cousin Laura's son Carter. He was my little helper with Josh.

My old roommate Lindsey and her husband Johnny (Matt's old roommate and mission buddy) came to a game to see us! It was hard being in Utah for such a short amount of time when there were so many people we wanted to see. We were so grateful that they made time to come to us so we could still spend as much time with the family as possible. We miss you Biolos!

This is Matt's Grandma Snow and Stephanie after the game. Josh calls her GiGi (for great-grandma). She makes THE BEST food! Mmmm...it was a delicious weekend.

This is Matt's super fun cousin Laura. I love her. She thinks I'm a sarcastic little brat. It's a great relationship.

We stayed in an AMAZING cabin way up in Heber. It belongs to my father-in-law's old friend and mission companion. It was perfect! Plenty of space, beds, views, toys for Josh, and animal heads mounted on the walls. Everything you could want in a log cabin retreat!

My precious boys with their sleepy eyes in the morning. Sigh...I'm such a lucky girl!

Josh stole my camera and took a bunch of pictures Sunday morning. Most of them were of the floor or his fingers over the view finder, but this one shows you Uncle Mitch in the kitchen. We haven't been able to see him enough in the past because he has lived far away, but now that he works in Salt Lake, he's able to come to fun things like this! We were so glad he made it! We had our own little Sunday school at the cabin that day, and he and others shared some great, touching stories that I need to write down.

That evening, we had all the family we could find out to the cabin for a Thanksgiving dinner. There were SO many people! I think around 40? I didn't even get to individually meet them all. But the food was delicious and  everyone had a good time, so I'd say the night was a success!

Some of my cousins came up to dinner to visit us as well! It made me so so happy! I grew up visiting these girls in Sacramento all the time and I miss them like crazy! Can I include enough exclamation points in this caption?!! From left to right: Christiana, her new baby Beck, Matt, me, Oakley holding Josh, and her husband Scott.

I was so glad to finally meet little Beck! He's so handsome and kissable!

Josh thought so too.

xoxo Twin Cousins! xoxo

Trying not to let the family leave...

Michelle let me French braid her hair. It's always  nice to feel like a big sister again.

Josh had plenty to keep him busy while the grown-ups played and talked and ate late into the night. A long weekend with no TV was so good for him!

Uncle Andrew might be big and strong, but it's time for him to admit that his nephew can totally beat him in a fight! Josh has a blast with Matt's brother. They make each other laugh constantly. He's going to be a good daddy some day.

It's not a proper family vacation until cards are involved! Here we're teaching Andrew's girlfriend Christina how to play Showdown. It was a grand old time!

Josh in his new pirate jammies with his best buddy, Grandma. Nobody wanted him to go to bed on that last night (including me...who wants to be quiet when you're playing cards??). He was such a trooper all weekend. Lots of new people, new places, and long car rides instead of naps, but he did surprisingly well!

We are extremely lucky to be able to see family so often considering how far away we live from them. Trips like these have made the distance seem more bearable, but they sure make us miss family even more!

My Mom's Birthday Surprise

This is a picture of my BEAUTIFUL mother.

It was her birthday the first weekend in September. So guess what Josh and I did for her...we graced her with our presence in Redding! Again. But this time was a complete SURPRISE. My dad was the only one in the family who knew about our plan and he helped orchestrate our arrival so that no one would suspect us. We even came the day after her birthday so she would think the opportunity passed for us to visit. See -- this picture is of my mom blowing out her candles while she chats with us on Skype so we could pretend to be there for her party. I told her that her present would probably get there the next day. (Ha ha ha! Soooo sneaky!)

The next afternoon was Saturday and the whole family was home, including my sister and her husband who were up visiting from San Jose. Josh and I caught a ride from the airport with some Sacramento friends who were going to visit my parents for Labor Day weekend. When we got there, they walked into the house to greet everyone while Josh and I slipped around back to hide for a few minutes. When things had calmed down a little, we leisurely strolled up the back porch and started looking for the kittens while we waited for someone to spot us from the kitchen. Oh MAN did we surprise them! I heard a couple of screams from the house before the door swung open and we were stampeded by family members who were literally IN TEARS with excitement. It was the best welcome ever! Yes, I know it was 99.9 % for Joshua, but I was the one who endured a painfully long trip to get there with a two-year-old once again, so I basked in that reception like they were most happy to see ME. And that made everything worth it.

One of the first things my siblings did with Josh was buzz his hair. Without telling me. Into a MOHAWK! Never mind that I was loving the red that was starting to show in his sweet little curls. Never mind that I'm the mom. Never mind that a full mohawk is the most disgusting hairstyle ever, in my opinion, because it reminds me too much of Redding's rednecks. It was ridiculous of me to react with any emotion other than pure elation, right? That's what they told me. I got a lecture for not approving and not being grateful for my sister's talents. Can you see how easily I lose control of my child when I go to Redding? Can you see why it's always a big adjustment when we come home and try to live our normal lives again? My family better learn to appreciate!

"Hi, I'm Joshua! I get candy for every meal at Grandma's house! Nobody makes me nap or go to bed on time. And I never have to eat vegetables. And I can play with anything I want. And I get more attention than anyone in the whole world. Who needs a mommy with this kind of life?!" That's his attitude for the entire next week after we get home. It's glorious.

A trip to Redding isn't complete without a visit to Black Bear Diner. This is a family restaurant with huge portions. I worked there for a summer after my first year of college and my family decided they loved it! It still smells like work to me, but I can't pretend not to love the food, even if I know what kind of weirdos are in the kitchen preparing it.

Two of my favorite boys playing on their phones during dinner. (That's my brother Steven on the right -- Josh can never get enough of him!)

A favorite past time -- skateboarding in the driveway with Uncle Steven.

Josh always insists on wearing an apron while he washes the dishes. Maybe I'll start insisting that he's always shirtless underneath. Much cuter that way.

He actually started to really love the Speedo my family bought for him. It was the funniest thing for him to walk around the pool asking "Where's my Speedo?!" with his little lisssssp! Obviously, my sister Stephanie had a specific idea for how he should wear it. Matt was appalled with the picture. He's very concerned about Josh being embarrassed by this kind of picture when he gets older.

Josh is getting so good with haircuts. Steph just promises him a sucker when they're done and he sits perfectly still. With a very concerned expression on his face, but still nonetheless. At this point, they finally shaved off his mohawk for me. It wasn't as horrible as I expected because it was really short and kinda cute with gel in it.

Here, the sleepless schedule and sugar overload are setting in as Josh gets really angry with me for wanting to sit in a chair while he throws rocks outside. Instead of what? Standing? I guess so. What a terrible mother for wanting to sit.

Drinking and driving.

Swimming with Grandpa

I'm not allowed to lie down in Josh's presence without him snuggling up to me. It's verrrrry nice. Except that he really won't let me lay down unless he's in the mood to snuggle. It's either both of us or neither of us.

In Target, Josh wanted to try on all the sunglasses and he wanted Steph to take pictures of him. That never happens! I'm glad she was able to give him so much attention because this one is a keeper!

Josh telling Grandpa how to read his book the right way.

That's right...matching Speedos! We're ready for a European vacation!

Josh spent many hours in the giant pantry, on a step stool that put him right at the level of the stackable cans and just out of reach of the licorice. It allowed him to make a wonderful mess and see just enough snacks to make him yell for someone to get him sugar every time he went in there. And usually he got what he wanted because everyone wanted to be his favorite.

The last night, we all sat out in the front together until it got dark, playing in the driveway and eating B&R ice cream. Julia is so good at entertaining Josh and teaching him at the same time. I think she's testing him on shapes and letters here.

Josh's aunties helping him get ready for bed on our last night. More like making an excuse to keep him awake longer by reading more books. I can't blame them. It was hard to say goodbye.

Readers: I know you get to see more pictures of my family than you probably want, but we've been visiting them a lot while we have the chance...before we move even farther away next summer and have another baby to tote around. Thanks for not getting annoyed at seeing a similar post every few months! (Or at least for not telling me you're annoyed.)