A VERY NICE THANKSGIVING BREAK

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Well, you can guess what this entire blog will be about! Brian got Thursday and Friday off last week, so we were able to enjoy a very nice, extended weekend with each other. Laura came over Wednesday night to kick off the festivities. We ordered pizza and just hung out. Laura and Vaughn really had a great time playing with each other. We spent most of the evening together and played some old school Nintendo. We had a very good time!

(It's kind of funny but I just realized that Laura and I have seen each other every day for the last five days. It has really been nice to be able to look forward to seeing her each day, even if it has only been for a few minutes. Laura is really good with Vaughn. She plays with him constantly, and really knows how to make him laugh. Laura is also really great to distract Vaughn while I'm trying to cook a meal or clean up.)












Brian was trying to "out-do" Laura's on-the-shoulder trick with Vaughn.














And here's me and Vaughn sharing a moment together.











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The next day was Thanksgiving, so of course we went to spend the day with some family! We (meaning me, Brian, Vaughn and Laura) drove up to South Jordan to spend the day with my Uncle Gary and Aunt Kelly and their kids, and also Grandma Oviatt. We got there at around 2:00 in the afternoon, just in time for Thanksgiving Dinner. The spread was amazing! They had cooked TWO turkeys, and both of them looked to be at least 20 pounds a piece. I thought that was crazy considering the small number of people that were there. But then I found out their neighbor was coming too with her kids. But that still didn't make enough people to merit two HUGE turkeys! Grandma was very kind to make her famous homemade rolls (Poopa, I know you're jealous! You should be!). We brought two pies and some brownies and some of the bottled grape juice I had done this summer. It was a wonderful meal! We all ate ourselves silly and then crashed in the living room to relax.

This little cutie is my cousin Hannah! She was so awesome while we were there. From the second we walked in the door until the moment we walked out, she was playing with Vaughn. I was worried before we got there that Vaughn was going to be bored but I was sure wrong! Hannah saved the day! She make quick friends with him and Vaughn just loved her! She had a toy boom box that played all sorts of songs. She played them for Vaughn and both of them danced to the songs for a while. Vaughn loved it! At the end of the night Hannah insisted that we take it home and give it to Vaughn for a Christmas present. She also sent us home with a turkey she had colored. Thank you Hannah for being such a great friend to Vaughn! You're wonderful!

Grandma was really great to play with Vaughn too. She and Hannah were in the front room with us, and Vaughn would run back-and-forth between the two of them laughing as he ran. When Grandma would catch Vaughn she would pick him up and swing him up in the air. He absolutely loved it! Grandma had to leave early because she needed a nap after all that eating! I wished I could have joined her! So this is a shot of her saying goodbye to Vaughn at the door.




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Eventually we all migrated to the living room and put in a show called Are We There Yet. I thought it was going to be really stupid. Well, it was mostly stupid, but we had a good time making fun of it! As you can see, we were all piled on the couches and the floor. In the middle of the movie, Kelsey was on the floor with her head on a pillow near the couch. Mackenzie looked over and said, "Kelsey, there's a spider." Kelsey jumped up so fast, and there, crawling across the pillow where her head had been was a spider. I told Kelsey I would have screamed bloody murder if it had been me. I thought she handled it very well! Yikes! We stayed until after the movie and then left for home. It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving---with family and friends! And just to add a little side note: Uncle Gary is so crazy! He is just like my Dad! They both say the dumbest jokes, and tease you until you just about pop! But I wouldn't have it any other way! They are both the best!

The next morning Brian and I got up early and went shopping with Linda, Brian's sister. We went to some clothing stores and were able to get seven shirts for about $27! We were really pleased. Afterwards we hung out with Linda and her husband Danny and their kids. This is a shot of Brian holding his little niece named Lorna. She is an absolute doll! She loves Vaughn too. Later on in the day Laura came over to hang out with me, and Brian offered to take Vaughn for the evening. He took Vaughn to play with Lorna and Kalel (Lorna's older brother). Lorna kept trying to hug Vaughn, and in the process she would knock him over. Then she would just lie on top of him, all the while holding her blanket. Brian said it was quite a sight to see! Laura and I spent the evening shopping. Then we went home and bought some pizza and watched a movie together. While we were out shopping we also picked up a pint of Godiva ice cream to share. For those of you who don't know what Godiva ice cream is, you are in for the most amazing ice cream in the world. It is a world-famous Bavarian dark chocolate which they made into ice cream. YUM! If I could I would buy everyone in the world a pint of it. It's that good. (I think it was actually my first love. I think it was Laura's as well.)

So to sum it up, we've had a really great Thanksgiving Break. Thanks to everyone for making it such a fun experience. And special thanks to Laura for spending so much time with me! It's been a blast!

And here's one more for the road....


Love, Lisa