A Yardley Thanksgiving

We had a real treat this year for Thanksgiving.  It is a rare occasion that we have all of my siblings together for Thanksgiving, and this year we got to do that.  It all started with the Lawrences heading to England over the Christmas holiday.  This meant that they would be coming to Utah for Thanksgiving instead of their annual Christmas trip.  Because our home was finally finished, I invited everyone here for the big day.  I was talking to Nicole on the phone and told her everyone was coming here and said she should come too.  I was surprised when she answered that maybe they would.  Schedules were checked, tickets were bought, plans were made, and we were able to pull it off--getting everyone together for Thanksgiving.

It was a fun filled week for the cousins.  In fact, it seems I hardly saw the kids because they were always playing or heading out for some activity.  At nights the kids found a bed, a couch, or a spot on the floor to sleep.  It really was a lot of fun watching them interact with each other.

My sisters, mom and I had fun planning the menu, shopping, cooking and hanging out together.  We had to do the Black Friday sales which I have decided are not worth it.  Around 3:00 am I think I started to lose my sanity and promised myself I was done with Black Friday.  It was definitely a memorable experience but I'm not sure I want to repeat it.  Of course, no trip is complete with my dad without a trip to Smith and Edwards.  That's how I convince him to come up here and see us.  There's always a treasure to find in that massive store, it just takes a while to dig through the junk to get to it.  It's always an adventure going there with my dad.

With everyone together, we made an attempt at a family picture.  It's not easy getting everyone together and coordinated and cooperating but we were able to pull off a portrait for the wall, a rememberance of this holiday that we got to share.