A Time To Give Thanks

It was nice to spend Thanksgiving in warm AZ.  My kids need more Gma and Gpa Palmer time and cousin time.  It was a lot of fun.

The kids broke out all the classic games and tried to beat Gpa.  The kids got pretty good at it.  Watch out next time Gpa, the kids will be practicing... :o)

While there, the kids loved seeing the new baby chicks.  Ammon loved them so much but mostly loved looking for the eggs each day...or several times a day.  Because the older chickens were molting, they weren't laying eggs.  I know how much Ammon loves looking for them, so each day I'd go out and hide 3 or 4.  He was in heaven!!

Thanksgiving dinner was perfect outside.  It was a little warm for those not from AZ, 84 degrees (a record high), but I soaked it all in :o)  I helped my mom make the pies and several other things.  My siblings came with many other foods, so it was great.  Being all together was really nice.

Next day, Trent and I flew out to Albequerque, New Mexico for a wedding.  Seth Wheeler, Trent's last mission buddy to get married put everyone up in the Parque Central Hotel.  It was pretty cool.

That evening there was a fun little gathering on the roof for everyone to get to know the bride and the groom.  Great people.

Next morning, at the New Mexico Temple, Seth was sealed to his forever bride.  It was so great seeing him finally married and ready to enjoy his life with another.

Here we are all together.  The husbands were all together on their missions and roomed at BYU.  Slowly they all got married.  Seth being the last one to finish that chapter.

Summer and Jeremy, me and Trent, Evan and Cheryl, Chris and Deanna, Jason and Erin

To finish off the night, we all stayed up to talk and play games.  It was a great, short little vaca.

Back to AZ... Gma and Gpa and especially uncle Dan... took great care of our kids...

The morning we left, my awesome brother Dan, took our kids to go boating at Saguaro Lake with my other awesome brother Trevor and his family.

Later that same day, he took them to Tempe Buttes in Papago Park to do a little hiking.

The next day, Saturday--the day we got back, he took them to Tempe Lakes.  

They had a great time.  Thanks to an amazing big brother.

Sunday, we went to my niece, Brooke's mission homecoming talk.  She did such a great job, and had a good mission to always and forever shape her life.  I need to get a picture...

after that, we had an easy Sunday to enjoy.  I took the kids on a walk around the neighborhood.  I saw an ostrich once, and hoped it was still there.  While walking I had to teach my kids what I use to do in the irrigation ditches growing up.  My brothers and I would skip back and forth, side to side...Jarom is here trying it...they all tried it.

 We saw horses, rabbits and ...no ostriches, but emu.

Tarin loved the baby chicks and wanted to try balancing three on one stick...it worked

Finally, Sunday night we took the kids down to the Mesa Temple lights and toured the visitor center.

Then it was back to Gma's to make cookies for the long drive home the next day.  It was such a fun holiday, I wish we lived closer.  Thanks mom and dad and Dan and everyone.