Thaksgiving 2016

For Thanksgiving this year we went with my family to Sierra Vista where my sister lives and had Thanksgiving there. It was quite the drive, but we broke it up over a couple of days. Neither Kody nor I had ever been there, so we were all a little excited to experience a new place. It's really pretty, actually. A little prettier than Tucson, I think .

We stayed in a hotel that a had an outdoor heated pool, so that was a real winner! We all enjoyed swimming and splashing around. Especially Jace! He would jump off the sides into the water and want to do it over and over and over again. He loves the water!! It was a lot of fun.

On our way down, we stopped in Tucson to see this sweet lady. She is my good friend's mother and we have communicated back and forth a few times. We had never met face to face, so I thought while we were in her neck of the woods, it might be a good time. She was truly a doll!

 

I was in charge of making the pies. 3 out of the 4 turned out really good. I had premade the pumpkin filling before we left home, but it did not last. Darn it!  I was going to make 2 pies, but the one filling went bad and I didn't even bother baking it. This other filling seemed fine at first, but it never really cooked inside. So after tasting a bite, it went in the trash. However, the banana cream, apple, and cherry cheesecake were delish!! All from scratch of course!

 

On Friday, after Thanksgiving, we all went up this canyon on a beautiful hike. The colors were amazingly vibrant and so pretty! The temperatures were perfect, the sun was shining, and we all had a really wonderful time being outside. That is a happy place for me, for sure. Fresh air and open spaces does the soul good!

 

Every day in November we each said something we were thankful for and wrote it on our "Thankful Pumpkin." We had to get really specific so we did not repeat anything. It was really good for us to think about some big and small things to be thankful for. The kids really enjoyed doing it and wouldn't let me get away with missing a day if I seemed to forget. I think this will be a tradition we continue. I sure hope so!

 

Here's Marmie with all of the grandkids except 4, and one great nephew.

 

We really had a wonderful time in Sierra Vista with all the family. Dustin and Jeaniece were great hosts and we are looking forward to the next time we get to head their way for a visit!