Nothing Says "Thanksgiving" Quite Like Family, Pies, And Dodge Ball

The above photo only shows a fraction of the pies we had to choose from at our Thanksgiving dinner.  That can only mean one thing--Thanksgiving with the Funks.

The designated time to gather at Lance and Sharley's for dinner was 4:00 p.m.  That gave us the morning to prepare and pack and clean the house before we left for St. George.  While we didn't leave as early as Jason was hoping, we were making good time and on track to arrive with time to check into our hotel before our dinner, but just outside of Cedar City, our back left tire blew out and we found ourselves on the side of the freeway, putting on the spare (which was a little deflated itself).  We managed the fifteen miles to the nearest Wal-Mart going 45mph on the freeway, all the while feeling grateful that things had not been much worse.

One hour and four new tires later, we were back on track to our destination.  We arrived just as the prayer had been said and everyone was going through the line, filling their plates with delicious food.  We gave hugs, we ate, we visited, we played, and the younger children did some film-making under the direction of their cousin, Jessica.  Here's what the final product of their acting produced:

When the children weren't busy "playing dead,"they were being entertained on the trampoline by my brother, Lance. (My nickname for Lance is "The Pied Piper of Children."  You can see why they like him so much.)

We all went to bed Thursday night with full tummy's and happy hearts, eager for the next day's activities, which we knew included dodge ball games--YAY!

Friday morning found us in a church gym, getting pre-game instructions from my brother, Clark.  Once the children understood the rules, they were divided into teams and allowed to play several three-minute games.   
  

The children's games were rotated between sets of games played by the older group of teenagers against the  adults.  I am pleased to report that all of us "old folks" handily beat the teens in nearly every game.  I didn't get any good pictures of the those games because I was busy playing, but Jessica did put together this cinematic masterpiece:

We went back to the hotel after the dodge ball games so Ella could take a nap and the boys could play in the pool and hot tub.

 We took advantage of the great weather and went to the park, as well.

The evening was finished off with dinner at a Japanese steakhouse, Sakura, where Brevin got his first taste of sushi. 

After the meal, we went back to Lance and Sharley's to play Just Dance 4 and look at photos from a recent trip to Hawaii that Lance and Cheryl took.  We gave our good-bye hugs and returned to the hotel.  We headed home to Springville first thing Saturday morning after having enjoyed a most wonderful Thanksgiving vacation. 

This post authored by Amber

We are Grateful

I'm glad there is a holiday that turns our minds to reflect upon what we are thankful for.  More often than not, I am reminded of the things that matter most--my family. 

(Eating delicious foods in great abundance ain't that bad, either!) 

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

This post authored by Amber

Thanks-Singing

Each year, The boys' elementary school has grade-level performances in conjunction with the holidays. The First graders have the opportunity to learn songs and poems about Thanksgiving.  The night of the performance was also the same night as Spencer's last basketball game, so we were in a rush to get him from one event to the next, hoping we could get a decent seat for the school program.  Following the performance, Spencer chose to eat at Two Jack's Pizza in celebration of both his basketball season and his Thanksgiving program.

We were lucky that Grandma and Grandpa Park were also able to attend.  I completely forgot to inform them of the event until the last possible moment.  We sat together with them and watched as the first graders did their presentation.  Spencer does a great turkey wiggle.  You should ask him to do it for you sometime.  Of course, it is also wonderful to watch him sing.  He does that really well, too.

The next series of pictures make me laugh.  How is that some children look as though they are about to fall asleep while others appear to have consumed an entire can of Red Bull before the performance?  And there is Spencer smack-dab in the middle of the mayhem making faces.

This post authored by Amber

Novem-blur

When the calendar was turned over to December, I was baffled and confused.  Where did November go?  It went by so quickly, I wasn't sure what happened during the month.  I hadn't even loaded a single picture from my camera to my computer since Halloween.  Once I viewed the pictures, I realized there actually was a month of November during 2010, and it was plenty eventful.  (I must just be loosing my mind!)  Here is a recap of a few of those events:

The month started out a bit unseasonably warm--so warm, in fact, we managed a backyard wienie roast. 

 We finally purchased a new, flat-screen TV for our family room.  The box provided just as much entertainment for the boys as the new TV.

 Brevin prepared and presented a fantastic report to his second grade class on the country of his choice, Japan.  Jason was most helpful in providing souvenirs and food for the demonstration. 

Both Brevin and Spencer had many activities leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday in their classes at school. 

We met with family at Grandma and Grandpa's house in St. George for a fabulous Thanksgiving feast, followed by a traditional tournament of dodgeball (I was merely a spectator, though).

 During the holiday break, we made a point to catch an early showing of Disney's animated film, Tangled.  We were unaware that the showtime we selected was a 3-D showing, but it turned out to be awesome.  Garrett was completely riveted, which means this was the first movie at the theaters that I have enjoyed in quite some time (and, boy, did I enjoy it!  The film is darling).

This post authored by Amber

"Save Me Some Turkey!"

The first grade students at Art City Elementary have been practicing for weeks to give a Thanksgiving performance for parents.  Because of Brevin's clear, loud speaking voice (hmm...I wonder where he gets the loud voice from?), he was selected to narrate a part during the final musical number.  It was delightful to watch him sing songs and recite poetry to celebrate the holiday and its origin.  (It's those kinds of moments where I feel that being a parent is totally cool!)  At the conclusion of the evening, a slide-show was presented with pictures of all the first graders doing various activities since the beginning of the school year.  It was fantastic!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday this year.  For the family meal, I was given the simple assignment of bringing two pumpkin pies and one apple pie, so I made them from scratch.  As pies baked and made the house smell delicious, Jason and I worked to get the house cleaning done. When we walked out the door and headed up the street and around the corner to Grandmother's house, I was grateful to know I'd be coming home to a clean, tidy space.

We met at Jason's parents at 2:00 p.m. for the traditional turkey dinner and to kick off the hours that would lead to an over-consumption of delicious foods.  We played games and visited until it was time to get the children home to bed.  Having a day like that just added one more thing to my expansive list of things I am truly thankful for!  Did I mention it was lovely?

This post authored by Amber