Thanksgiving In Oklahoma

Lovin' on my boys!

Josh was happy to shoot a doe with his bow!

Mike and his doe!

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My best friend Mel and Me

Taylor and Ty

Playing dress up...Ashylnn, Brent, and Ty

This year it was our turn to spend Thanksgiving in Oklahoma with my family. We had our plane tickets bought and paid for (we got a great deal), but then the company called and said they would no longer be flying to Oklahoma after October. I was soooo annoyed! I looked for tickets, but everything was way more expensive than our orginal tickets, so we decided to make the 18 hour drive. I am happy to report that it went really well! We left at 3:30 in the afternoon and the kids slept most of the time. Ty didn't take his nap, so he was asleep about an hour after we left. Tag is still at the age where he sleeps a lot and that was so wonderful. They woke up for a few hours and then fell back asleep for the rest of the night. We drove all night and arrived in Oklahoma at 11:30am. I know the kids were ready to stretch their legs, but they did super on the drive there! Josh and I took turns driving and that is how we were able to drive through the night. I must say that it is worth it to travel through the night when you have little one:)

We had a wonderful time in Oklahoma, but it went by way too fast. I was so excited because I was able to see my old roomate and best friend from college. Mel, Tom, Taylor, and Max all came to my parents house and were able to stay and visit for a couple of hours. It was so much fun to see their family again. Mel and I had a blast together at OSU and we haven't seen each other in some time, so I was so happy that things worked out the way they did. Before they left we got these cute pictures of Taylor and Ty hugging each other! We've decided that they are "meant for each other!" The cousins had a lot of fun together for the most part. You know how it gets when they get tired...tempers flare and kids get mean! No, they really played great together! My mom kept all our dance, show choir, etc. outfits and the kids use these as their dress up clothes! We had to steal a picture of Ashlynn and Brent in the dress up clothes! Brent, this will be used against you when you are about 16:) Ty was lucky and got out of his clothes before the picture was taken! The kids loved playing outside and had a blast jumping on the trampoline with Aunt Brita and Uncle Mike. They also loved the horse swing...I think Uncle Drue was really good a pushing them high in the sky. Of course, what would Thanksgiving be like if the boys and dad didn't go hunting everyday? This is one of the reasons that all the boys come home at this time of year...to go deer hunting on dad's land. They had a lot of success and all of us were able to fill our freezers full of meat for the year! What a blessing that is! I know that everyone got at least one deer, but I am pretty sure that Josh was the only one who didn't get a shot at a buck! Maybe next time. I went hunting a couple of times, but didn't get the job done. I had this buck in the perfect position, but I didn't a dumb thing and he got away. Now it just haunts me in my mind. It is always fun to go and enjoy the beauty of the earth and all the creatures! We also had a girls day and that was great fun. We headed to the Oklahoma City for a day of shopping, pedicures, lunch, and a movie! It was lots of fun and it's always nice to bond with each other! The guys got to stay home and watch all the kids...this is what they get for hunting so much. They had a great time with all the kids. They took them to McDonalds for lunch and then went out to the land for the rest of the day! There were some minor things that happened...kids falling into sticker patches, but other than that they had a wonderful time and had some great fathers watching out for them. Dad was so happy that all his grandchildren were out at his land! This really meant a lot to him. Thanksgiving was delicious, but my tummy was just to small to enjoy all that food at once. It was fun to nibble on the leftovers for the next couple of days! We had a wonderful day and I really loved the Family Home Evening we had afterward. This year has been a special year for our family and the things that I was thankful for this year were: Our family being sealed together for time and all eternity and Tag being born healthy and strong. I will never forget 2008 and all the wonderful blessings that have come our way this year. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone and I am just so excited that we will reunite with everyone in May for our family reunion. I love my family so much and I wish that we all lived closer! I had a wonderful time with each of you and look forward to many more years of fun times!