Thanksgiving WEEK

We had three Thanksgiving meals/celebrations, during Thanksgiving week, this year due to us really wanting to be with family and church family and then making sure that everyone we love actually got a Thanksgiving experience.  

First was with Rachel and Stephen Jr.  As usual, Ruger was all about Stephen and just so happy he was there.  A few days later, Keiran flew into Utah (from South Carolina) so I got a chance to have lunch with Rachel and her where I took the opportunity to celebrate their birthdays...hence the silly get ups.  I'm still not sure how they can wear things like this and still look so beautiful!

On Thanksgiving day, we went to the church where the Bishop and his family offered a meal for those who did not have family around to spend it with.  It was such a neat experience!  There were only 5 families there but it was perfect because we could do some one on one talking with everyone.  We have not always been blessed to live by family, with all of our moving around.  There have been times when people have recognized that and invited us to be with their families.  Other times, we have spent it with just our little family.  All these different ways of spending Thanksgiving have their positive sides to it.  But this was the first time we spent it with our church family.  I highly recommend it if you can't be with your family!

Ok, I had to crop and enlarge this image of Brigham.  Um, hello?  Model, much?!

There were a few other activities to do but of course all of the kids and youth migrated here at some point of the dinner!

 On Saturday we had Monica come over for our last Thanksgiving dinner.  She is a busy girl, so we don't see her a lot.  So as you can imagine, I really like it when she can come over.  Its nice to have another girl in the house but its even nicer to see how much she cares for my son.

Ruger turns 7!

On Friday, Ruger turned 7!  

Ruger had a hard time only picking a few kids to go to the Provo Rec Center for his birthday.  Mr. Popularity would have had many more kids there but watching 5 kids in water is just enough before this Momma (Daddy and Grandma Helen was there too) would have had a nervous breakdown.  I love the water.  Especially in the summer.  And put me in front of an ocean and you will find one of the most relaxed humans on this earth but I also fear it some areas.  I am afraid of water that I can't see through and I'm always on alert if I have children with me in water.  So, 5 kids at his birthday party was all that was allowed!

After playing at the rec center for a few hours, we went back to the house and had cake and ice cream.  Ruger's favorite present was a group present from Nanny, Poppy, Grandpa, and Chuck.  It was an electric scooter and this kid just LOVES it!

At 7 years old, Ruger is still a handful at times but it gets easier as he ages.  I think, for me at least, it is because he makes me laugh so much now.  He is seriously a funny kid with his little sayings and facial expressions.  And everyone loves this child.  Adults and children!  Everyone wants to be his friend and honestly, he wants to be your friend too!  Especially if you are a guy.  He's a mans man, through and through!  He loves Kids YouTube, playing games on his tablet, Taco Salad, junk food, making people laugh, being loud, and is still in love with his father!  He is anything but a regular 7 year old little boy.  He is stands out in a crowd and doesn't even know he's doing it!

Grandpa's 80th Birthday

On November 14, 2021, Charles Allen Thatcher turned 80!

Everyone met in Dad and Mom's back yard to have a weenie roast, eat cupcakes, and just be together to celebrate Grandpa.

This is the only picture I have of Poppy or Rain from our whole visit :(

It says a lot that these two live so far away from each other yet have this relationship of such love for each other.  I love watching them together.

It was a beautiful day on the 14th.  And Grandpa deserved that.  It has been a rough, almost two years for him.  I hope he felt loved on that beautiful November day.

November Trip to Oklahoma 2021

Every few years I take one child to Oklahoma with me.  Grandpa's 80th birthday was coming up and happened to be on a weekend that a scrapbooking retreat was happening in Grove.  It was Hyrum's turn so a few months ago, we bought the tickets and just waited...

It was Hyrum's first time on a plane.  He was pretty nervous the night before and was full of questions.  But no matter how nervious he was, getting to Oklahoma was more important to him.

We got to Jay after midnight so we couldn't go and see anyone but we were up early the next morning and off to see Grandpa and Chuck we went!  There were a few times that while I was sitting on the couch talking to them that I thought of Grandma but honestly, it still felt like home.  Her presence was there and it just felt good to be there.

When we got back to Poppy and Nanny's house, Layne and Allie were there.  Can you see the pure happiness in Hyrum's face?  This is what he had been waiting for MONTHS to experience!

From there, Mom, Amanda, April, and I headed to the Civic Center in Grove to be with over 300 (mostly) ladies for the weekend.  I hadn't been "home" in almost 2 years so instead of getting a lot of scrapbooking done (for me, it's usually card making) during the 3 days there, I talked, cried, and felt all those wonderful "feels" of being with my sisters and Mom.  I got a total of a homemade book and 3 cards made!  Ha!  That is pathetic but I wouldn't trade it for getting all the cards I had planned on getting done.  The memories made and catching up was where the real stuff was.

These are the pictures of a contest we won 2nd place in for table decorations that went alone with the "WILD" theme of the weekend.

Since I had to eat while I was there, why not meet some old friends across the street for dinner one of those nights?  I couldn't stay long but I went back to the scrapbooking event feeling incredibly loved.  These friends of mine come everytime I'm in town.  I have been "gone" from the Jay, Oklahoma scene for years yet they have yet to forget me.  How can someone not feel incredibly loved when they show up for me like this.  I love them for not forgetting me but also for them just being them!  They make me laugh and things just don't change.  We just catch right up!

And then I had to eat lunch on one of those days at the Civic Center so why not meet with the girls who know me better than sometimes I think I know myself!?  They check up on me, they Marco Polo me, they text, they send random things in the mail (Ok, that's mainly Valerie!) and because of that constant connection, they know when I'm not doing well.  Guess who ends ups making it better?  These girls!  I can be the stupidest of stupid with them and laugh until I'm gonna get sick and then turn around and have the most serious of conversations with them on matters that are important to us.  I love them as if we shared blood.  That much.

April was 2 years younger than us in school but most of my friends just loved her.  She wasn't that annoying little sister.  She was the funny, witty sister.  So April often would be found in my outtings with my friends when I was in high school.  When we would meet new people, somehow being sisters would be brought up and I'm not joking when I say that the majority of the time they would guess that it was Laura and April who were the sisters!  Not me and April!  But really, can you blame them?  They look more alike than April and I do and they are soooooooooooooooo similar in the way they overthink things, interests, humor, and more!

Sista From Anotha Mista!

My Love

 

Working Teens

Levi is working for Leatherbys and I wanted to get a picture of him in action!

Brigham is taking a class that is earning him college credit and it is in something he loves...cooking!

Last week, this class cooked up different types of food (his was Mexican) and served it in a "food truck" type of style during the high school's lunch period.  

My favorite was the Tes Leches Cake!