Family Feasts, Family Fun

Together again: Dylan, Sarah, and Jacob on Saturday, Nov. 25th.

We weren't sure it was actually going to happen, but it did. My older son, Jacob, was able to drive down from Utah to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us! Now that my children are adults with separate lives, having them together is inexpressibly precious to me, and we had a wonderful time.

*** WARNING*** LOTS of family pictures ahead!

SATURDAY

Brunch at El Rancho: Mom with her three chickadees...

Mary, Dylan, Sarah, and Jacob (ages 63, 20, 28, & 26).

Jacob actually left his home in Utah around 6:00 on Wednesday evening, after he got off work, and drove through the night. It was 5:00 a.m. on Thursday when he and his friend Cody arrived at my house. By the time I got up at 5:30 to take Mark to work, the guys had already crashed, trying to get some shut-eye. I didn't see them until a little after 9:00.

Despite Jacob's timely arrival on Thanksgiving morning, though, we didn't hold our family Thanksgiving feast until Saturday. As usual, Dylan and Sarah had to work on the actual day of Thanksgiving, so we had to work around their schedules. Saturday seemed to be the best fit, although even then Mark and Jake had to work.

We began Saturday by meeting up with Sarah, Dylan, and Chris at 10:30 and heading to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Rancho. It was Jacob's suggestion that we do so, because he feels like going there is an important family tradition. We knew that our Thanksgiving feast was only a few hours away, so we ate lightly, but it was fun. Cody impressed us with his Spanish fluency as he chatted up the staff (having served a two-year mission in South America).

Dylan hangs my Christmas lights, with help from Sarah and Chris.

After we got back to the house, Sarah decided it was time to put up the new outdoor Christmas lights I'd purchased. Unfortunately, when she climbed the ladder she realized she was a little freaked out by the height, so she enlisted her little brother's help. Dylan was quick to jump on the task, and the lights were nicely hung in record time. I love them!

Sarah steadies the ladder for Dylan.

Love the new blue-and-white twinkling lights!

It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas...

Brooke looks on while Chris and Sarah set the tables.

After spending four hours in the kitchen (with ample assistance from Jacob and Sarah, plus some help on the stuffing from Mark), I was so exhausted by the time we sat down to eat that I forgot to take pictures of everyone around the table. These are the moments when I remember I'm not as young as I used to be...

Thanksgiving dinner included corn (on the cob or not), green bean

casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, and...

It was 5:00 when the nine of us gathered around two tables: Sarah, Chris, Jacob, Dylan, Jake, Mark, Cody, Brooke, and myself. After a prayer, we all shared what we've been grateful for this year, and then we dug in. Why is it that Thanksgiving feasts seem so much tastier than everyday food, to the point that we eat until we're uncomfortable? Afterward, we ask ourselves why we do it, and then we do it again next year!

...platters of turkey and rolls, as well as sparkling raspberry lemonade. And,

of course, four kinds of pies: pumpkin, apple, razzleberry, and lemon meringue.

Posing in the arcade at Family Fun Park, not too far from home: (in back)

Cody, Jacob, Chris, Jake, and (in front) Marcus, Sarah, Brooke, and Dylan.

Before there was even time to digest our meal, the kids were off to have fun at the arcade, mini-golf, and go-carts of nearby Family Fun Park. They had a blast. When they came home, they were chattering excitedly about the fun memories they'd just built.

Let the games begin! Jake and Sarah handled the photography.

As for Mark and me, we put on a DVD and settled in front of the TV. Within half an hour, we were both asleep in our recliners. We are such hardcore partyers these days...not! But I have fun just knowing my kids are having a great time. We could have gone along with them but, sadly, by that time my knees had taken all they could handle for the day.

Jacob, Cody, Chris, and Marcus take their putting very seriously.

Dylan jumps for joy when his golf ball finally drops in the hole.

They tell me Sarah got the only hole-in-one of the night. You go, girl!

Jacob retrieves his ball.

Marcus, Brooke, Dylan, Cody, Jacob and Chris wait for

the next go-round on the go-carts.

Next up, the go-carts! (Except Sarah and Jake, who took pictures.)

Jacob leads the lineup on the left while Chris, Cody, Brooke,

and Dylan are lined up on the right.

It was a great day with an awesome ending for the kids, who were getting the most out of Jacob's final day with us. After they returned, we enjoyed visiting some more until everyone had to go home for the night. Then Jacob and I sat up until 1:00 a.m. It's hard to have your children living so far away, and I miss talking to him in person.

Brooke and Chris zoom around the curve.

FRIDAY

Cody, Marcus, Jaden, and Jacob talk in the kitchen.

Working backwards in time, we now go back to Friday. After Jacob prepared some breakfast burritos for us, he was anxious to get out and see some of his old friends, so he and Dylan and Cody set out to have their own adventures until lunch time. They returned later with an old friend, Marcus, who used to be a regular fixture at our house (and my boys at his) back when they were kids. He joined them for a lunch of chips with dip and some deli subs I had in the fridge. Later that night, we were also joined by Marcus's brother, Jaden.

After lunch, they went to Marcus's house to watch a DVD, but ended up talking more than watching. At 5:15, the guys returned to help make our dinner of grilled steaks and homemade potato salad, which Jacob had requested a few days before he came to visit. Cody made up a batch of homemade orange soda for us, as well.

Marcus heads out with a dry-ice bomb, with Jacob, Jaden, and Dylan behind.

A large part of the attraction of making homemade soda, of course, lies in using the leftover dry ice to make dry-ice "bombs" with which to blow up plastic bottles outside. At least, that's the case for teenage boys and young men who love extremely loud noises. I didn't protest since it was only 8:30 by then, and they'd exhausted their supply of plastic bottles before 9:00. I hoped the neighbors wouldn't mind.

Sarah comforts Diego, who was freaked out by the noise of the "bombs."

Diego didn't appreciate their noisy fun, though. Sarah brought him inside before the guys got started, but after the first explosion he was quite jumpy despite all Sarah's attempts to calm him. He recovered quickly once it was over, thank goodness. The guys went out again later to see more friends, but were back for the night by around midnight.

Love having Sarah, Dylan, and Jacob in my living room together!

THURSDAY

A huge spread of pies at my sis-in-law Dana's extended-family Thanksgiving.

Although we had to put off our own family Thanksgiving until Saturday, most of us did have the opportunity to feast and enjoy family on Thursday. My sister-in-law Dana invited us to join her side of the family, including four of her seven sisters and their families and their children's families, for their big Thanksgiving celebration. Jake and Dylan didn't make it, and Sarah only got to stay for forty-five minutes on her lunch break, but the rest of us were able to attend for almost four hours.

Sarah loves cuddling Peyton, the new son of her friend Tahna (Dana's sister).

It was fun to see family (besides Jeff and Dana's children and grandchildren, many of Dana's other relatives have become like family to us over the decades) and get caught up with those we don't see that often since they grew up and moved away. My niece Ashley, for instance, came all the way from Texas with her husband and four children. It was great to visit with her, even though I somehow neglected to take pictures of her family! 

Ethan (my niece Amber's guy), nephew Marcus, niece Emma, & nephew Micah.

And, of course, there was a ton of good food. We brought olives, cranberry sauce, a big green salad, and two pumpkin pies, but we ended up taking most of it back home with us because there was so much food available. Our two pies weren't even touched!

My nieces Hayden, Elsie, and Amber with Amber's son Hunter.

My nieces Haley and Elsie with their dad, my brother Jeff.

My niece Brinley enjoys her meal.

Dana's sister (my friend) Jona surrounded by her girls: two new daughters-in-law 

(Alicia and Meghan) at left and two daughters (Mallory and Kimberly) at right.

Dana's niece (and my friend) Emily, with her new daughter, Jasmine.

After we were all stuffed and ready to carb-crash, Dana jumped right into the games, beginning with an old family favorite called "Do You Love Your Neighbor?" Other games followed, and then a sing-along with Dana's nephews on piano and guitar. Such a spirit of merriment!

My sis-in-law Dana starts up a game of "Do You Love Your Neighbor?"

Jacob and Cody, however, were ready for some real sleep after having driven all night and getting less than three hours of sleep before starting the day. Jacob wanted to go home and nap, but I wasn't done taking pictures and visiting, so I suggested that they nap on the couches in the foyer of the church. Jacob didn't think he'd be able to sleep there, but fifteen minutes later he and Cody were both sound asleep, completely unaware of the noisy goings-on in the gym full of people on the other side of the door. They slept like that for an hour and a half!

Jacob slept soundly for an hour and a half in the foyer of the church.

It was about 5:00 when we got home, and by then the guys had caught their second wind, so they went visiting some of Jacob's old friends for the evening.

SUNDAY

Cody and Jacob in Cody's new car, ready to start the long drive back to Utah.

And now, fast forward back to Sunday. No matter how much I dreaded it, nothing could stop Sunday from coming, along with Jacob's inevitable return home to Utah. Dylan, Sarah, and Chris came over a little after 9:30 to say their final farewells to their brother. The guys didn't set off as early as planned, but they were all packed up and ready to drive away just before 11:30. We had a wonderful visit, and I cherished every minute. I have much to be grateful for, but the most amazing blessing in my life is the joy of having three special people who call me "Mom"!

We wave good-bye sadly as they pull out of my driveway.