Day Two at home AKA thanksgiving

Happy thanksgiving.
This year I have so much to be thankful for:
1. My wonderful supportive husband.
2. My beautiful healthy children
3. My parents, who love me and worry for me.
4. My brothers and sisters who make my life better.
5. All of my friends, those people who are as good to me as my family.

Overall, the wonderful people in my life. The sustain me and make life worth living.

Thanksgiving morning beamed bright and beautiful, just like mornings do in souther California.
We were up bright and early and the house was all a buzz with Dad’s Christmas music and the sound of my busy kids. Grandma was hanging with the kids.

Looking sleepy, but cute.

A nice thing about having a 4:2 Adult:Child ratio, everyone got a little taste of baby care and love, and no one got burnt out. Mom, happily changing a babies diaper.

Meanwhile, Karl made everyone German pancakes for breakfast.

Yumma yum!

Dad and Lucas…looking very serious.

The best Mama in the world.

We spent the morning chatting, and laughing and looking through old pictures and stuff.

One such find was this:

A little story written by Chelsea before Thanksgiving 2001.

Randomly, my dad handed me an album I had left at the house that was full of pictures from that Thanksgiving.

Here is Chelsea, when she was 9 almost 10, around the time she wrote this story:

We did all go to our Aunt’s house. They lived in Brea, in Orange County at the time. It was a big year for our family. Cameron had just gotten home from his mission in July. I had just left for college. It was the first time we were all going to be together since before Cameron had left on his mission. It was my first time back to California since I had left to school and I MISSED my family.

Here are me and Belle together.

Speaking of sisters. Maryn had just left Ricks. She had just moved back home.

Brandon was a Jr. in high school.

Cameron was SOOOO skinny.

Mom and me.

This was also one of our last attempts at a photo shoot.

We were all just babies. I felt so grown up.

Oh Maryn, gross.

Our last realy family photo. Yes, in November 2001.

All of the kids.

This trip was the last time I ever saw my Aunt Jackie alive. She died the following Valentines day. Last time this side of the family was all together.

ANYWAY,

Back to 2015.