West Family Reunion North Carolina

We headed to North Carolina the day after Christmas. The kids were pretty excited (and a little nervous) to fly in a plane. I loved watching Clark during take off-- hilarious. He was pretty overcome haha. 

We had a great time with family. The kids loved playing with their cousins non stop for the whole week. We went to an aquarium, went on a treasure hunt, played laser tag, and played on the beach for hours. The beach and the hot tub were definitely the favorite activities. 

It was nice traveling without the two babies. I had some nice down time. It doesn't get any better than a good book next to the ocean. I started to miss Henry and Timothy pretty bad after a few days though! 

Sleeping was a little hard with a house full of kids. One night Andrew found Braden konked out on this coffee table! 

We played in the sand and flew kites at the Dunes. We bought two hermit crabs to take home with us! Clark was ecstatic! Susie and I got to go kayaking in the ocean. 

I love all the friendships they are building. It's fun to have so many cousins. 

I got to drive about 20 minutes to see a beautiful lighthouse with some of the sisters. It was a highlight for me.

Getting home was a little nuts. All our flights got canceled. And then rebooked the next day. And then canceled again. They basically told us they couldn't get us home for 2 or 3 more days. With 2 babies at home I wasn't taking that for an answer so we ended up driving to Baltimore, to fly into Chicago, to fly into Vegas, to drive through the night to get home! Paul and I took turns driving and sleeping. Poor guy, he had to leave for work an hour after we pulled it. But it was good to be home! 

Happy New Year! 
 

Christmas 2021

Nothing is better than Christmas at home with your favorite people. We made sugar cookies on Christmas Eve. Connie said she missed making cookies with little kids so she came over and helped. 

We had a Christmas Eve devotional dedicated to the Savior. Braden used little paper puppets to tell us about Christ's birth. Susanna played O Little Town of Bethlehem. I showed a video and shared how we can each make Christ the author of our life story. Paul read the scriptures in Luke and we put on our nativity costumes. It was more rambunctious than reverent but it was nice.  

Then we got to unwrap new jammies, got ready for our snack food feast and watched Ben Hur. I love this Christmas movie. It is all about how the Savior can change our hearts and is always there to help us. 

Santa came! Susie got a gymnastics mat, Braden got some hotwheels, Clark some legos, and Timothy a Grogu pillow. 

I was so excited to tell the kids about a trip to Disneyland! We are going soon with my sister and nephew and I can't wait! 

We played with toys, packed for our trip, and had ham and twice baked potatoes for dinner. Later on Grandma Suzy arrived in her Santa costume (Timmy was a little scared at first). She gave us all wonderful gifts, the best gift of all being her willingness to watch Henry and Timothy while we went to North Carolina for a family reunion. Also, the ornament she gave Paul was pretty awesome. 

 

Thanksgiving

It's always fun having the babies together. They are getting so big. I hope they will be good friends. They are just 6 months apart. 

The kids were excited to have Grandpa here for Thanksgiving. They always wait by the window for visitors and rushed out to meet him. 

Olivia and her family came too. We had fun time together. We played a lot of Cover Your Assets and had some lively competition. 

We made apple, pumpkin, and key lime pies the day before. Chante brought over a carmel chocolate pecan that was to die for. We had lots of yummy food for Thanksgiving, although I accidentally cooked the bird upside down haha. 

The next day Olivia and JP stayed to help us put up the tree and the nativity. Hurray, Christmas is here! The most wonderful time of the year! 

After the tree, Paul took JP mountain biking in Fruit Heights. He had a bad accident, he says he's still not sure what happened. We ended up in the ER after he was in some considerable pain later that night. After lots of scans they let us know he had a fractured rib and punctured lung. He is doing lots better and is back to work. I am so thankful it wasn't worse! 

Turkey notes for next year: Instead of cooking the turkey for 4ish hours, cook at 300 for longer. This year we had a 19lb bird and cooked it for 4 hours but I think it was over cooked. The temp was 190 after 4 hours and birds only need to be at 165 to be done so I think next year I'll try cooking it lower and seeing if it adds to the moisture of the finished product. Also, remember to DOUBLE check that the turkey is right side up. The brining the night before method seems successful, also rubbing with olive oil and spices before going in the bag. Remember to put slits in the bag to release steam.