The Break of all Breaks

I'm finally getting around to blogging about Thanksgiving break. I had been looking forward to last week for so long and it was wonderful, simply wonderful.

We stayed in Kirksville for the break and Tanner's parents came down from Pittsburgh to be with us. Mariah was giddy. She's used to just boring old me all day every day so three other people in the house was a dream come true. She even got to stay up later and skip a couple naps, yippee! (I'm paying for it this week, by the way).

Admiring Grandpa's Silly Face

On Tuesday we traveled down to Liberty Jail and Independence, Missouri. I love being able to visit church sites. They help me to remember the great sacrifices others made so I could be where I am today. It was the perfect thing to do during the season of gratitude.

Tanner got to play a 2 hour card game with his dad. Which was a real treat for him because my attention span for games only lasts a solid 15 minutes.

Mariah's bunny was their third player, I heard he was pretty ruthless. 

And I was able to talk someone else's head off and give Tanner a break, Tanner's mom is so fun to talk with. She has so many great insights and experiences to share. I love it.

Thanksgiving was wonderful and we had so much food. Of course I didn't take a picture of the bounteous meal; who takes pictures of food anyways? Anyone who knows anything knows that you eat food, you don't take pictures of it. We had the Elders over for dinner and they helped put a dent in the feast, but of course, no pictures of them either. But I do have a picture of Baby Girl with the Crossley Cranrasberry sauce on her face. She loved it, she is officially a part of the Cranrasberry Club.

After dinner we went to the Anderson's for pie. They had a great theory, "if everyone got together and brought their pies, there would be more of a variety." Geniuses, pure and simple.

This break was fantastic and made me all the more excited for Christmas. Tanner's mom said it best, "Thanksgiving is a great way to prepare us for the Christmas season by showing gratitude to our Savior."

Tanner's parents are gone and he is back in school. And Mariah and I are going through withdrawals. I think this picture sums up our feelings perfectly:

Yes, I'm one of those parents who takes pictures of their sad child, I just couldn't resist