Highlights from Home

So, we're back from our whirlwind Thanksgiving trip home. It was really nice to see everyone and catch up, though not long enough -- as usual. We didn't get the camera out enough, so the picts we have aren't the greatest, but I'll share anyway. I thought a little list of highlights might be interesting, so, here are some of my favorite memories from our little holiday...

• Staying with Scott and Alicia for one little night, seeing Juan Dolor, and watching our girls play together -- sharing toys WITHOUT crying. Alicia said all day before we came, Brie would say something like "Sammie, share toys, cry" -- anticipating the worst, that never happened. They really had fun together, and we were sad to stay for such very short time.
  
• Watching Sam sit happily on Grandpa Bishop's lap in church, just an hour after they met us at the airport. It didn't take her long to warm up to Grandma and Grandpa Bishop (or anyone else she met on the whole trip, actually). She loved their house, and all their fun toys (especially the marble shoot!)
  
• Delicious food and great company with the Bishops. Brian's brothers and sisters-in-law came over every night with all the cute little cousins. They made it all feel like such a special occasion, just being together. We went to see the Christmas tree lighting in Nampa one night and met Santa on the way. Sam was distraught... She kept crying loudly, "bye bye, SANTA!!"
Here's our group, standing at the base of the HUGE tree after it was lit. We missed the lighting ceremony, but still got cookies and got to see Aunt Cindy's new place downtown.


• FLYING from Boise to Idaho Falls. I know that would not be a highlight for many people, but I LOVED how quickly we got from Brian's family's house to my family... One hour we were saying goodbye to Brian's parents, the next hour we said hello to mine. It was luxurious and I appreciated the extravagance (which was actually only $20 more than the bus tix, and nine hours faster!). Sammie was the friendly flyer -- she insisted on saying goodbye to EVERYONE who was still on the plane when we got off, and there were lots of people, considering the flight was continuing on to Montana. Here we are with Brian's parents as we said goodbye. We didn't get any picts of us saying hello to my parents, probably because Sam was throwing a fit on the escalator because I made her hold my hand, then eventually I picked her up, kicking and screaming. (Terrible twos begins.)



• Being at home, just relaxing and having a great time with my family. Thanksgiving was smaller than some years, but DELICIOUS (the gravy was perfect, and I bet they still have pie leftovers)!! Samantha took a preference to eating from her "tiny chair" that Grandma said she could have while she was there. It's made for some interesting "disagreements" about mealtimes in the two days since we've been home.

• Seeing all the nieces and nephews. This is where I get sad looking at all the cute pictures we DIDN'T take -- at Brian's parents, or at mine. We only got a few little picts, but they're cute kids and I want to share, even though the best shots did not get taken. sad. Here's Josh, teaching Samantha to put her silverware in her ears at the restaurant -- she was a fast learner. Here's Tristan, wearing Samantha's sunnies. I had to include this one because Lance, Tristan's dad, was so adamant that he should NOT wear pink sunglasses, but Tristan did it with my coaxing and even cutely posed. hee hee...
  Is anything more lovely than a little baby Anna asleep in my arms? I can hardly think of any more sweetness.
  Here's Superman-Tristan, guest star of our Thanksgiving night. He informed me that Superman does NOT say "cannonball" as he jumps off Grandma and Grandpa's stairs, because "Superman is too busy fighting bad guys."
  
• Hearing Samantha learn all her cousins, aunts and uncles names! She came home saying "Seth, Becca, Ella, Josh, Tristee (Tristan), Anna, Sara, Eric, and Ashie Baby (and some others, with prompting.) How cute!

It was such a quick trip, and so hard to come home after such a short time visiting with everyone. We're exhausted now, but also very happy and grateful to have had such a nice time. Here's one last picture of Samantha on the car ride to Utah, the day before we left. I think this one captures our departure thoughts and plans for the plane ride...