Thursday, November 3, 2011

Fall Break at Gma & Gpa Dodson's

Over the last couple of months Trev and I have been talking about doing various "home improvement" projects.  Some more needed than others, others more fun than needed. :)  So fall break was coming up for the kids, and Trev said to me,"you take the kids to your mom's for the break and I will do the wainscoating you want in the entry way."  Ummm...let me think...YES!!!  So off we went...to Gma's & Gpa's house. :)

Day 1 - We pretty much just hung out on day 1.  Cousins came over and my kids were in heaven. :)  They just played, and played.



When I told my mom we were coming, she informed me that she needed some help with a project of her own...she had purchased a 40 lbs. bag of frozen chicken.  All this chicken needed to be cooked and shredded so she could use it a little at a time.  So my mom, myself, my sister-in-law Becca, my little sister Jessica, her friends, and Morgan all worked together to accomplish this.  I have to admit, I don't think I have ever spent so much time standing over a stove.  I also have a bit of a phobia of raw meat.  It has gotten better over the years of being a mom and cooking for my family, but this scenario was sort of like shock-therapy. :)  Here are all the girls shredding away at the intense amount of chicken. :)  They kept complaining about hurting hands...I can imagine. :)






I have to mention something here.  Morgan is the oldest grandchild on my family's side.  When she was born, my little sister Jessica was Morgan's age (7).  So these two have always had a special relationship.  My little sister is now 14, and so Morgan is kind of like her little sister.  They pal around together just like I did with Jessica when she was young.  It is always really fun for me to watch the closeness they share.  
This visit however, I saw that increase even more.  Jessica's friends Hannah, Whitney, and Rianan were there most of the weekend.  They did the typical teenager things, but this time, Morgan kept getting invited.  She was asked to sneak in and hang out with them, even eat their brownies they made that none of the other children were allowed to know about.  She even shredded meat with the "big girls."  It was a neat experience for me to see her feeling so grown up.  It also gave me a glimpse of where she is heading.  I also realized once again, how fast she will be getting there.  It seems like just yesterday that Jessica was Morgan's age.  Now my little sister is growing up into a beautiful, amazing young woman.  And Morgan won't be far behind...strange.

So after a long day of cooking chicken, Becca and I decided to take our kids to the park around the corner, just to get them out.  They LOVED it!  It amazing how much kids love parks.  Especially when cousins are around. :)












   


Afterwards, we went back to Gma's and ate...BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (of course!).  YUM!

Day 2 - Since the kids had all been at Gma's house the day prior, we decided to take them somewhere fun.  In Logan, near where my parents live, there is a little Zoo.  I can't remember the name, but it is tucked inside this big beautiful park.  I think I may have mentioned how much my kids love animals...;)  It was perfect for them. :) 
So we packed a lunch, played and ate at the park, and then went to the Zoo...with 9 kids.  It was a bit crazy. :)  But fun.






















 



What a fun day right??  Well...this is not all!  While we were eating lunch at the park, we ran into my parents' old Bishop, Bishop Gilbert and his family.  They told us about this Annual Pumpkin Walk that this group does up in Logan.  It's free, and it is adorable!  The basic idea is that different groups take a "booth" and create a "scene" using pumpkins!  Their were some pretty great ones.  We saw Despicable Me, Pumpkin Jack, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger too, Mrs. Sunny Patch's kids, and many others.  I was really impressed!  And they only do it for a few days in October - just so happens that we were there at the time!  Lucky huh??? 








By this point, all the kids were pretty spent. :)  We ran them hard, and they were ready to head back home.  We finished off the night with more chicken...this time Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup in bread bowls. :) 

Last Day - This was the day we headed home.  But before we left, we were lucky enough to see my brother, Kevin, and his sweet Fiance, Katelyn.  The kids LOVED playing with them both!  I love it when there are adults around that don't have kids yet...my kids get tons of love and attention! :)













I love my family.  I am so glad we got to spend time with them over fall break...who knows, maybe we will do this next year too. :)

Stay tuned for pictures of Trev's projects while I was gone...we are going to work on finishing the wainscoating this weekend...pictures soon!  :)


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