Thanksgiving in Sun Valley

Thanksgiving in Sun Valley, Idaho is pretty much the best kind of Thanksgiving.  We went a lot when I was growing up with my grandparents and cousins and it was always my favorite.  We stay in a time share condo and now we go (When we can get it for the week of Thanksgiving) with all my siblings.  It's cramped and loud and hilarious and chaotic and annoying and I love it.  I'm really glad I got to go this year.  I was 37 weeks pregnant which is more pregnant than I ever got to with Atticus and had to get an okay from the doctor.

We got up there Wednesday evening and from there on out I barely saw my kid.  He was so excited to be with all his cousins (and their kindles...) that he had no time for me. 

 Oh and he's apparently the Jonathan of the group.  This is what happened when Samantha told them to smile.

Stefanie was a champion aunt and helped all the little kids make turkey placemats for our dinner the next day.

We played "M&M's"  The first night.  We don't call it poker because as my dad says, we don't play poker.  I put my dad, my sister's husband and oldest son, and I think my own husband out of the game.  Then I retired because I hadn't wanted to play in the first place.

This delight was also discovered on my phone.

 Thanksgiving morning Atticus was well taken care of by his older cousins and his uncles Brad and Kamron.  I guess it wasn't as cold as it looked as none of them were wearing coats.

 I made enough sweet potatoes for 30 additional people (There were 22 people there, although Mary isn't quite a year old so wasn't eating much.) and some cranberry sauce.  I somehow never managed to eat any of Stefanie's mashed potatoes.  Jen made some amazing stuffing and a salad with homemade dressing that was so good it's all I wanted to eat.  Samantha had the very important job of bringing up the pies from Marie Callender's.  (I would have died without my Kahlua Cream Cheese pie.) and my mom and dad made everything else.  Including the 6 rolls I maybe ate...  And my dad's delicious citrus-carrot soup.  Plus my mom even packed up beautiful center pieces and my dad made us all a Thanksgiving Bingo game which included a square for when Sharli asks for the rolls to be passed and when Sharli asks for the rolls again.

 I guess all they ate were olives.

Friday I got myself a "fresh batch of pregnancy hormones" (Ross) and was super grumpy at basically anyone who spoke.  So that was fun.  We all went into town and Atticus spent about 45 minutes at the toy store.  We kept having to convince him it was okay to leave a toy because there were plenty of others to see.

 "So proud to live.  So proud to die."

And everyone made awkward attempts at doing these weird stilts. 

 After that we headed to go see Big Hiro 6 which I had never heard of.  It was pretty good though.  Then my dad took us for dinner at the yummy soup place whose name I forget but whose food we never miss.  My mom gave all the kids these great 3D type glasses that turn Christmas lights (or oncoming headlights which turned out to be a life saver when it got dark on our roadtrip home) into Christmas shapes.  There were gingerbread men, Santa Claus, or snowflake glasses.  

In rained all day Saturday so that morning Atticus and Jonathan's kids Anna and Jonah snuggled and watched Frosty.

 Anna and Atticus thought it was a bit intense I guess.

 A few of us braved the rain and went over to some shops by the Sun Valley lodge.  I definitely got asked by a lady, after she saw I was about to pop out a baby and that I was Atticus' mom, if 1-year-old Mary was also mine.  "Yes, that's how we do things back in Utah ma'am.  If you're not producing a new one each year than you've got problems." I let Atticus pick out a treat at the chocolate factory and he was so excited about the basketball shape on his chocolate-covered Oreo that he nearly forgot to eat it.

 As we were finishing packing up and cleaning, The kids played a game of Duck, Duck, Goose.  Atticus jumped to his feet every time someone said goose.

 Jersi.

Baby Mary with cousin Morissa.  I am so sad I won't be seeing this one for who knows how long.  My dumb brother is doing his residency in Ohio and they probably won't be out again until next Christmas.

 Stefanie brought everyone mustaches for Movember and so we took some cousin pictures.  My baby girl is about to be grandkid #12 followed shortly by Sam's #13 in February. 

 I love all their expressions in this one.

Also, I know I already posted one of these but Stef took it on  her phone and I can't get over Atticus' face.  Hopefully it's not too hard to see.  He was trying to keep the mustache on by scrunching up his face. 

" Happy Thanksgiving Ladies"

We were sad to leave and Atticus keeps asking when we can go back to Thanksgiving time/Our new house/His cousin's house.  He was a little confused about the whole condo stay. 

Oh and highlight of the trip was when Jameson and I snuck some Kahlua Cream Cheese pie and didn't want anyone else to get the same idea so we went and hid in my room.  Then had to move to the closet when Dan and Atticus came in.  I turned funny when trying to hide which caused pregnancy pain and I said a swear.  So Jimmy and I couldn't stop laughing and Dan and Atticus discovered us there laughing uncontrollably holding onto our secret pie.  Dan explained to Atticus that I had just gone crazy and yesterday when I told Atticus he was driving me crazy he asked "Like with Jimmy in closet?"