Thanksgiving Day

 Dinner was at 1:30 but family started coming just a bit earlier. We ended up with 29 I think altogether. It all went really really well considering how many people that is in our not so huge house. Everyone helped with food assignments too which was great. We visited some while I finished up dinner for a few minutes then we all trouped outside for a family picture session. It was really the best chance for us to get everyone together.

 We gathered around the pistachio tree because it was just so pretty. Charlie was in charge of our photo session. I didn't want to hire anyone to come on Thanksgiving day so we had him do the honors. Unfortunately the settings were wrong so they were over exposed but I've tried to adjust them enough here so you can see us much better. It's a huge group to contain and make work but all in all we got some great pictures. Thanks Chuck!

 Grandpa & Grandma with the grands and great grands!

 It wasn't a nice warm day but it was in the low 60's so we went for it outside. The wind had kicked up that morning so Mendis built a make shift structure to wrap some plastic around so the wind was kept out. It was really helpful. The food was great and we all ate ourselves silly.

 We spent lots of time hanging out together as a family and just visiting. We also set up horseshoes, corn hole and basketball for everyone to entertain themselves. They used it all so it was a good thing.

 We had football going too. On the TV and flag football outside.

It was a great day. After we all feasted on pie and cleaned up, the day was pretty much gone. We really enjoyed hosting everyone and now next year is going to seem like a pathetic little gathering after this!

Wednesday

Wednesday was a family day. Of course before we could have our fun there were chores to be done. I had pies to make for dinner tomorrow and things to get ready for that. While I was baking the kids got together and did some 4 wheeling in Logandale.

I think Rees was pretty excited because he got to go too!

After a baking morning and afternoon fun it was time for more fun. Hayden & Megan got here after work so we thought this would be a great day to play games. We decided to start the evening off with a friendly competition. We had everyone make an appetizer and we would judge them all to see whose we loved the most. The competition was fierce because everything turned out sooo good. We used the dishes for our dinner that night.(I'm no dummy).

So we spent the afternoon shopping and prepping.

Jeff & Rachel made these yummy caprese appetizers. So refreshing.

I made a family fave-porcupine balls.

Christina made twice baked potatoes! Everyone was swooning.

Ashley made these chicken skewer's that were divine.

Hayden & Megan made these delightful little sliders on hawaiian rolls that were awesome but too late for the pictures darn it. 

So after we ate and ate and declared we were all winners. Then we had a game night. Of course that's when we brought out the cheeseballs etc. I made a fab peanut butter one with teddy grahams and then two savory ones that we decided must be a tradition from now on. It was a fun night.

Thanksgiving Tuesday

We crammed so much in this weekend I have to break it all down by day so I can fit it all in. Tuesday afternoon we went to the airport to pick up Jeff & Rachel. They were supposed to be 2 hours apart with Jeff arriving first but he had a big delay on the tarmac and Rachel actually beat him in by about 1/2 hour. We ran to Inn & Out and then hurried home so we could go back to Moapa and see the boys flag football game. It was supposed to be a big surprise to be bringing them both because as far as anyone else knew Rachel wasn't supposed to be coming until Thanksgiving day. Well someone let the cat out of the bag and everyone found out but the boys. Christina also met us up in Moapa so it was a great reunion on the flag football fields. It was cold though but a fun, fun night.

We've Discovered Pickle Ball

Hayden & Megan have been talking all about this new game they have been playing well since they were dating so I guess it's not that new. Ok new to us! So we finally got a chance to go to St George and watch them play in a tournament. It was pretty bright and early but it was a beautiful morning to go up. Hayden and Porter had played in a men's doubles the night before and taken Bronze and Megan & Erica had taken Silver in women's double! They played in a mixed doubles tourney and we were so excited to cheer them on. I'm not sure what I expected but it was amazing. It looked so fun! It's hard to describe. A small racketball size court with a wiffle type ball and a paddle not a racket. We were enthralled. So guess what we did. Went out and bought the stuff. We are going to play some pickle ball at Thanksgiving! We might suck but it looks like fun.

These two have inspired us to give it a try. 

Mendis was even brave enough to try it that day. I was too chicken that someone would see me!

After the tournament was over (they got knocked out on a bad call!!) we all went to lunch to celebrate a good day. We took Porter & Erica and his brother and girlfriend with us because now we were all fast friends. Meeting them finally was another highlight. I see now why they are such great friends. A really fun day day.

Our First TOFW

 This is one of those things I've always wanted to do but for one reason or another it hasn't ever happened. Either my friends ended up going with someone else or it didn't fit in my calendar.Well this year we actually made it happen!! The best part was Christina came down and Ashley was able to go as well. Added bonus was Alisha was able to come with us as well. Chris and I stopped off at Chipotle and grabbed us all some dinner and we wolfed it down in line before we went in. We thought we had allowed lots of time but all those crazy women got there super early and were lined up forever! So much for great planning.

 Christina is our designated selfie taker because the does such a great job!

 We figured it would be touching but holy cow we weren't prepared for gut wrenching. The stories the presenters all told were an emotional roller coaster. Especially Emily's mom from the Sandy Hook experience. Wow, just wow.

 Couldn't resist taking this picture of the insane line for the women's restroom during the break! Seriously it's way at the end of the hallway.

 Loved Hillari Weeks and Gentri both.

It was packed. So we went in Friday and I got a hotel for me, Christina & Alisha and Ashley drove back in the next day instead of spending the night away from her kids. It was pretty much two full days of delightful time with my favorite girls! Can't wait for the next one.

The Nellis Air Show

 This is the year we finally made it back to the air show at Nellis Air Force Base. Last time Hayden was in a stroller and now he's married so yea it's been a few years. We spent almost an hour in line just to get the shuttle bus in but we were completely entertained by the race track beside us and the planes above us.

 It was fun checking out all the planes they had set up for everyone to see. There was just a ton of people of course so we didn't get to some of the most crowded things like the cockpits but the boys were happy with what we did see.

When it was time to see the actual sir show there was no place to sit and we didn't haul in chairs so we did what everyone around us did and just plopped right down on the tarmac.

 Of course while we were all mesmerized by the jets, Cooper was busy  playing with his own little plane. Pretty much the entire time!

 We knew the Thunderbirds would be amazing but WOW. They were really great. We loved the day on the base and celebrated by a trip to Memphis BBQ after.

Wynn Wynn

So it was good to be back!

Last year when we went to dinner for Mendis' birthday we discovered much to our horror that it was closed for renovations! It took us a year but we finally made it back to our favorite buffet in the world. The Wynn! Looking around we weren't sure what was so different. All cosmetic with the new awnings and a few new displays and bathrooms. Luckily the food was just the same:

 It's still a beautiful place with great food. It was great to be back. Happy Birthday dear!