Oak View with cousins.

Dan and Rachel brought chocolate turkeys for all the kids. They hid them in the house and the kids had to find them. Here they are showing off their turkeys and being silly.

We had fun visiting Oak View Farm before saying goodbye to our cousins. So glad we got to see them for a few days!

cousin fest.

Nothing better than a day of play with cousins!

Watching the new Star Wars trailer again and again and again.

Isla passed out on the couch and Simon would not leave her alone.

James finally rejoined the party! And demonstrated his awesome Connect Four skills.

Thanksgiving

We were so excited to have Dan, Rachel, James and Isla here for Thanksgiving! They made the long journey from Vermont and we were glad to get another visit with them before they abandon us East coasters next year. The kids were beyond thrilled for their cousins to be here. Unfortunately, James got sick the first night they were here and was down and out all day on Thanksgiving. So sad! Rachel wasn't feeling well either. Luckily everyone was doing better by Friday afternoon and the cousins managed some good play time together.

Cheese ball appetizer!

Working on the turkey.

Stuffin' muffins and sweet potato casserole. Yum!

I made party poppers for place cards using some paper I got in Chinatown years ago. The kids loved breaking these open and discovering confetti and chocolates.

Salted caramel chocolate pecan pie bars.

Pumpkin s'mores tart. Simon tried so hard to get his hands on this thing.

Pumpkin pie courtesy of Dan.

Some post-dinner fun outside.

Pullen Park

Enjoyed a fun afternoon at Pullen Park with the boys on a warm November day. We rode the train (which was already decorated for their holiday event that we attended a few weeks later) and admired the beautiful fall colors, still going strong so late in November.

A stop at the Farmers Market for some sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving!

father/daughter campout

Back in November, Ben and the girls attended our ward's father/daughter campout at Jordan Lake on what turned out to be an unusually chilly weekend. I think it was 25 degrees when they got up in the morning. But they had a great time and were all smiles when they returned home.

Pictures courtesy of Ben...