Thanksgiving times four! Or more?

Our family loves Thanksgiving so much that we try to replicate it all year long...you know, fill your house with a bunch of people you love, be it friends or family, cook a huge meal (don't ever forget the zwiebach), and hang out afterwards, full and happy, talking, maybe playing games, until someone decides it's finally time to break up the fun and go home. Really, the only difference Thanksgiving brings is turkey for the main course, and a day started with Macy's parade. So we've been celebrating "Thanksgiving" all week long. Last Sunday, we started our week with our church family. We had a wonderful service, celebrating with four people as they followed God by being baptized! The celebration continued into the evening as we ate together at the Wiens' home with the Crossroads group (college/20-something).

The kids had the whole week off from school, but our days were still full with dentist appointments Monday, some sick tummies (again!) on Tuesday, and a doctor visit Wednesday to get Violet's cast off (yeah!). The x-ray showed her thumb was completely healed. We chose NOT to take home her stinky cast, nor the tiny, toy toothbrush she'd shoved down in there either...yuk!

Thursday was our second celebration as we got together at Randy's mom's house for lunch and a full day of relaxing. We were joined by a friend, Luke Algrim, and his mom and brother that were visiting from Kansas! We felt a little cooped up...usually we walk the 1/2 mile to the school playground for the afternoon. This year we had three days straight of RAIN, so we stayed inside most of the day, playing games, eating, and even watching a movie.

Our third celebration on Friday night was a Wack Thanksgiving, as the Wiens and Mack families ate together at our house. We barely fit around our table. Where's Levi gonna sit next year?

Saturday, we had plans to have dinner with my grandma is Visalia, but by 9:30 in the morning, Randy and I knew that we couldn't just relax around the house any more. The kids were antsy from all the "inside" time during the week and were no longer getting along. With gas at less than $2 a gallon, we decided to take the long route to Visalia. We packed a lunch and some extra clothes and loaded up in the van within the hour for a drive through the mountains. We headed up Highway 180 towards our favorite destination, Kings' Canyon National Park, but instead of turning left after entering the park (towards the campgrounds and Hume Lake), we took a right and headed towards Sequoia National Park. It's a winding, slow road, thick with foliage, tall redwoods, pines, and eventually, giant sequoia trees. The last time we headed through the Sequoia side was in 2002, right after Audrey's first birthday, so this was a new trip for pretty much all three kids. We stopped frequently to get out, take pictures, stretch, and eventually made it to the Giant Trees Museum to stop for lunch and to hike Round Meadow. It's an easy one-mile hike from the museum, and the kids enjoyed the cool weather, sounds of the insects, and reading all the signs along the path. After our hike we got back into the car to head towards Visalia. Randy was disappointed we didn't drive the extra 2 miles to get to Morro Rock; but I wasn't sure the kids (or I) were ready to climb 360+ stairs with little to no railing. Maybe next time. Well, you can't head down Highway 198 without making a stop at Reimer's Candy and Gifts in Three Rivers. We parked outside the red, Swedish house and ventured inside to taste some home-made chocolates, mints, and other candies. Finally, as the sun was setting, we pulled into my grandma's driveway. We visited for a bit, then drove across town to my Aunt Yvette's house for dinner with the Porter side of the family. And finally, with three exhausted kids, and five full tummies, we loaded back in the van to drive home (this time the quick way, up Highway 99). So our fourth Thanksgiving celebration was spent on a 200-mile loop through the foothills, mountains, and cities of the valley. It was a gorgeous day, no rain, and perfect temperature. It reminded me how thankful I am to live in a city that is surrounded by so much natural beauty, so close and so accessible.

Looking over the photos from the week I am so thankful for the many family and friends that are close by! I only mentioned our four formal celebrations, but we loved the informal celebrations with many of you this week as well! We are thankful for YOU!