Thanksgiving in OK

We had the best Thanksgiving in Oklahoma with Brad and Kirsten and their family! We flew in and out with Grandma and Grandpa, and the Blaylock resort shuttle picked us up right on time. The kids had a table set up for us to check in, Matthew and I were first time guests so not quite elite status yet. We had room keys, folders full of resort maps, breakfast and meal times, nearby attraction lists, everything created by them. It was amazing and so fun! They made us feel like royalty. When we left, we gave them a 5 star review - of course! 

The classic DIA bridge walk. 

Dad, Jay, Mom, Hugh

Grandpa, Hugh, and Grandma on the return flight

Riding in the airport shuttle 

The Welcome Table, Grandma, Claire, and Katelynn

Thanksgiving, the main reason for the trip was awesome! The food was spectacular, and I made 7 layer pie, sweet potatoes, and corn casserole. Those three dishes made it feel like a complete meal for me. Really everything was delicious and it was such a blessing to be with family. 

Daniel and Jay at the kid table, they did really good and ate most meals here together.

The only thing Jay loves more than cleaning is helping Grandpa clean! 

Per Blaylock tradition, the men did the dishes and cleaned up dinner. 

Cutie Hugh thought dinner was yummy, he'll be a Thanksgiving veteran next year.

Dad, Jay, Mom, and Hugh

7 Layer pie, yummy! The GF crust turned out super well. 

Every evening we stayed up late talking about all sorts of things, and got up early every morning with Jay and Hugh. Madeline and Hugh became pretty good buddies. They played around each other so well, never really bothering one another and always following to see what the other was doing. I loved watching them interact, and they sounded so similar we were always wondering which one was making what sounds from where. Hugh gives a lot better snuggles than Madeline, so the kids loved holding him and he took it all in stride. 

Kirsten, Hugh, and Madeline

Madeline and Hugh

Madeline and Hugh

Hugh loving the rocking horse

Hugh, 10 months! Such a happy, loving little guy.

Jay circulated through the cousins, but by the end of the trip he knew everyone's name and Elisse and Daniel were probably his favorite. Elisse always knew when Jay needed a buddy and would go upstairs and play with him. She often called him, "little mister" - which made us all giggle. She shared her ice cream cone with him, and usually always joined him at the little kid table during meals. All the kids were extremely patient with Jay, and let him join in the fun whenever possible. There were more toys than Jay ever thought could be in one place. He loved the cozy coop and wanted to drive it on all the walks we went on. 

Jay wanting Grandpa to leave the game and come play, and Kyle

Jay, Katelynn, Kirsten

Elisse and Jay

We got a tour of OU, it was awesome to see where Brad worked and to see the campus. It was beautiful, with a lot of fun old looking buildings. We had to chase Jay all around the campus, but luckily we left Hugh at home napping which made it a little easier. 

Kyle, Brad, Kirsten, Grandpa, Jay, Grandma, Elisse, and Dad

Jay and Elisse

Jay and Elisse

Brad smoked lots of different meats while we were there, including the turkey for Thanksgiving. It was very yummy, all of it moist and delicious! Most evenings Nathan or Matthew would help Brad with his meat prep. 

Matthew had to work the Monday after Thanksgiving and most of the kids returned to school, so we went with Kirsten, Daniel, Madeline, Grandma, and Grandpa to the Oklahoma City Children's Science Museum. We had an awesome time! Grandpa helped me chase around Jay, or pushed Hugh in the stroller when I went after Jay. There was so much to explore, we didn't even see everything. Jay loved the playground area, where you could climb up and choose various slides to descend. 

Jay operating one of the horses. 

Grandpa and Jay

Hugh in the baby area

Kirsten, Daniel, Madeline, Jay, Grandpa, and Hugh - all looking at the trains

Jay and Daniel - buckling up for a flight

Daniel and Jay - I'm not sure who the pilot is, but they loved it.

Madeline, Daniel, Jay, and Hugh

Sports were a big part of our visit. Kyle and Trevor wanted to play Matthew and Nathan in a Turkey bowl, but they ended up just playing together which worked out much better for everyone. We played Tennis one day, Matthew and I beat Nathan and Olivia. Jay loved playing on the trampoline with anyone he could convince to go. We went on a walk almost every day, which was such a great way to get moving even when it was quite cold! We did not get the warm weather we were hoping for, but enjoyed the outdoors anyways! We loved checking out a couple local parks, and it was so sweet to see the kids all play together there. 

Katelynn (on top), Daniel, Jay

Jay

Everyone thought it was sooooo fun to go through Matthew's legs on the slide.

Claire and Katelynn soon copied and asked Matthew to go down. 

Claire helping Jay climb in

Aunt Michela and Jay

Daniel and Jay

Claire, Katelynn, Jay and Uncle Nathan

Hugh and Claire

\

Uncle Nathan helping Jay zipline

Matthew and most of the cousins, Grandpa, and Boppa (Kirsten's dad) went to the BYU vs. Oklahoma State game. It was a great game, even went to OT, but we lost. There was a slow drizzle all day long, so everyone came home wet and frozen. Matthew thought it was totally worth it, while some others didn't think quite the same. 

Boppa and Cara were adopted grandparents for Jay and Hugh. Jay really loved them, and let Boppa adjust him and then wanted everyone else to have a turn. I was very grateful for the adjustments, we all needed them.

We made a couple trips to the local ice cream shop, called Braum's. It was delicious soft serve, and we even got a treat before driving through Christmas lights. Elisse was very sweet and let Jay have a few licks while they looked at the lights together. The lights were so fun to see! It helped me get a little more into the Christmas spirit! 

Christmas lights!

I also really appreciated how much Brad and Kirsten talked about the Gospel in their family. Brad asked a question after church that I loved, he said, "what did you learn or feel at church today?" It really made me think, and the question continues to help me consider what my focus is on Sundays and if I am approaching my church meetings seeking inspiration and learning. I know I have room for improvement! We loved our time, and we were sad when it came to a close. It's good to leave while you're still having fun, so we will definitely have to go back! Someday when the boys get older, I think they'll love their Oklahoma cousins even more than they already do and there will be tons of fun had by all! 

Applesauce and Fun

Last Wednesday was a cold, rainy day, so we played pickleball at the Stake Center. We taped off the court a few months ago, and surprisingly, the tape is still there. Poor Hugh struggled throughout, but finally ate and took a nap during the second half. Playing pickleball inside is so different than outside, the lighting and no wind kind of changes the play.

Thursday evening was our volleyball night. Jay always keeps us on our toes, and this week there were over 20 people there to play we had to watch him even more carefully. I was grateful for Kirra stepping in to follow him around during one game when both M and I were playing. I appreciate when people jump in and help with our boys, no questions asked and help. It is a blessing!

Apples FINALLY went on sale for 99 cents a pound, meaning applesauce time! Katey got what she could at King Soopers, but they didn't have enough on hand so I went to our store. The produce guy remembered me from last year and said, "Applesauce, right?" when I asked him if he had 2 boxes of Opal and 2 boxes of Gala in the back. I'm happy to be the applesauce lady, and I was very grateful they had what we wanted in stock. Friday Katey came to my house with Abby, Kade, and Hope. I had early morning doctor appointments for the boys and she beat me home. She cleaned up breakfast, emptied my dishwasher, and cleaned up the array of items strewn throughout the house as we rushed out the door. I was incredibly grateful for her kindness to me. We spent about six hours doing applesauce, making a total of 41 pints and 3 quarts. I finally tried out the KitchenAid attachment for applesauce, and it was awesome! It made our two man show way faster. The kids did awesome helping us take stickers off and get the apples washed. 

Saturday M took Jay to help set up chairs for Stake Conference and run a few errands. My friend Rachel Jones stopped by on her way to the craft show nearby, and we enjoyed catching up and having lunch. She brought Jay some "new to us" toys and finally held Hugh because he was big enough now. When she visited in February, Hugh was so small she didn't want to hold him. She let Jay rummage through her purse, she played bouncy balls with him, and embraced everything Jay wanted to do. That afternoon I had Stake leadership training and then we had the adult session. I enjoyed leadership training, and the time I had to simply sit, listen, and feel the Spirit. I don't get as many occasions to do that right now in my life, so it was a treat. 

Jay and his recent schoolwork 

Sunday Jay was wild during Stake Conference and Hugh was pretty rowdy too. By the end, we were all done, but we had to load up the chairs to take them back to our church building. Jay was ready and eager to help. More, more, he kept signing as he grabbed one chair, dragging it out to the trailer. He'd lift it up onto the trailer and drag it back to whoever was loading. Many of the men helping, simply smiled, cheered him on, and worked around him as he ran back and forth. The Elders' Quorum president even let Jay load up the last chair. When we unloaded at the church, Jay was just as eager to help and loved crawling up and down the flatbed trailer. The motor oil that greased the wood soaked his pants and dirtied his white shirt, but he couldn't have been happier. Luckily with some Dawn dishsoap and some hot water everything came clean. Biggest news of the day though, was Hugh started to crawl! He's been rocking back and forth a lot, but he finally did it! And, in the same day, at the same time, he learned to sit up by himself. Seeing him learn to crawl has been a joy! He's been a little steamroller for a while now, and I think he'll be even happier as he crawls more and more. 

This is just a picture of how much Jay LOVES helping, even with trash day!

Monday was our final day of applesauce, we bottled 31 quarts and 1 pint. This time we took the mess to Katey's house. The twins had school and Jay had off, so it made the most sense to do the last load in Longmont. We had a great time! Katey and I know the system well enough, when one of us had to take a break to mother, the other kept things moving. We did another six hours and did even more apples than Friday. I love canning with Katey, it's time to chat and hang out, while putting up food for the coming months. We've also put up a lot of salsa from our garden tomatoes, the only picture I have of our work is here.

Salsa!

Tuesday evening we all went to Kylee's band concert. As the students played, "Hot Cross Buns," I felt my muscle memory from playing the trumpet come back. It was one of the first songs I learned. Kylee did a great job on the flute, and seemed so tickled we were able to come...especially that Uncle Matthew was there. She has a special bond with him, she can talk to him about anything and I am so grateful for his love and support of her too! 

Over the past week, I have been working on my mantel shelf. I did two rounds of putty and sanding, followed by finish sanding, staining, sanding, and staining. It's been so much fun to work on a wood project again and see something from design come to life. I tried to hang it today while M was at work, but I need his muscles to help me get these boards attached to the wall. I can't wait to see how it looks! 

I made M bring it in so I could get a sneak peak of what it would look like. 

First round of sanding

First round of Stain

It's Fall time, and it's been mostly 60-70 degrees. I love it, and am trying to embrace everyday with good energy. I know the good weather days won't last, which makes it hard, but I am so grateful to have had a little extra warm fall. Pickleball this morning in the sunshine was healing for my soul, and I think for the boys too. We're fighting off colds, and hoping they work their way out of our systems soon. So far M has been well which is a great blessing. Jay loves to stop every day on the way home from school and play in the leaves. He hops out of the stroller by this particular house that hasn't raked anything, and plays. I love it!

Hugh is a fiercely independent eater, so we clean up messes every meal and he's usually very happy about it! 

I love when my babies are sleeping, I feel like Heaven is a little closer. These sweet boys are large in spirit and energy and zest for life. When I see them peacefully sleeping, it warms my mama heart.