OREGON & THANKSGIVING

     We finally got to come to Oregon and let's just say we've stayed busy and the kids have had the time of their lives as the following photos will show.

Charlie's first moments at Grandma and Grandpa Baker's.  She was a good girl on the long drive.

Cousin Lottie.  She's cute and quite a fashion guru;-)

And this is cousin Jackson.  He's soooo cute and so good.  I've only heard him cry once this whole week and that was after being dropped by his big sister so totally appropriate.

Aunt Marie got some snuggles with Charlie right away.

And Jackson can honestly say that Charlie bit his finger.  Too CUTE!

An afternoon at the ranch riding 4-wheelers was a dream come true for the kids.  I have a very generous uncle who made a point of coming up and obliging us spur of the moment.  (There's a reason Mark was named after him.)

Brock was in HEAVEN!  

This event was a prayer answered for Carter, literally!

Isaac's at that awkward age where he's a bit big for this four-wheeler but not quite big enough for the larger version but he loved every minute of his riding time.

And of course Mark couldn't be happier.

And between Kayli and Greg McClane got plenty of riding time too.

What a manly man!

And Charlie and I enjoyed just watching and soaking up the sun!

I had to take a quick photo of the man of the hour, my all time favorite uncle Mark.  

A rare moment with all 7 kids gathered together.  (Don't you just love Carter sporting Grandma's glasses?!)

Thanksgiving morning with Grandma taking a brief break from working hard to have a quick snuggle with Charlie.

Here's the three of the four newest 'Baker' grand babies.  We sure wished little Kirra could have been in this photo to even out the numbers.  Boys are definitely winning in this gene pool.

A glimpse of Thanksgiving dinner.  30 bodies in this house was a bit much but the food was still delicious no matter where we had to sit to eat it.

When Jackson attacks!

The majority of the cousins spent an afternoon at the playground of Ferguson Elementary and had so much fun.  Thanks to Uncle Tad for making up some fun obstacle course races for them to do.

How cute is little Kari?!

The day after Thanksgiving we had a big potluck at the church with a portion of my Budden family.  It was fun to see so many family members that I haven't seen in awhile.

Most of my siblings and the spouses went bowling without the kids and had such a good time.  This is one activity I hope we can make a tradition whenever we're together.  (Sorry about the lighting but it was black lit on purpose.)

Charlie and grandpa having some snuggle time.  This outfit is courtesy of Aunt Marie and I can't get over how cute it is!

And for one of my birthday gifts I bought Charlie these darling pearl earrings.

And Greg did his best to make my birthday special and helped me purchase this awesome watch.

Then we went and visited my friend Joy who I went to high school with and her cute daughter, Riley let all the kids have a horseback ride.  Here's Mark and my friend Joy is on the right and her daughter Riley is on the left.

Kayli and McClane went together.

Brock couldn't stop smiling.

Tad made balloon animals, swords and belts for the kids who all thought that was pretty awesome.

Brock requested a poodle.

And everyone wanted a sword and belt.

Dyrin spent a good deal of time holding Charlie, which was a huge help.  He's a good boy and one of the favorite cousins for sure. 

And we can't forget the plane rides Grandpa gave to the four oldest kids the first official day of our trip.  All four did at least 2 barrel rolls each and loved every minute of their flights!  Carter is clearly a happy boy!

Kayli's turn.

Mark LOVED it.  I wish I had access to the photo of him at the age of 4 in this same spot to compare.

     I don't have a photo of Isaac in the plane because he got the first ride and Greg wasn't at the airport yet but hopefully I'll get a photo from my dad soon that I can post another time.  He had a blast even if I don't have a photo to prove it.  This whole trip has been so fun and we've done at least one fun thing each day and the kids have been so happy to be here.  The time has gone quickly but that's nothing new.  One more official day here to visit a few more family members before we head home on Monday.  I'm so glad I got to be here for my birthday and have my mom make me my grandma's cheesecake recipe.  If only my sister Jackie and her family could have been here it would have been the PERFECT visit but maybe next year.  I have countless more photos but these were the highlights of most of our activities.  Thanks to everyone who made this week so much fun!!

A short bus....ride!

    A dream vehicle for some, a perfect size vehicle for others.  This past Saturday we all got a little ride on a short bus.  Carter actually got to take a ride all the way to the BYU football game in the afternoon thanks to his aunt Kristin, who apparently has connections to people who own a short bus. So when Kristin brought Carter home it seemed only fair that the rest of us get a small ride.  I didn't get any photos outside the bus but here's a few photos we took from inside.

Brock, Mark and McClane

Isaac in the least safest spot.

McClane loved it!

Sorry for the blurry Blaine but McClane is too cute in this photo.

Even Charlie got a ride.

     Now on to just a few random photos from this past week.

I pulled out the few hats Jackie had given me and decided I'd better take advantage of the one or two that fit.  This face is perfectly edible in my oh so humble opinion.

I finally got access to a group shot from our fun Murder Mystery party.  P.S. I was a hairdresser and former beauty queen and Greg was the town drunk and UFO believer.

Charlie is getting so big that I had to pull out the next size of clothes that my sister Jackie gave me and this cute dress was first on my list to put her in.  I bet Jackie's just kicking herself for passing these darling clothes down to me.  (If you move back Jackie, like NOW, I'll give them back to you!)

We were practicing our selfy skills.  She got the smile down but still needs more work on looking at the camera.

And I just had to share this scary masked man from the haunted barn we went through Halloween night.  This is the one that McClane got hysterical about and who can blame him, so CREEPY!

      Only 3 more sleeps until we leave for Oregon and my kids are definitely counting down.  I actually threatened to leave Carter behind just yesterday because he was being mean to Brock but after a few minutes he changed his behavior and Brock said, "Mom, Carter's being nice now so can he go to Oregon with us?"  Pretty cute, so I guess we'll bring Carter after all.  We sure can't wait for Thanksgiving in Oregon!

Happy birthday Greg!

     This week Greg turned 41 and Charlie hit her three month mark on the same day.  Greg took the day off for his birthday so we were able to spend a little time hanging out.  We washed the car and went to lunch. Of course we had a few kids in tow too. For dinner we kept it simple at home and had a little cocunut cream pie for dessert, per Greg's request.  (Lucky for me he was satisfied with Marie Callender's frozen version and didn't request home made.)

I know he's not wearing his hat but that really is Greg first thing in the morning on his birthday.

Kayli and I went and bought a couple t-shirts for Greg and of course a balloon or two and some candy.  The balloon says happy 40 and than I got one more balloon making 41, much cheaper than buying 41 balloons don't you think?

This little angel is now 3 months old and about as cute as they come.  (I'm sure she's checking the print out to be sure I spelled everything right.)

She likes to keep her hands together and usually needs one hand to hold the other one when she needs to suck on something.

I'm pretty sure that's a classic Kayli look.

On our way to lunch we got behind this guy.  I guess he doesn't have a truck but this works just as well.  Classic!

Charlie was a complete angel while we enjoyed our lunch.

We ate at this great little Mexican restaurant, La Costa, which has the BEST salsa!  They also have great food and service.

Do you recognize him now that he's wearing his hat or is the grey in his goatee throwing you off;-)

Mark really went all out and bought Greg a soda at Hart's.  Our neighbor also bought Greg a soda and brought it by just shortly after Mark's.  No doubt Greg loves his D.P. but two that late at night, not a great idea.

And of course Greg had a birthday card or two and a little money to add to his slowly growing truck fund.  (For some reason Greg is hell bent on purchasing his buddies 1976 Ford truck and is putting away any and all cash he can get his hands on.)

   And just some fun random photos.

These two figured if these headbands can make Charlie look so cute than it's got to work for them too.  I would have to agree.

Princess Charlie!

McClane loves a photo opportunity.

Maybe we should play, "Caption this."  I'd love to know what she's thinking.

McClane can give some sweet kisses and Charlie generally enjoys them.

     I can't believe November is half over!  The time is going so FAST!  The kids are counting down until our trip to Oregon.  When I asked Brock about Thanksgiving and why we celebrate it all he could say was, "We go to see our cousins."  I hope the trip meets his expectations.  And Carter has been including in his prayers lately that he hopes everyone gets what they want for Christmas.  I guess that means I better start praying for a money miracle or pray that what the kids want for Christmas is cheap and easy to come by:-)  I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the holiday season.