Thanksgiving

  Carter had his first experience camping with the scouts at the sand dunes last weekend.

SAND boarding definitely appeals to me more than SNOW boarding.

     We had a pre-thanksgiving dinner with some of the aunts, uncles and cousins Sunday night since we wouldn't all be around on Thanksgiving day. The food was awesome and there's always lots of ways to entertain each other.

A little Texas Hold 'em to wrap up the pre-Thanksgiving dinner night.

And sometimes Charlie falls asleep in the car and almost gets left there all night.

     Then it was the BIG day and we had another fantastic dinner and fun visits with more of the Kmetzsch clan. 

This was the only photo I took. You'll just have to imagine all the yummy food that was added to this beautiful table.

     Then I convinced Greg to give in and allow me to start the Christmas decorating. He and Mark even went out on the dreaded "Black" Friday to purchase a real Christmas tree.

With our new set up in the front room I had to adjust my decorating a little.

I had five great tree decorators.

     I think we're ready, at least in the decor department. There's still some shopping left to do but even that is mostly done! Bring on the Christmas festivities!

Zip!

    I've got zip to post! I didn't take a single photo all week. Charlie took 27 but not one of them was worth saving or sharing.

       Sorry for this pathetic post, I'll try to do better for Thanksgiving week.

Greg's birthday week.

    The title isn't that accurate but close enough. This weather lately has been so AWESOME! I love warm fall days. I love when my kids can still play outside a majority of the time. I don't however love the leaves falling all over and making a mess of the deck and yard, but I survive the mess every time.

This just mad me smile. I love seeing cute tiny shoes by the door.

We enjoyed a fun campfire last weekend.

     In honor of Greg's birthday we decided to take advantage of the awesome weather and go for a motorcycle ride Thursday. We made our way out west through a tiny mining town, Eureka and then over to Vernon where we had a yummy lunch at the smallest diner I've ever seen and we were literally in the middle of NOWHERE! We also made a little side trip up a couple small canyons on the way home and the little city of Ophir was a fun hidden surprise. I hope we can go back again, especially in the spring because it looks like it could be very picturesque when everything is in full bloom.

We're still working on our selfie skills.

Double cool!

I'm guessing this is Vernon's claim to fame.

   Greg treated himself and the five youngest on his birthday morning with RC fun with his buddy and co-worker, Jed up in Heber while I got to stay home all morning alone doing whatever I wanted/needed to do. It felt like a win/win for me!

Jed was kind enough to let all the boys take a turn flying.

Boys and their toys!

He's got some skills!

   We finished the day and week off with cake and gifts.

New sunglasses. 

New bluetooth headphones and card and cash from the in-laws. (Thanks mom & dad!)

Kayli even added to the fun with a few new items of clothing for her dad. (There are perks to working at a clothing store every day.)

     I'd say it's been a successful birthday for Greg and an over all great week. I know the weather is bound to change but I, for one, sure have loved the warmer fall weather lately! If I'm lucky I'll get at least one more ride with Greg on the motorcycle before the weather changes.

Fun!

       We went on another fun ride last weekend. This time we tried the Nebo Loop. It was our first time taking the freeway and neither Greg or I were big fans but we didn't have any problems and it was fast. Thankfully we took another route home that was far less fast and loud.

A nice lady visiting Utah from San Diego volunteered to take our photo.

     These two girls sure have fun together.

Sister silliness.

      And of course it was Halloween Monday and all seven kids decided to dress up, some were more into it than others. Isaac sat on the porch all evening in his weird costume and scared kids who tried to take more than one piece of candy. Some kids wouldn't even come to the porch because he was so creepy sitting there so still. It was a successful Halloween!

All 7 ready for Halloween.

     Not a lot else happened that is worth blogging about. Mark might have a few comments to make but he can vlog about his issues if he wants. Lets just say he's learning the HARD way that you don't disobey your parents, especially for a second time. For now I'm back to being a chauffeur and Mark thinks he can break me with his needs for rides to and from work but I'm 25 years ahead of him in stubbornness expertise. We really are loving our teenagers! (NOT!)

Isaac

     We arrived home safely from our vacation. We had a few minor car issues to be dealt with in Oregon and one more minor issue once we were home but Greg was able to fix everything with a little/lot of help from Uncle Mark and thankfully we didn't have a break down at any time.  Financially it could have been much worse and miraculously (And I mean that literally!) we had enough funds for all the repairs, and all our other expenses as well, so I can't complain too much. 

      Isaac was especially grateful for the money miracles because he wasn't ready to sacrifice his birthday gift wish in exchange for car repairs. It's hard to believe that this handsome boy is 14! He can now legally attend church dances and he'll be ordained a Teacher on Sunday. He's been the Deacon quorum president for the past several months and he's looking forward to less responsibilities for as long as possible. Today, as we celebrated his birthday, he enjoyed skipping school and playing with his birthday gift.

Birthday card and cash from G & G Baker. Thanks grandma and grandpa!

And the much begged for birthday present, a cool 4X4 R/C truck.

And to end his special day, Grandma Budden's jello cheesecake, so yummy!

      I think he's a happy 14 year old. I know we're happy to have him in our family. He's fun! He makes up songs that we'll probably be singing for the rest of our lives. He breaks out in song regularly and he can be very helpful and sweet when he wants to. We're lucky to have him!

14 Traditional balloons

Fall vacation (Photo explosion!

     Before I forget we had a mini-vacation last weekend before the big one. Our friends invited us to their cabin up A.F. canyon and it was a blast. The boys especially had a great time. The scenery was spectacular.

A.F. Canyon

Only the five youngest joined us and they all had a great time. (Kayli had work and Mark had attendance school.)

       Now let the fun begin! And before I forget, if you want to view more of our fun check out Mark's vlog on YouTube, just search Mark Kmetzsch and you'll find even more hilarity.

All seven kids, this might be one of the last times we take a trip like this before people start leaving the nest.

The drive to the coast was beautiful in all directions.

The view from the bridge in Coos Bay, Oregon.

Family photo time with the cool North Bend bridge in the background.

North Bend bridge Coos Bay, Oregon. So cool!

And the reason we drove over 900 miles! 

Our first stop was this scenic spot in Bandon.

And the second reason for this trip, hot tubs and showers.

They spent every second they could at the hot tubs.

Not the worst place to hang out when it's a little drizzly outside.

Individual photos.

The beach house hasn't changed but we did have an extra guest or two. (MICE!!)

Fun little spot along the hwy. but a little too pricey for an actual tour.

He had to ride Jerry's Rogue Jets so I could buy a t-shirt he wanted.

This is the western most point along the Oregon coast. Cape Blanco lighthouse. Super fun tour.

Another family photo opportunity.

Kayli photographed us from the top looking down, kind of cool.

On our last day we finally got a sunset!

Recreated from two years ago. A few people have GROWN!

So long Gold Beach, it's been fun!

And one last stop to finish up our fun. Crescent City, CA the Battery Point lighthouse.

      Such a fun vacation! We may have spent a little more time in the car than the kids liked but over all it was fun and well worth it. Now on to a few more hours of fun with family before heading back to good old Utah.