Thanksgiving with Maren and David

We feel so lucky that Maren and David would choose to spend their Thanksgiving Break with us!  They are so much fun to be with.  I was impressed with how much to love and play with our kids.  They are the best Aunt and Uncle to giggle, laugh, chase, and play with.  Thanks for making our holiday great!

When we found out that they were coming for Thanksgiving, we immediately booked a campsite because we know how much David loves the outdoors and we love camping.  Well the weather wasn't looking so good so we had to change our plans.  We were sad about the change, but it actually turned out great.

We spent Thanksgiving Hiking at a local state park.  It was beautiful weather and the fall colors were wonderful.  Hiking with Maren and David was a lot of fun.  They made this ordinary trip in nature extraordinary.

My favorite thing about the hike was watching Maren and David be in the moment with the kids.  Maren was a little behind on one part of the hike and I see her doing karate moves with the kids. ha ha.  Then David is running and chasing the kids.  It was so much fun!  They are great!

There is a trail called Chimney Loop and we never knew why it was called that until we found the random chimney.  

Maren is so playful!

Sweet Aunt Maren reading to us. 

The whole day was my favorite, but that evening topped it off just nicely.  We had an in the dark swim party.  Derek heated the pool and we swam with the lights on and the firepit.  Then we roasted marshmellows and had s'mores.  It was so much fun!  There is something so magical about swimming in the night sky with great company!

David played Christmas music and we all sang along.  He is so talented!

Look at the kids admire him playing. 

Man Maren has so much energy!  I was exhausted watching her chase and play with the kids.  During her stay she said, "Now I know why you go to be at 8:30" ha ha.

Yes Derek and I have been trying to improve our sleep by reading a book about sleep and going to bed early.  We used to go to bed between 9-9:30 and now we are trying to go to bed at 8:30.  We are old folks at heart ;)

One night we were putting the kids to bed with a night story on youtube and there was an ad about Croods 2 in theaters.  We decided that we need to go!  We haven't been to the theater since before covid and so when we told the kids they thought we were kidding.  It was fun!

I saw something on Studio 5 about making pie crust and so I had the kids watch the segment and then we tested it out.  We braided the pie crust for our apple pie!  It turned out great!

I asked Maren before they came out if they had any traditions that they wanted to do while they were here and she suggested a tradition that they do with David's side of the family called Pie Night.  The night before Thanksgiving you eat pie for dinner!  The kids were so excited for it!  The reason why they do it is because on Thanksgving you are stuffed from the meal that you don't have a lot of room for the delicious dessert, so you have it the night before so you can fully enjoy it!  

WE LOVE THIS TRADITION and it will be added to our Williams' Traditions for years to come!

Beautiful couple!

I didn't get a picture of it, but we went on a double date with these two and it was a lot of fun.  We really got to know David more and we feel like it brought us closer to them both.  

We feel lucky that we get to spend individual time with them!

Maren got a few coaching sessions with Derek.  She went to the gym with Derek and he really pushed her.  It was hilarious to see how sore she was the next day.  Then she got a coaching session about goals.  It is neat to see Maren push herself by setting goals and achieving them.

We enjoyed playing tennis with these guys.  It was so much for to see them swing and hit.  Derek and David had a battle and they had a great time. 

We went to a museum and it was right up David's heaven.  It was fun to see how much he knows about geology. 

Maren taught me and the girls how to do a fish tail braid.

The kids and Maren doing Yoga

Thanksgiving Dinner

We made gingerbread houses from our Halloween candy.

Candy Testing...

David is the expert gingerbread maker!

Immediately after David and Maren left for their home, these kids went right for the houses to eat all the candy.

We started a daily ritual where we listen to Christmas piano music and write in our gratitude journals.  It has been so much for to reflect on things we are grateful for.

When I dropped off the kids at homeschooling group, the director asked if I wanted to have the kids go Tuesdays and Thursdays during the month of December without an extra charge because they are doing a lot of fun activities during the month of December.  I said, "Heck yeah!"  I told her that this is a great Christmas gift for me and the kids.  The kids were sad that they were going to miss some of the activities and now they won't.  Today is PJ Day and they will have a pillow fight at school!  They were so excited!