Chuck, Angie, Lindsey, & Ryland: Thanksgiving Fun in Idaho

It's been a few weeks, but I wanted to include a few things about Thanksgiving ... We were all able to spend the Thanksgiving weekend in Idaho. We first went to Tim and Nola's in Menan. The kids really enjoy visiting them and were very excited to have Thanksgiving dinner there with their Grandpa Hale, Uncle Matt, and quite a few new relatives (we love Nola's family!). Ryland was so excited to start eating Thanksgiving dinner that when Tim started to quiet everyone down for the welcome and prayer, Ryland just started praying. He did a really good job blessing the food and even included several things he was thankful for. Chuck and I did a pretty good job of not laughing too loud and ruining the spirit of his prayer, but it was pretty tough. The meal was wonderful and the company was very enjoyable. It was a really good Thanksgiving day.

Lindsey and Ryland really loved playing in Nola's yard, especially in the huge pile of leaves Chuck raked up. When Chuck first threw Ryland into the pile of leaves, he disappeared completely! He had to reach in and grab Ryland by the arm and pull him out! I really wish I had caught it on film!

By the end of Thanksgiving evening we had a few more things to be especially grateful for - We were grateful that we hadn't burned down Tim and Nola's house and that everyone was safe! Nola had mentioned a few times that we needed to make sure there wasn't anything in front of the heater vents in the bedrooms. I pictured more of a radiator style heater vent (gold colored and protruding about an inch from the wall). It turns out the vents look just like the AC/furnace vents in our house. So, when we put the kids to bed around 9:00pm I straightened the room a bit and threw their coats into the corner, not paying attention to the nearby vent. We also closed the bedroom door to help muffle the sound of the rest of the household. When Chuck and I went to bed a few hours later I asked Chuck to check on the kids. When he went into the room he could smell something burning! Both of Lindsey's coats were ruined. A good portion of one had melted, but the scariest was her denim jacket - it was really close to catching fire! There were even scorch marks around the vent! We are all very thankful that a potentially horrible disaster was averted! Extra prayers of thanksgiving were said that night!

Lindsey's two ruined coats.

The scorched heater vent. Chuck says it has heater coils in it similar to a toaster oven's.

The day after Thanksgiving we were able to attend my cousin Clint's wedding and then go to my mom and dad's for a few days. Lindsey and Ryland always love spending time and Grandma and Grandpa's house! They were able to play with their cousins William and Hannah quite a bit, which they always love - especially Lindsey! Ryland loved going to see Grandpa's horses. He got to ride in the back of his truck and even learned to climb fence! He climbed back and forth over the fence for at least half an hour! All in all, it was a great Thanksgiving weekend!