Turkeys, Travel, and Tender Moments

This year we traveled to my home state of Idaho for Thanksgiving. It has been six years since I've been with my family for Thanksgiving, so it was fun to be able to do that with them this year. Our travel started the Monday before Thanksgiving. Sam, Chuck and I flew on the "big plane" from Spokane to Boise all by ourselves. It was only a one-hour flight, but I was very anxious about it. The last time I flew alone with a child, Sam was 5 months old and had an allergic reaction. So, he screamed at the top of his lungs and scratched himself bloody for the last half hour of the flight, and I kept getting "the look" from people. This time was much better with only one small glitch. Our plane was a little puddle-jumper really so we had to walk out to the plane. When Sam saw it and heard the roar of the engines, he freaked out. He started crying and trying to go back inside. Imagine me trying to pick up a screaming fighting kid while the Chunk is strapped in the Bjorn and I have two bags hanging on my shoulder. It wasn't pretty. When we finally did get on the plane, Sam refused to sit down so I could buckle him in. It was actually quite funny because I had to literally knock his legs out from under him to get him to sit down. Ah the memories!

Luckily, it was smooth sailing from there on out. Sam played with his stickers for the hour long trip and Charlie slept. The 3-hour trip from Boise to Pocatello was even better as we all slept the whole way there.

When we got to Pocatello, we did a lot of hanging out. I loved it...you can't get more relaxed than that. My sister has a son, Carter, who is just 2 months younger than Sam. So, they had a great time playing together whether it was at the park, watching Wall-E, or sharing their food. They practically take care of themselves when they're together. We just have to check on them once in a while to make sure they're still alive. My sister also has an 8-month old daughter Avery. She is so tiny, and at only 4 months old, I'm sure Charlie could take her. He already outweighs her.

I decided to make a cherry pie for Thanksgiving this year. This was my first time ever making a "real" pie. Ok, so I bought the pie filling, but I did make the crust from scratch. I had no idea that it was so challenging to make pie crust. I think I may have used a few cuss words during the "rolling out the dough and putting it into the pie pan" process. Anywho, doesn't my pie look fabulous. Who wouldn't want to eat it? I especially love how the lattice isn't even laced properly. Unfortunately, the "pie" is the only Thankgsgiving picture I got, since I forgot to bring the camera to the main event.

On the last day of our visit, we drove down to Inkom to visit my grandparents. It was what I would call a bittersweet goodbye. My grandpa Dean has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I can't describe what it feels like to say goodbye to someone and know it's the last time you will see them alive. I feel very fortunate though, that I had the opportunity to see him before he goes. Also, I'm grateful that he got to meet Sam and Charlie, even though they will never know him on a more personal level. Grandpa is 90 years old, but has always been very spry and active. I've never thought of him as "old" because he just never seemed like he was. Although I know in the grand scheme of things, it will only be a short time before I see him again, it's hard to see the eternal perspective with such limited vision.

Grandpa, I love you and will miss you with all my heart.