Thanksgiving Holiday

The best part about a holiday is getting together with family. Right now we are enjoying a visit from our son Will, his wife Julie, and their children Billy, Maggie, and Drew. Billy is missing teeth,

Maggie is a character,




and Drew is so much like his Dad as a baby, I feel like I'm going back in time.









































We all spent time together over the weekend, and then Bill, Will and Katie left for the coast to hunt elk. Julie and I stayed in Salem and had fun shopping together. We also found many creative ways to entertain the children.







I think the highlight for Billy and Maggie was our day spent at the Gilbert House Children's Museum. From playing giant checkers...












to inventing optics, the kids participated in a variety of activities.
They played musical instruments,








maneuvered through a giant web,






and danced together in a little theater.



It didn't take much encouragement for our little "drama queen" to show what she was made out of.














The kids made giant bubbles,












created crazy photo images,


sat on dinasaur eggs,















cuddled giant pandas,


explored with microscopes,















had a tea party,


and braved a long, dark spiraling slide.
















We thought they would end their stay after climbing into a giant chair, but they wanted to go back and do several things over again! We left exhaused, but happy. We will leave for the coast tomorrow to join our husbands, many other family members, and to participate in a feast of true thanksgiving for our many blessings!