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Thanksgiving and the rest of November

Here is our Thankful Tree for 2025!

It was a Goodrich Thanksgiving year. We planned on going up to Sandy on Thanksgiving, spending the day with family, and staying at Gene and April's over night. Then get up Friday morning, drive up to Logan Canyon to meet my family for Christmas trees, and then from there drive to the cabin in Bear Lake. So we had a lot of stuff to cram into the car! We couldn't use the roof top carrier since we would be putting the tree there. We managed with some clever packing by Justin and having stuff at our feet as well.

It's tradition to make a stop at Maverik so the kids can get a slushie for the drive. Molly and Stockton also got a lesson on where windshield wiper fluid goes in the car.

We always miss our Seattle and Georgia people but were happy to spend a day with those of us left in Utah: Gene, April, Brett, Eric, Heidi, Luke, Jake, Evie, Eli, Tiana, Corbin, Enzo, and our family. The best food and the best company. And none of us great at taking pictures, this is all I managed to get, ha!

Ivy, Gene, Brynn, Stockton, Molly, Enzo, Tiana, Corbin
Enzo is the star of the show, for sure! Molly, Enzo, Tiana
Justin, Gene, Eric
Since we were staying the entire day and overnight, we took a little drive when it got dark in search of good Christmas lights. Success! We found this house that was completely decked out with all the Christmas things. We got out and walked around for a minute then went back to the house where the big kids and Justin went down to the basement to watch the new Stranger Things episodes and the little girls and I watched Home Alone upstairs with Grandma and Grandpa.
(Molly and Justin and I had watched all the previous seasons of Stranger Things but Stockton hadn't...he and Molly had been pulling some late-nighters to get him up to speed so he could watch the new season with Justin and Molly. I didn't care to binge the season so I let them watch it all together and then I have {very} slowly been watching episodes with Justin at night.)
 
We drove up to Logan Canyon the next morning and met my family where we were going to be cutting down our trees. Bryce picked the location this time and chose a steep climb up a hill. We were huffing and puffing and peeling off layers. But we found a good tree and got to play in a little bit of snow as well. It actually started snowing while we were there which was magical...and pretty much the only snow we saw all season!
Ivy, Justin, Josie
Tessa and Molly
Molly was the photographer for these three youngest girls.
Ivy, Josie, Lucy
Ivy, Lucy, Josie
Then it was back to the cabin for an afternoon of relaxing: a turkey bowl for the boys, a long walk for the girls, golf cart rides for kids, etc.
Brynn and Harper

All the Christmas-y stuff happened after dinner: Christmas jammies, ornaments, new book/cookbook for Ivy, and gingerbread houses. Almost all of our Christmas stuff was up at our house but this is when the season officially began!

Josie, Ivy, Lucy
Stockton, Ben, Gavin, Grant
Tessa, Chloe, Molly, Abby, Grace
Gavin, Chloe, Stockton, Molly, Tessa, Ben, Grant, Harper, Seth, Spencer, Abby, Grace, Brynn, Josie, Ivy, Lucy
Brynn and Harper
We left Saturday morning because Molly and Brynn were working that night. I got the tree wrapped with lights while Justin and Ivy finished the last of the decorating-the trees and garland on top of the bookcases. I love all the beautiful twinkly lights in our living room and loft, it's so peaceful and festive at night.
Molly and Brynn both worked Christmas trains this year and loved it. Molly was a host again and looks forward to this all year. Brynn was a caroling dancer and enjoyed doing that instead of being an elf. And her costume was adorable! It's such a fun, magical job!
Since I had wrapped the tree on Saturday when we got home, it was all ready for ornaments after church on Sunday. This is one tree I'm actually relieved not to have to decorate, although the kids lost steam and I had to go up with Ivy and finish. We forgot to get the trunk tightened into the base so the tree completely tipped over when we were getting everyone in bed. Half the ornaments fell off and no one every bothered to go back up and re-decorate so they just sat around the base of the tree all season, haha. We're the only ones who actually see this tree anyway so it was okay.
Ivy's book of the month from my mom was a Disney Christmas cookbook. She was so excited to start making yummy food and bookmarked a bunch of recipes. She tried the first one out that very night: buche de noel, or a yule log cake, made out of swiss rolls and chocolate frosting. She worked very hard and they turned out adorable! 

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