Thanksgiving Festivities in Chandler, AZ

Upon arriving in Phoenix, or Chandler to be more specific, we met at Emily and Nechemia's house for dinner. We were so pleased Heather flew down a few days ago. Josh and Lizzie drove down so we got to see them again too.

Nechemia made a delicious dinner for us.

We decided to watch the new movie House of Gucci. Dang the Leica takes really good pictures in the low light of a theater!

After the movie Josh hams it up as we walk back to the cars.

Winnie got sick with an infection a few days ago. Taylor and Baylie were going to host Thanksgiving but having Winnie in the hospital a few days required a change of plans.

Winnie is doing great now, but it was a little dicey. Taylor and Baylie took turns being with her at the hospital and then on Thanksgiving day she got to come home!

Thanksgiving! This is one of my all-time favorite holidays.

I baked the turkey at Taylor and Baylie's house while Emily and Nechemia and Heather made the rest of the meal at their house.

Here is the turkey as it gets ready to bake.

It was so fun to see Winnie at home and feeling a little better. It was an ordeal for their whole little family.

Winnie rewards Baylie with a beautiful smile. "Thanks mom for taking care of me the last few days, you're amazing!" This picture made Baylie cry.

Taylor needed a workout after the hospital ordeal. Here he's getting ready to go.

Winnie is so adorable.

The turkey finished after 3 hours of baking. Perfect!

We arrived at Emily and Nechemia's house. Taylor was able to join us, Damon and Macall's family were there, having driving down to Phoenix the day before. Hugs all around!

Emily and Nechemia are working for hours getting everything ready. This was their first time making a Thanksgiving meal and they pulled it off like champs.

The turkey is cut and presented on the serving plate.

Emily got the roll recipe from Shelby. We called them Shelby Rolls. Nechemia made them perfectly.

Gathering with family, playing with the children.

Josh feeds Skye, practices for future dad duties :)

Navy adores Grandma Mitzi.

Lizzie prepares the Crumbl cookies.

Emily gets the outdoor table ready.

The food is ready!

I made this stuffing while the turkey was baking. First time making it and it came out great!

Thank you Martinelli's for a wonderful drink we have each year. The weather in Phoenix is sunny and warm. The light sparkles.

I enjoy a close moment with Heather. It's so wonderful to share this holiday with her.

Great portrait.

Heather loves on baby Skye.

We enjoy so many happy moments and laughs when we get together.

Ali Scott came too! It was hugs all around and so fun to see her. I've noticed that Skye will be quietly observing me with the camera when everyone else is tuned into other things. He's an observant person!

Time to eat!

Nechemia and Emily made these apple pies from scratch from Tiffany's recipe she would make at Thanksgiving.

Time to eat! The weather outside is perfect.

Cobalt loved playing around the pool with Josh. We were pretty sure he (Cobalt) was going to end up in the pool. He got close :)

The finished pie!

Two different worlds, 3 feet apart.

Mmmmm.

In the evening Damon Jr, Mitzi, and myself took Navy ice skating. Well I didn't skate, but I did get some great pictures. Navy went around the rink three times and was satisfied.

Navy watches her dad do fancy skating patterns.

Late that night we got a hankering for Whataburger. They have a hatch pepper burger this time of year. Mitzi had one a year ago on our visit to see the house at Wild Heron.

We have much fondness for this burger because of the wonderful memories of that house finding trip. So we made a late night run with Josh and Lizzie. Mitzi and I shared the hatch burger and totally enjoyed it.

The next day we brought pizza to Taylor and Baylie's house before we headed over to the community swimming pool.

Then we headed over to Taylor and Baylie's community pool for an afternoon swim.

Baylie stayed home as Winnie is still recovering from the infection. Each day she is improving. She loves stretching her arm in a victory pump. So cute.

Taylor is affectionate on Baylie.

In the evening we planned a dining experience at the Angry Crab. They have the best steamed cajun crab we've ever had. One after one family members peeled off from coming so it ended up being just Taylor, Mitzi, and myself.

We enjoyed the one-on-one interaction with Taylor and totally enjoyed the delicious food!

Then we headed over to Emily and Nechemia's house to say goodby to Heather. She is leaving early the next morning. It's sad the festivities are coming to an end. It's been a beautiful time.

The next day Mitzi and I grabbed some salads at Salads and Go. We needed some nutritional food after all the heavy yummy stuff we've been eating.

We met the rest of the group at an arcade.

Then it was time to reconvene at the park near Taylor and Baylie's house. We decided to walk over with the baby.

The weather is warm and sunny. Mitzi got a full day's workout just running around with Cobalt. I didn't get a picture because I was relaxing at the picnic table :)

After our fun time at the park it's time to say goodbye. Damon and Macall are driving home tomorrow morning.

Mitzi and I were planning on leaving for home the next morning as well. However that didn't happen. Read the next post to see what actually happened :)

We said our goodbyes and felt sad and also satisfied for having such a wonderful time with children and grandchildren.