Thanksgiving Weekend in Jacksonville, OR.

Our first Thanksgiving living back in the Northwest found us in the charming town of Jacksonville Oregon.  It's a quaint village nestled in the hills of Southern Oregon, not far from Medford.  Susie and Michael rented an adorable farm house downtown Jacksonville, not but 5 minutes from Obie and Sarah's house in Central Point.  The town was beautifully decorated for the holidays and was so fun to walk around in.   Balin and I took advantage of the proximity of coffee shops and every morning went to a different shop and discussed our current parenting book "The Love Dare for Parents".  It was so memorable and delightful.  Thank you Susie and Michael for renting the J-Ville house.

The Three Muskateers were inseparable all weekend.  Perrin, Bryn and Bailey loved being around one another.  They spent the whole first night in our room with Spotify dancing to their favorite songs. 

 Charlie and Lindsey came from Golden Colorado for the week and it was great to see them.

 Wednesday was a great day for all!  We had brought our bikes from Spokane and all of the adults, minus Grandma and Grandpa, along with Sam went on a 20 mile mountain bike ride.  It was just perfect out - no rain, a little sun and not too cold.  Sam did awesome on the ride and I think he really liked being part of the adult action.  That night we went out to Sushi, just the adults and Sam, while all the girls went to Sarah's house with a babysitter to play and do their thing.  Sushi was delicious and I think Sam ate more than the rest of the adults.

 Turkey day was delightful as we headed over to Sarah and Obie's lovely home for dinner.  Before the dinner was eaten we all headed over to Jacksonville for the Strickler scavenger hunt.  We grabbed some yummy silly juice (Sangria) and donned a wig so we were incognito.  Balin and I made a list of 20 things or actions each team had to either photograph or video.  It was pretty fun and a great way to get outside and play.  The winning team was not supposed to do dishes after dinner, but poor Michael somehow got stuck in the kitchen regardless. 

After getting cleaned up and grabbing a quick rest, we headed over to the Strickler's house.  Everyone pitched in and made something for dinner, so hopefully it wasn't too overwhelming for Sarah. (If it was she didn't show it.)  The table was set beautifully by Susie and dinner was delicious. (I found a new favorite, crock pot mashed potatoes.  Wow - so good)  After dinner we had a walk around the neighborhood and then came back for pie and chillaxing. 

 

Friday we headed out in the late morning to the local bowling alley to hit some pins.  It was pretty fun but one round was enough for most of us.  After a little rest back at the house, we headed back over to Sarah and Obie's for birthday celebrations.  Bryn, Bailey and Perrin all have birthdays in November and December.  Grandma made cakes for each one of them and each girl got to ice their cake.  They were sure pretty, but after a couple of bites Perrin admitted it was a little too much sugar. 

 

It was a great weekend and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves.  We went back home on Saturday, as did Charlie and Lindsey, and it was nice to have a day before school/work started back up.  We're looking forward to playing more with the Oregon Strickler's this spring and it sounds like they'll be up to play some more this summer.