Our Nielson Thanksgiving tradition has become an out-of-town affair. We alternate between spending US Thanksgiving in Canada with Nana Barb and Papa Brent (whilst Brad plays in his annual high school alumni basketball tournament) and spending it in Cannon Beach, OR with the Williams side of the family. This was the Williams' year, and quite a year it was!
Scott and Erica started the holiday off right for all of us with the birth of their first child, Gus Frank Williams (born 11/21/09)! Our kids are so thrilled to have their first cousin on the Williams side and Gus did not disappoint! He is pretty much the cutest little guy ever. See for yourself...
The proud parents were nice enough to allow multiple Nielson visits to Gus over the Thanksgiving holiday. We all got lots of cuddle time!
On Thanksgiving Day we had our traditional feast at Salties, even Grandma Ruth was able to be with us this year.
After dinner we all drove out to Cannon Beach, where we had rooms waiting for us at the Hallmark Inn. We love this place because they can actually accommodate a family of 7 with a large dog (super dog-friendly hotel and beach)! Our rooms this year all had beach views - so pretty, even in the winter. We had a great time beachcombing by day and playing games and catching up with each other in the evenings. Lots of laughing :)
Here are the kids hunting around Haystack rock at low tide:
Brad did his part to bridge the BYU/UofU gap when we came across an actual Ute (in full Utah regalia) on the beach on Friday (pre game). Brad was, of course, sporting his own Cougarwear. After exchanging pleasantries, Brad asked for a picture - a symbol of peace, if you will.
All in all, a fabulous Thanksgiving!
