Thanksgiving Parties

The kiddos really enjoy having family join in school activities.  Thanksgiving parties and programs were a big hit this year.    Big sis had a cute, cute, cute Thanksgiving program followed by a feast which aunt K, grandmother, grandad, and myself were able to enjoy.  The lighting was awful so the video wasn't much good.  But we did capture a few pictures.  Little man had a feast which both Stew and I were able to attend.  His whole class was so cute and excited about all the moms and dads who showed up.  They are so sweet!

Turkey Baby

I am a "turkey baby".  I wasn't born on Thanksgiving in 1974, but my birthday follows a cycle where every 5, 6, or 11 years I actually celebrate my birthday and Thanksgiving on the same day.  It is a more complicated pattern than I listed here that depends on which year you were born.  But I am too tired after all the turkey to re-calculate the exact pattern . . .

Thanksgiving centerpiece. 
Simple pine cones collected from morning walks. 

This year was a birthday/Thanksgiving extravaganza!  Little man and I have been feeling a little bit under the weather - he has a fever and I had/have a tummy ache.  But otherwise it was a lovely day where Disco cooked, family came to visit, everyone ate too much, big sis opened everyone's presents (Disco's b-day is soon too) and we did a little Skyping with family far away.  Couldn't ask for a better day!



Olive Hands!

Copying Olive Hands



Pitiful little man fell asleep while playing. 
Sweet picture of a feverish boy . . .



Sleepy little man!











Thankful Crew

Here is the beginning of our Thanksgiving pics.  We were off all day today and enjoyed prepping for turkey day tomorrow at a leisurely pace.  Aunt K and big sis posed for a quick Thanksgiving themed photo:

Notice the fridge DID get into its place today - thankful for a handy husband!  :)

Little man declined his invitation for Thanksgiving themed photos.  But we were able to catch him in a "GQ moment" later on with his sweater vest, jeans, and his favorite choice of shoes - flip flops:

Did I mention it was in the 70's today - and then we have a chance of snow and ice Thanksgiving night? Crazy weather.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for 2 and 4

We had another beautiful fall weekend!  But we keep forgetting to take a camera with us on our adventures.  So no cute pictures of the kiddos tonight.  Hoping for a picture filled week of Thanksgiving!

Big sis lives in "pretend play" these days.  She is always dressing up, teaching school or being a princess, and stretching her imagination.  It is a fun stage that I wish I was enjoying more.  Many times I have to remind myself to stop and just forget about chores/work/school and be a part of the fun!

Little man is cracking us up with what he says lately.  Pretty much everything he says ends with "right now!"  He sings many more songs which are a jumbled mess of words and cuteness.  And he is cracking himself up which is hilarious to all of us.  Of course he is still very busy.  He is two and on the move.  No time for naps.  No time to eat.  No time for potty training.  He is just too busy for those things to slow him down!

We went to a birthday party this weekend at a local gym and both kiddos were SO EXCITED about moving and jumping and being at the gym.  Big sis and I arrived first while Disco and little man drove around a bit so little man could finish a nap in the car.  Big sis jumped right in and she was doing great.  Until she got scared or concerned about something that I didn't witness and she wouldn't talk about.  This is a typical reaction big sis has in group settings, so she and I just sat down for a bit and watched the other kids play.  Soon afterward little man arrived at the gym and big sis was thrilled!  She jumped up and got him involved immediately.  The timing was perfect - somehow little man helped big sis get over her "moment" and she was so sweet and made sure he was involved the rest of the time.  They are so sweet together - I just want to bottle being two and four and save all their cuteness!

I'm thankful today for 2 and 4 . . . wonderful ages and wonderful kiddos!  :)

Sassy

On Thanksgiving big sis picked out this entire outfit to wear - hat included. We thought it was quite sassy and took her outside to take some pictures while "the bird" was cooking. She is looking so grown up these days!

Isn't he cute?

This picture just made me smile - had to share our little native American. Hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend!

"Thankful for our Daily Fred"

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. Big sis said grace and she always states that she is "thankful for our daily Fred". We all love that part!

It was a great day and everyone enjoyed the meal and family time. We slipped away at sundown to take advantage of the country with some rural roadside pictures. Enjoy the pics below. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Day 2 of Thanksgiving

So here are a few family photos of our second day of the Thanksgiving extravaganza (day 3 of my birthday, and day 1 of Disco's birthday - we like to celebrate a lot!). Again, it was nice to enjoy the day without rushing along - little man was a bit grumpy b/c he was teething but otherwise we all had a fun time. The weather was beautiful!

Day 1 of Thanksgiving

We had a good time celebrating the first day of Thanksgiving (and the second day of my birthday) with Gaga, Bondo, and Aunt K on Wed, Nov 26th. It was very nice to take our time and enjoy the day without rushing. As always, we are thankful for another year with family and friends! We didn't get any pics of the kiddos with the family - Gaga was busy cooking and Bondo was at work until dinner. Which left Aunt K, Disco and I time to corral kiddos and help cook when possible. But after dinner Disco and I drug big sis out for a bit of a photo session. Little man is sick and quite a grump so his photo session will have to wait for a better day. But these pics of big sis were pretty cute!

get NEW PANTS!!!

12 noon Wednesday November 26th

Setting: Gaga's house, Thanksgiving celebration (woo hoo, one day early!!), everyone is scattered in different rooms

Big sis: (very softly) I need to potty

Me: (feeding little man AGAIN) Can someone please help her in the potty?

Disco: I've got it

Big sis: (now in the bathroom) get NEW PANTS!

Disco: What?

Gaga: Does she need something?

Big sis: get NEW PANTS!

Aunt K: (laughing hysterically)

Little man: (smiling)

Big sis: get NEW PANTS!

Me: Sigh (and also smiling, so much for the cute outfit today!)

Gobble Gobble

We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I know it is an "invisible holiday" between Halloween and Christmas. But we generally have one long week of celebrations for our household. Disco and I both have b-days this week. Of course there are two family dinners to attend (but thankfully not on the same day this year - thanks aunt K, we seriously LOVE your crazy work schedule!!). Some tailgating on Friday with those transplanted LSU fans (Go Hogs!). And this year we are trying to gather all of the camo we can find to attend the duck calling contest and check out all that noise in Stuttgart. Since big sis' favorite uncle is visiting as well it should be a fun week (sidenote: big sis told us tonight God does not live at our house, he lives with her uncle in Colorado. So we decided that between running against Obama this year and being God's roommate he must keep a hectic schedule).

Here is little man's ode to "Happy Thanksgiving Charlie Brown", another one of our holiday favorites!