Thanksgiving: Round 2

It's 3 days post-Thanksgiving and I'm feeling about 5 pounds heavier.  Eh, what are you gonna do?  Not eat all that fantastic food?  Fuhgedaboudit.  We spent the weekend in Dallas with the Jaggi clan and had a continuous smorgasbord of delicious foods.  Seriously, I have to give a huge shout out to my sister-in-law, Cindy.  She cooked some amazing dishes and kept every one of us in a food coma the entire time.  We all had such a great holiday, relaxing and just enjoying each other's company.  Just as it should be.  Now it's good-bye Thanksgiving and HELLO CHRISTMAS!  My, how I've missed you.

And this thing?  Heaven on a plate.

We also coupled the Thanksgiving holiday with Mimi's birthday.  Cindy made this gorgeous strawberry trifle and the kids got to help blow out the candles.  Once just wasn't quite enough so we relit them and let them do it again.  The picture came out blurry but I couldn't leave it out...

Thanksgiving afterthought:  If you want to read a little holiday hilarity please click here. 

Thanksgiving: Round 1

We had our first Thanksgiving meal with my parents (aka Grammy & Papa) last night and man, was it delicious! I love this time of year - spending time with your family and all the guilt free eating that comes along with the holidays. I definitely felt like I was going to bust in two when I left their house but Nicholas wasn't quite so into it. Maybe it was all the pre-dinner snacking, but he only ate a few bites of a dinner roll and some stuffing, then called it quits. No worries though because his appetite miraculously returned when he saw Papa eating the apple pie and ice cream we had for dessert. Funny how that happens. He finagled his way into Papa's lap with the utmost skill and pretty much finished it off for him. We're headed out for Texas tomorrow for round 2 with Ryan, Cindy, and Jilly Bean. Can't wait to let all this fun (and eating) continue. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

 



First School Picture

I've been so busy lately that I almost forgot to blog this fantastic thing.  Look at that smile, will ya?!  Preschool is going really well and I think Nicholas has so much fun being active and playing with kids his own age.  The first few weeks were a bit difficult for him with quite a bit of crying when Daddy dropped him off in the mornings.  But he seems to have relaxed now that he's gotten into a routine and realizes that Mommy and Daddy will always come back for him.  We're really proud of how great he's doing.  And again, look at that smile!  Beautiful!

  

Papa's Copter

Today we took a little drive to Drumright, OK to visit Papa at his Tulsa Life Flight helicopter base.  Nicholas had seen the helicopter once before but he was a little baby and obviously didn't remember it.  But I'm pretty sure he will remember this day for a very, very, very long time!  He was beside himself with happiness as he climbed around the helicopter pushing buttons that he probably shouldn't have been pushing and jumping on things he probably shouldn't have been jumping on.  He was very proud sitting in that pilot seat holding onto the joystick.  He even shouted "BOOM!  BOOM!  BOOM!" as he pushed the buttons on the handle.  We're not sure where he picked that up so maybe it's inherent among boys.  We also decided that he's going to be a very bossy pilot someday.  There was quite a lot of "Papa, sit here."  "Papa, move your foot."  "Papa, shut the door."  But of course Papa followed each command faithfully and precisely because that's the sort of Papa he is.  We haven't stopped hearing about the helicopter all afternoon so I'm pretty sure he's in love.  No complaints here.  Thank you Papa!  We love you!

Lake Weekend

We managed to make it back to the lake this weekend after a month long hiatus. The weather was still gorgeous, especially for November, and we had a fantastic time once again. No surprises there. We took a long walk through the country (deer sightings included), did a little fishing, took some boat rides, lazed on the deck with cocktails, and roasted s'mores around the fire pit after sunset. Downright perfect, I tell ya. The beautiful surroundings also gave me the opportunity to take some more shots with my camera. Hopefully I didn't drive everyone too crazy, but this is the new me and I'm here to stay!



Cheetos lips!  And that's a piece of wood on his forehead, not a bug. 
He was having a great time throwing sticks in the fire





I think this one is my favorite of the bunch.  The sun setting behind me lit up the
opposite shore with a gorgeous fire orange.  And that smile just can't be beat!



Momma's Got a New Camera

I set my heart on my first DSLR camera some time ago and this week I finally made my dream come true!  I love this baby.  I mean I really, really love it.  I'm still a little overwhelmed by everything I have to learn but I'm determined to soak up all the knowledge I possibly can.  Check back in about a year or so and maybe I'll actually have a clue what I'm talking about.  But until then, enjoy the millions of practice shots it's going to take to get me there....

Yesterday the kids had a playdate so I took the opportunity to get in some of that practice.  You simply can't ask for better subjects.

And this was the first night I brought my new baby home.  Nicholas was feeling like a wild man and had every single toy strewn across the living room floor.  He'd also ripped his shirt off, which perfectly reflected his mood that evening.  I totally expected him to rear up and start pounding on his chest at any moment.