Thanksgiving Part III: A Thanksgiving to Remember

and not in the warm, fuzzy, happy sort of way...I'll spare you all the gory play-by-play that I had originally posted

When we got to Cali, we were so surprised to find that my parents had done a little something to the house. They painted and re-carpeted the upstairs (I heart plush carpet!), which was nothing compared to what they did in the family room! There they re-carpeted too, and got a really comfy sectional, gigantic flat screen, Blu-ray player and a Wii! Whoo hoo. All I can say is that they must have been inspired so that we all would have something to do for that week. Sorry there are no pictures for the last 7 days of our trip and you'll soon see why, so sorry, but you probably wouldn't want to see any pictures of us on those days anyway!

Let's just say that we were all sick at some point during the week and all at different times. I will tell you about Thanksgiving though. The plan was to spend the day with My Aunt Ellie and Uncle John in beautiful Santa Barbara with long walks on the beach, delicious food and family time. 'Twas not to be...it was Dad's turn to get the gamboo. The plan was to order out Chinese. 6 pm rolls around and we decide it's about time to order. Apparently the proprietors of Chinese restaurants have learned that Americans do turkey and turkey alone on Thanksgiving Day. Bummer. Ginger ale was needed so Rob, Brian and I head to the only open grocery store in town and decide to find dinner along the way. Everything is closed except McD's and Del Taco so we decide to make our own Chinese Thanksgiving feast. Mom and Dad were too sick to eat so finally at 8 pm we sit down to our semi-homemade Thanksgiving dinner. Turns out I really like turkey and stuffing and pie and all the other traditional deliciousness on Thanksgiving.

So that's our lame Thanksgiving. Because Grace was sick on Sunday we even sent Rob to drive home alone and Grace and I flew to avoid any sickness and/or meltdowns (form any of us!) on a car trip. Highlights: spending time with family, Doris' wedding, family dinner, beating the New Super Mario Bros, getting some shopping done before Thanksgiving with great sales and no crowds. Lowlights: I think you know by now... Thanks Mom and Dad for putting up with us and taking care of us the whole week. I hope you all had a happier Thanksgiving than we did!

Thanksgiving Part II: Family Fun

It seems like I hardly ever get to see my siblings and nieces and nephews when we visit California, so this year Mom and Dad pad everyone over so we could visit. It was so fun to see everyone and to meet my newest nephew, Reed - what a handsome little guy!

Cole and Trevor read to and played with Grace

Brooke and Kennedy took such good care of Grace all night. As you can imagine Grace loved all the attention that her sweet cousins gave her. I wish we lived closer so they could play all the time!

My little family and my (beautiful!) fab-o sis, Emily

We had such a fun time catching up with everyone! Thanks for coming!

Thanksgiving Part I: Happy Wedding Auntie Doris and Clarke!

We went to California this year for Thanksgiving because my Auntie Doris married her college sweetheart the Saturday before. Doris and Clarke were best friends in college then went their separate ways for most of their adult life - Clarke married and had 2 kids (his wife died last year) and Doris remained single doting on her (very lucky!) family and friends. Now in their 60's they are back together and so very in love. Their wedding was beautiful and reception was so much fun!

Sweet moves, Baby Girl!

Grace took a liking to this cute little fella and followed him around all night and hugged him every chance she got!

We put Grace to sleep in a classroom in the building and danced and ate and partied for hours. We had a fabulous time!

Proof!

Mom and Dad cut a rug too!

Katherine, Mom and Doris partying it up! Of course Brian danced too - YMCA baby!

Vanderbilt

Rob and I spent a delightful weekend in Nashville visiting Vanderbilt to see if it felt like a good fit for MBA school. We had a great time and came away loving the program, campus, and city. Now we just have to make a final decision! Stay tuned...

The Great Escape: Getting Smarter

Grace is getting smarter - this time she's trying to get out using Mama's keys...

Happy Halloween

Last night we went to the Annual Gweaston Halloween Party at Grandma and Grandpa's. Grace was really confused at why everyone looked so funny (aka in costume).

Our sweet little ladybug.
Can you tell she wasn't sure about how someone looked behind me?

From the back.

Getting her dollar at the costume parade. She really wasn't sure what to do with it.
How cute are Grandpa and Grandma in their devil and angel costumes?

We knocked on doors throughout the house to get lots of yummy treats.

Mmmmmm.....Reeses! These will probably be payment to Dad for helping out since they're his favorites! (Actually, all of it will go to Mom and Dad for their hard work for costume prep and Halloween support)

I love this picture of my two favorites. As hard as Dad tried, his excitement never wore off on Grace.

The whole crew in costume.

Here's the tired baby after a night of partying, but adorable as usual!

What I Learned From Mama

by Grace

Be right next to the stove while dinner is being cooked, so you don't forget it and let it burn.

And a great shoe can help any drab outfit be a little fun and fancy.

Ghost Baby

Grace is practicing her ghost technique getting ready for Halloween and is so cracking me up.

She keeps putting Lacey over her head so she can't see anything except her feet and walking around the house. As you can imagine, this is quite a dangerous hobby - if she's not walking smack into walls and furniture, she's tripping on the blanket.

If she's not wandering the house with Lacey on her head, she's just sitting for minutes on end with Lacey over her. I think she's really tired. We'll be trying a nap here soon...

Happy Autumn

Fall is finally here in full swing.

The colors are changing and the leaves are falling.
It's beautiful.

Happy Autumn!

It's an especially happy day since the cast is off!

That's My Baby

We went to the fabric store yesterday to find fabric and supplies for Grace's Halloween costume and Rob let her walk around. She loved feeling all the fabrics just like her mama.

When she found this really soft fabric, she couldn't help herself but cuddle with it. I think Rob's a little frightened...one fabric lover is bad enough!