Santa is my Friend?

Santa was visiting Chick-fil-a for breakfast last weekend, so our playgroup met there. This was Gabby's second time to be near Santa and neither time was very successful. Santa was wonderful; he said hello when we arrived, tried to play peek-a-boo with Gabby and then left her alone when she wasn't showing signs of interest (in reality she was choking Mommy with her death grip). Every once in a while, Santa would walk by and say hello to the kids. She would pout and fuss. Eventually I had to have her sit in his lap so I could get a picture. It is about as pitiful as they get, and Santa felt really guilty! Hopefully next year, we will have more luck!

Busy Day

Today was a busy day! Gabby had playgroup in the morning. We went to see Santa (that didn't go well AT ALL) and then the girls came over to play. We also did a quick craft; handprint ornaments. They are adorable!

After a short nap, Gabby's friend Anna came over to play for a little while. They had a great time playing in the ball pit and making a mess of all the toys! It was a full day of fun and Gabby crashed tonight!

Christmas Outakes

 We decorate the Christmas tree and like usual, Gabby was in the thick of things! She was a HUGE help putting the ornaments on the tree. Unfortunately, we had to start the ornaments about 3 feet off the ground so she wouldn't be able to reach!

A few nights later we tried to take a picture for our Christmas card. What a nightmare that was. Trying to get a 14 mo. old to sit still and look at the camera at the same time is like asking for the Pope to visit our home! Here are a few of our many outtakes! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

This year Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house because (1) I had never used my china. And (2) we have never had a meal in our dining room, so I figured it was time to finally do both of those things! Thankfully our Thanksgivings are small affairs, with my parents, brother, Brian, Gabby and me. It was my second time to prepare a turkey, and really, I have found that as long as you are watching the clock, the turkey is the easy part. It is much more difficult to work on having the sides ready at a time close to the turkey.

I think my favorite part of Thanksgiving are the traditions. Ours aren't anything fancy, but my brother and I always watch the parade and football (of course!) and we eat from breakfast through the turkey dinner. And honestly, we could probably do without the turkey dinner because breakfast and snacks are plenty!

This year, just like every year, we have a lot to be thankful for.
1. Everyone is healthy and happy.

2. Gabby is thriving and becoming more crazy than ever!

3. Brian is a loving husband and father.

4. We have very supportive families.

5. Our warm home.

6. We are employed.

7. Wonderful friends.

8. Even though he hasn't been as included as he used to be, Sam is the most loyal friend a family could ask for.

9. Our freedom and safety.

10. The day after Thanksgiving bargains that you can get just as easily at 10:00am as you can at 4:00am.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!