Pilgrims and Indians

 

I do believe these are the cutest Indians ever!  They decorated their costumes at preschool.  So cute!

 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Corey was actually off this Thanksgiving so he was able to join us at my parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner.  My poor mom had been sick for a week and still wasn't feeling her best, but toughed it out enough to make some of her delicious dressing and gravy.  Nana was able to leave the nursing home for a bit to share the meal with us.  She was hurting and tired by the time the meal was over, but I'm so glad that she got to come.

 

I love this time of year!  Thanksgiving is a special time for me, especially the older I get.  I realize more and more each year how much I have to be thankful for.  This year I had such a long list of blessings. 

 

These are two of the biggest blessing in my life...

 

These precious pilgrims (children) are my heart and soul. 

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me and my family!

Thankful

Thanksgiving: Part 2-

After enjoying time with Corey's family, we drove back to my parents' house to spend the night. The next day we were going to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.

When we arrived, it was getting late so we quickly tried to feed the girls and get them ready for bed. I gave them some of their favorites for supper so they would actually eat something.

By this point I noticed that Addison was still very warm, but acting fine...until...she started eating. She put a piece of orange in her mouth and began screaming uncontrollably. It was awful. We thought she had bitten her finger or tongue. I knew she was tired so I didn't push the eating issue. She drank her milk and I put her to bed. That night she was very restless.

The next morning was the same thing. Fever, wouldn't eat and then I noticed some spots on her feet.

At this point, I have a fussy kid and am frantically trying to prepare our Thanksgiving meal. Thank goodness Corey and Grammy were there to offer some TLC when I couldn't hold her. I was racking my brain the whole time trying to figure out what to do and what was wrong. I was 2 hours from her regular doctor and I certainly didn't want to take her and sit at a "doc-in-a-box" with all the flu and viruses if it wasn't necessary. So I decided just to watch her a little longer.

We enjoyed some family time and a delicious meal.

Addison and Audrey both love the cows and the farm. So since Addison was feeling up to it at the moment, we took them to let them feed the cows and ride the tractor. These girls are becoming great cowgirls :)

Audrey and Grandaddy


Miss Priss-Audrey

Audrey feeding the cows

Addison must taste really good!

I know it's down there somewhere!

Grandaddy and Addison

Sweet Addison not feeling so great.

Addison-Such a big helper!

After this little outing, Addison became even more irritable. I noticed more and more bumps around her mouth and on her hands coming up and it dawned on me that we were probably looking at Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. So, I put in a call to our doctor's office. After explaining the symptoms they confirmed what I suspected.

For the next 3 days that poor baby cried and cried. She lived off of yogurt, Popsicles and milk. I was happy that she would at least eat something. Then finally she began to feel better.

It was a great Thanksgiving. I just wish for once we could celebrate a holiday without one of us being sick :/

Thanksgiving 2011

This year Corey was off on Thanksgiving day. I know! Gasp! I don't think that has happened in about 5 years.

Corey's family (his dad & girlfriend, and Corey's sister's and their families) was gathering for a family Thanksgiving. His side of the family hardly ever has the opportunity to get together, so I was thrilled that we were all going to have a chance to visit and celebrate Thanksgiving together.

We left home early that morning and drove about 3 1/2 hours to meet them. Long ride with 2 little ones...but we made it okay. When we got out of the car, I noticed that Addison felt really warm, but she had been in the carseat for quite some time and was cutting molars so I gave her a dose of Tylenol and she was off and running trying to keep up with the "big girls".

I was so busy stuffing my mouth, visiting and chasing my 2 kiddos, that I only took 2 photos. I know...terrible, right! But we all had a great time.

Here is Audrey with her cousin. They enjoyed each other's company.

Corey with his two sisters.

(Thanksgiving: Part 2- to follow)

Thanksgiving 2010

This year we had so much to be thankful for. Every year I realize that I am blessed beyond measure...but this year was even more important. One thing was we had Addison as a new addition to our family. But another was that my grandfather was around to celebrate with us.

Just a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving, he was hospitalized and things looked very grim. We weren't sure we would have him here with us on earth much longer. But God performed a miracle!

Since Pawpaw was in the nursing home continuing to receive rehab, we decided to bring our Thanksgiving celebration to him. On Thanksgiving day, we (me, Audrey, Addison, my brother-Keith, my mom and my dad) ate lunch with Pawpaw. Corey was on shift that day (as usual) and the McGriffs were out of town with the other side of their family.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we all got together again (this time including Corey and the McGriffs) to celebrate. We gathered at the nursing home since it was easier for Pawpaw, and enjoyed some time together.

Audrey enjoyed a book being read by Uncle Jim.

Donald and Linda Scott also joined us for our celebration. They are like family and we love them dearly!

We couldn't let the holiday go by without some family photos.

A few weeks before, I didn't know if I would ever see this again.

Pawpaw loves his girls!

And this picture just makes my heart smile. It is priceless!!!!

Heather, Audrey, Addison, Pawpaw and Nana

Audrey, Keith, Mom (Kay), Dad (Phillip), Addison, Pawpaw (William), Nana (Rhoda)

The weather was perfect for enjoying a little bubble blowing and ball fun outside.

Pawpaw and Nana enjoyed watching all the fun.

And here is my little Indian, Audrey, dressed up in her costume from preschool. I just had to include it because...well, she is so darn cute! :)

Thanksgiving 2009

Whew! This month has flown by and time has escaped me...as you can tell with my lack of posting.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. My family came up to our house for Thanksgiving. Because of their health, my grandparents don't get to make the 2 hour trip to visit often, so it was a real treat to have them with us.

Audrey had a wonderful time showing off for everyone. She was really comfortable in her environment and all of the "spectators" enjoyed watching her.

Our Thanksgiving spread was enormous and delicious. My mom brought her famous (at least I call it that) dressing and gravy. Nana and Pawpaw supplied delicious ham. And my sweet hubby fried an awesome turkey for us. I prepared all the veggies and such to go along with it. My favorites are the green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole. My best friend, Anna, makes the BEST sweet potato casserole...I tried to imitate her...but it wasn't nearly as wonderful as hers. However, it was still edible!

I have eaten leftovers, over and over and over... I'm sure when I go back to the doctor, I will have gained a good 15 pounds- no kidding! Guess I'll enjoy the excuse to eat while I can :)

After we all stuffed our faces until we were miserable, Miss Audrey informed us that Thanksgiving was over and we could put up Christmas stuff now. ...... Back up a few days...

Audrey kept asking when Christmas was going to be here. So after many failed attempts to help her understand, Corey explained that after we had Thanksgiving meal with the family and we took all the turkeys and Thanksgiving decorations down, then it would be time to put up Christmas stuff. Our intellectual 2- year old turns right around and asks her daddy "Can we take the turkeys down now?" Smart, huh?... So back to Thanksgiving day.

So, now it is time to break out the Christmas decor, as promised. There was no forgetting about that. Since we had taken Audrey to pick out some inflatable yard ornaments a few days prior, we figured that we would put those up first. As you can tell by the photos, she was all about helping her daddy. (Side note: I have learned that if you want your husband to hang Christmas lights and decorate without complaints...get your 2 year old to ask him to do it. He happily granted Audrey's wishes. *sigh*) It was so precious to see her out there enjoying herself. Oh the wonder of seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child!

She wasn't quite sure about Frosty. He was just a bit scary to her and she took a while to warm up to the sight of him. But she loved the Santa.

I have so much to be thankful for this year. Just a look around my house on Thanksgiving day reminded me of all the blessings I have received.

I could kick myself for not taking more photos, but after being on my feet cooking and such all day, I was exhausted!!! I'll try to do better! :)

Thanksgiving 2008

I have been terrible about blogging lately. Sooo much going on this time of year, plus I have been enjoying my family coming to visit and getting ready for Christmas. But, I would like to share a few moments from our Thanksgiving with you.

My family came to our house for Thanksgiving this year. We had a marvelous time. For several of them, it was the first time they had ever been to our house so it was exciting to get to show them around. A bonus was that Audrey was on "her turf" so she provided quite a bit of entertainment all day. The food and fellowship was delightful!