The First Thanksgiving (at least for one little girl)

Thanksgiving was in St. Louis for us this year, so for Attia's first Thanksgiving we packed up our bags, the baby, and the dog, and headed down I-70 to join my family for the holiday festivities.

When we arrived Wednesday night we met up with my Mom and Dennis for an Imo's dinner at the house that I grew up in. They have recently moved to their newly remodeled home, but we were meeting at the old house so that I could see it one last time before they sell it. They have fixed up every inch of it and will be putting it on the market soon. It's sad to see it go! We didn't have long to visit before Attia needed to get to bed, but it was great to see them and the house, and my old neighbor Janis Freeman who came down to see us. And of course the Imo's was delicious!

The next day was Thanksgiving at my dad's house with Drew, Karen, and the Evans gang. We had a delicious afternoon feast, and even Attia had some mashed potatoes and turkey. She is used to eating potatoes, so that was no problem for her, but she wasn't so sure about the turkey. She hasn't quite mastered chewing yet :-). We had a lot of fun visiting with everyone, and Attia enjoyed getting to meet everyone for the first time! So many new faces!

Cooks preparing a feast

The festive table toppers

Pass the turkey!

Enjoying a carrot

And some mashed potatoes.
Notice the turkey on the floor :-)

Joining the grown-ups at the big table.

Bouncing on Wanda

Hanging with Opa, Nelly, and Dennis

In the evening, Drew, my dad, and I went over to see Granny Sue, Aunt Rose, Shirley, Uncle Ding, and Aunt Shelly for a second Thanksgiving. Everyone was dying to meet Attia, but unfortunately she goes to bed early and after a busy day she was ready for dinner and sleep instead of meeting more people. I'm really glad that we got to go see everyone, but I wish Attia would have been able to make it too! We need to introduce her to her Great Granny Sue and everyone else soon!

The girls

Granny Sue, Aunt Rose, Me, Shirley, Drew

Aunt Shelly & Uncle Ding

On Friday we returned to Lawrence, but before we left we met at my mom & Dennis's house for breakfast. Unfortunately my mom had an encounter with some shelves not long before we arrived so she wasn't feeling the best. She was happy to see Attia though, and we got to see their new house for the first time. Everything that they have done looks really nice! My grandma (Granny) was able to join us over there also, so Attia got to meet her Great Granny for the first time!

Uncle Drew, Attia, Me, Great Granny

Attia, Me, Nana

We wished we could stay longer but duties called and we had to get back. One good thing about getting back earlier though, was that we were able to get our Christmas decorations up! I took care of things inside while Austin took care of lights outside and we had all of the Christmas stuff ready to go by Dec. 1. Christmas here we come!

Happy Holidays!

Attia's Eight Month Photo Shoot

At the beginning of November Attia and I did her eight month photo shoot. The weather was great and the leaves and fall colors were beautiful. A perfect combination for one last outdoor photo shoot for the year! Attia thought it was great a good idea also, because as we know, she loves to play with leaves - and apparently pumpkins are fun too!

Let the Good Times Roll, Part 2: October

     Like I said, October was a busy month for us and we had a lot of good times that haven't made it on the blog yet. We had family in from out of town a couple times during the month, and it was a lot of fun getting to see everyone!

     At the beginning of the month Austin's sister Abby, her husband Adrian, and our nephew Linus made a trip to Kansas from their home in North Carolina. We are always excited to see them, but we were extra excited this time because Abby is pregnant with baby number two! While they were here Heidi threw a Baby 'Sprinkle' for her. As always, Heidi threw a great party. There was tasty food, cute decorations, and she had supplies for us to make personalized onsies for Miss E., which was very cute. It was a lot of fun visiting with everyone and getting to see Abby's baby belly!

Attia even made a new friend :-)

That same weekend Austin road Octoginta, the annual 80 mile ride and time trial sponsored by Lawrence Bicycle Club. This is Austin's second year in a row to participate. 

The following week my mom and D. came in for a visit. They were very excited to see Attia for the first time in several months and it was a lot of fun having them in town. After they were here for a couple of days my brother joined the party. He was just finishing up a road trip across the southwest/southern midwest, and was on his way back home to Boulder, CO. It was really nice that they were all able to be here together!

And then of course there were the random good times just hanging out and playing. Attia continues to learn new skills and enjoy new things all the time. 

By the end of the month she was even playing the piano! She loves to sit with us and play on the keyboard, and sometimes she even tries to hit the keys that we hit. Maybe she will take lessons like her mommy?

 

Let the good times roll...