Beyond that, I have many other shout outs to give and so much more to be thankful for. It was another wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with family and sunshine. As hard as it is to prepare, pack and plan for travels with three kiddos in tow it all seems to be forgotten once we arrive.
We celebrated Thanksgiving Day at Grammy's house. And that leads me to my first shout out. This lovely lady hosted our brood and cooked up a delicious Thanksgiving feast. Basically she could be found in the kitchen at any given moment.
While Grammy was hard at work, my kids could be found just about anywhere their big cousins were. Jack was pretty much attached to Whit's hip {or in this case his back}.
And the girl's were Larkin's little shadows. I assume it feels good to be so adored?!?!
The rest of the day was spent just how Thanksgiving should be...eating and playing with family.
While I roamed around snagging pictures of the festivities and enjoying my children {something I am forever thankful for}, Aunt Catlin took over kitchen clean up duty. And here is where another shout out is in order. I did make attempts to help, but she was handling it, oh, so glamorously, what was I to do, but grab a picture of her too?
Somewhere in the midst of all this happy chaos, I was able to sit my littles down for a Thanksgiving picture. And if you are getting tired of these dresses, I assure you I am too. Thanksgiving Day will be their last sighting. They have served us well.
It is high time we pull out some Christmas duds!
And that is exactly what we did...the day after Thanksgiving. Let the most wonderful time of the year begin.
Nothing like premiering some Christmas attire on the sunny beaches of Florida. We headed out on a beautiful November day to visit with some extended family on Clay's side. We had the most wonderful day hosted by the gracious crew {and the beach wasn't so bad either}.
I have to say this might be my most favorite picture of the entire trip. If you haven't quite figured out Lucy's personality yet, this should sum it up for you. She is most definitely the family clown. And I imagine if you take a look back at any picture of her it will all start coming together for you.
Are you getting the picture yet? Gotta love her. This gal sure does put a smile on my face.
Again, I spent another morning enjoying my kiddos. They were having a grand time digging in the sand, collecting sea shells, and scoping out a wanna be Pirate dude burying a treasure. I kid you not and I can't explain it either. But, it was most certainly entertaining.
I have to be completely honest in saying, yes, there was most definitely some bickering going on this Thanksgiving vacation. But out on the beach it all seemed to blow away with the Gulf winds. If only I could bottle some of that up for back home. {I'd release it like a tornado at the first ugly word or scowl passed around here}
And aren't the sugary white sands the most perfect place to belt out a full rendition of "Let It Go"? I'd have say, "YES"! Yum...what a princess.
More fun was had back at the beach house with 2nd cousins from Texas. Or as Jack referred to them "his 4th & 5th cousins". Because "Whit is his1st, Larkin his 2nd, and Halle his 3rd"...uh, obviously;)
Out at lunch Jack was drawn in like a dog to a bone to this life size Jenga set. I mean building and creating, it's like they had Jack in mind when they set this up.
Lucy was itching to get her hands on this giant Connect Four set. Meanwhile, I got to eat lunch {what?!?!} while the cousins took over with my girls. Another shout out is in order to Lauren, Lindsey and Sonja. Thank you ladies!
Left over lunches were served to the seagulls. My kids got the biggest kick out of being flocked around by hungry birds. Clearly they've never been pooped on by a seagull.
By weekend's end it was time to head back to the Cibula cottage. I took the girls home a day early while the boys stayed back in the sunshine state and made a trip to the Florida/Florida State game. It was Jack's first real football game.
I think it's fair to say, Jack was excited, he sported that sweatshirt every waking moment. I was able to peel it off of him once for a washing {only to find a FSU tee under it}.
Mags and Lucy couldn't quite understand why Jack wasn't coming home with us. Lucy even requested a picture with Jack before departure. {I can't make this stuff up}
I'm still waiting on some game day pictures compliments of Daddy's phone. If they are worth sharing, I'll be sure to do so. I imagine they will be...the Seminoles pulled off a victory. Daddy is more than happy for obvious reasons and I'm happy because Jack's first game goes down in the win column.
I'm doubting there will be any chance of getting that Seminole attire off of him now.
We are back home reveling in all we have to be thankful for and dreading the mundane tasks that follow...laundry, the grocery store, etc., etc. {Or at least I am}
Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope this holiday served as an opportunity to count all your blessings...we sure did. {my number one being a potty trained toddler...woo hoo!}
