Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, what a week it has been already! We have been so busy the past week and we are only getting started with the holiday festivities. I guess this is what happens to holidays once you have children!!

Our Thanksgiving celebration started last Saturday. After working all night long and only getting a few hours of sleep Saturday morning, we hosted the first holiday get together. Grandma Sandy and Bill drove up with Auntie Steph, Uncle Dan, and Doggie Cousin Louie and Kevin, Michelle, and Cousin Kaiya headed over for a BBQ. Mia was so excited to see her baby cousin that she couldn't stop shaking. She enjoyed showing off her toys and showing Kaiya how they work...especially the flippin' frog on her jumpy house!!



The flood of family continued on Monday night. After working all day, we met up with Gram and cousins Ellie and Nisa for a very special treat! A few years ago when the girls came to stay with us, we took them to Chuck E Cheese and we all had a great time. Remembering the fun we had that time, we promised the girls a few months ago that we would take them to a place even better than Chuck E Cheese...John's Incredible Pizza. Dan and I were really just looking for an excuse to check it out for ourselves :) Wow, this place was amazing! There is a buffet consisting of a salad bar, pasta bar, pizza bar, and even a dessert bar!! Mia was very excited to partake in the buffet and ate her fair share of peaches with cottage cheese, pasta, and even ice cream!! The games and rides (yes rides!!) were a blast. Ellie and Nisa really wanted to ride the kiddie roller coaster, but since Nisa was too short an adult had to ride with her. Since Dan was way too tall, that task fell to me :( We all survived the roller coaster and went on to win lots of tickets playing games. The girls seemed to enjoy SkeeBall the most, but both were entertaining to watch as they shot basketballs with great accuracy. After pizza, we all went back to our house and Mia was lucky enough to have guests in her bathtub! Ellie, Nisa, and Gram stayed with us on Monday night and we were joined by Doc for Tuesday night. Unfortunately Doc and Dan's golf game was rained out on Wednesday...and more unfortunately it is 3am and I am at work right now!!



Being that it is 3 hours into the Thanksgiving holiday, I have been reflecting on how truly thankful I am to be spending my first Thanksgiving with my beautiful baby girl and her amazing dad! I am so blessed to have them in my life! Mia is such a smart, cute, and happy little girl, but more than that I thank God everyday for her health. Working where I do, not a day goes by that I don't see children and their parents suffering with devastating diseases. I hope everyone takes time this holiday to give thanks for the things we so many times take for granted!!