Thanksgiving Memories 2008

Thanksgiving was very memorable this year. It's fun to think about a week later (been so busy haven't had time to post). Let's start with "the turkey shirt". Thanksgiving this year was all about Eli's special Turkey shirt. Here are some pictures of it:

Front says "Hey Listen Up, this li'l turkey has something to say"

The back - "I'm going to be a big brother"

Yes, that's right. Eli is going to be a big brother next summer!! We decided to tell our families at Thanksgiving and thought this shirt would be the perfect way to let Eli announce it.

Wednesday night, we drove down to the farm at Eli's bedtime. That worked great except when we got there at 10:30pm, he didn't want to go back to sleep. He was super cranky pants and wore Tim & I down - a LOT! Earlier that day, he had gotten his 15 month vaccines and I forgot to give him some tylenol. We think they threw him for a loop - he got the chicken pox vaccine which he's never gotten before. We finally got to sleep around 2:30am with him and our eyes had barely closed before we heard "doodle doo....doodle doo". Eli heard the rooster outside and was crowing back to it. It was so darn cute. It made the rough night go away! After breakfast, we decided to get Eli out of his pj's and put on his "turkey shirt". I was so excited - I had been about to bust to tell my Mom. We took him downstairs and let Grandma & Grandpa C read it for themselves.

Grandma C - happy with the message!

Of course, they were happy as could be. I didn't see my Dad's reaction right away but Tim said he just sat in the chair, eyes and mouth wide open. They love being Grandparents and are excited that another one is on the way. We let Eli keep his shirt on to announce it to my extended family. It was so fun having them all read it when they came over. We did Thanksgiving lunch at my Mom's house and, as usual, there was plenty of good food. I almost put myself into a carb coma! Eli took a nap right during lunch so I was able to actually eat with both hands. After lunch, everyone retreated outside to shoot targets, ride the 4-wheeler, see the animals and enjoy the beautiful day.

Family photo

Eli in the barn loft with Grandpa

Petting goats with Grandma

I LOVE this picture - Eli wasn't sure what to make of his shadow

Climbing the stairs at Grandma's house - Hi Eli!

Giggle Giggle - Eli has the most wonderful laugh

Late in the afternoon, we went to visit Great Grandma C - affectionately known as Huggie Grandma. She loved hearing our news and we talked with her for a while. Eli was trying to get into everything, of course. After that, we headed back to the farm for dinner before driving home. Eli did great driving home and slept like a champ. That was much needed for us!

On Friday, we spent the day as a family. We did go to the mall to get out of the house but just enjoyed hanging out. Grandma & Grandpa N arrived Saturday and spent the weekend with us.

Grandma N reading Eli's shirt

Grandpa N getting the news

Tim's parents were very excited and happy to hear the news as well. They have been trying to plan a family vacation for Tim's side of the family and we have been very elusive for the past month about it. It was a relief to finally tell them why!!

We spent Saturday afternoon just hanging out and then had a wonderful steak dinner that night. We tried to watch a movie after Eli went to bed but we all ended up falling asleep on the couch! Sunday morning we had a leisurely start to the day and enjoyed a big family breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Eli's friend Ryan then came over to run around a bit and boom, it was lunch time. After lunch, Tim's parents watched Eli while Tim & I went to the movies. I can not remember the last time we went to the movies. We went to see 'Four Christmases'. It was entertaining and a nice break. We very much enjoyed having Tim's parents here to visit and appreciate them giving us a few hours off!

Reading to Grandma & Grandpa N

So as you can see, it was a very memorable Thanksgiving. Everything it should have been - family, food, friends, time spent together....and of course, our big news! We'll keep you posted on how #2 is coming along. We hope that everyone else had a wonderful holiday as well.