Gobble! Gobble!

Well, our first Thanksgiving in our new home has come and gone! We had a wonderful holiday and we have so much to be thankful for! Brad's dad and sister traveled in from Oklahoma on Wednesday and left early this morning.
Aunt Roro (as Anna Claire calls her) brought several fun treats for AC, including this Ariel night gown.
Brad and I have always traveled on Thanksgiving, so this was our first time to host Thanksgiving in our home which means it was also our first time to prepare the Thanksgiving meal. Now, for those of you who know me well, you know I don't cook very often (ok, hardly ever!). I made it up for it on Thanksgiving, and I kept telling Brad, "This counts as my cooking for the YEAR!" Ha.



Our menu included an apple and spices brined turkey, smoky bacon and cream biscuit dressing, green bean bundles, wild rice and corn casserole, and a homemade cranberry mold. For dessert, I made a frosty pumpkin pie (think pumpkin ice cream pie) and an apple cranberry pie.
Robyn brought her dog, Skye, with her. Skye wanted nothing more than to play with Sophie, our miniature dachshund. Well, Sophie wasn't too sure about Skye. At one point, Sophie was sleeping on Kerstin's shoulder, and Skye jumped up on the couch to play! Here's the funny picture that was captured! As is evident by her facial expression, Kerstin was not too sure about this!

The Last Few Days.....

Here's a random collection of pictures from the last few days:

Hannah (on the right) is a year younger than Anna Claire (left) and is just learning to walk. The other night, Anna Claire helped her walk to the nursery. What I love about this picture is how Anna Claire has her hand in her pocket, like this is some casual little stroll. Cute.

Last night, we went to a local high school football playoff game. We had a cold front blow in, so we were all bundled up and had a blast!



When we got home, Brad built our first fire of the season. We made S'mores and enjoyed a nice time by the fire before going to bed.

For those of you who know my husband and who follow college football, you know that there's a little game tonight between OU and Texas Tech. This morning, when Anna Claire got up, she and Brad started running around the living room, shouting "Go OU!", "Boomer! Sooner!" and so on. Ridiculous. At one point, Anna Claire got so excited, she took off her pants and started waiving them in the air. Lord, help us!

Anna Claire's 2 year Portraits

I picked out our "favorites"....Enjoy!

Say, "Cheese"

Today, we took AC for her 2 year pictures/Christmas pictures. As soon as I get the proofs, I'll post them. Until then....
She had to hang out with me for a little while at the office before we went to the picture place. Here she is double-checking our "picture-taking bag" to make sure we had all the necessary items (brush, bow, extra pair of tights, popcorn, etc.).
She practiced smiling all morning! Here's one of the "trial" smiles:
When it comes to getting good pictures, we are not above a good little bribe. Today it was ice cream! (and a ridiculously huge gumball, thanks to Daddy!) Yes, Gigi, we did brush her teeth! *grin*

'Tis the Season....

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Jesus Loves Me

Tonight, I laid down with Anna Claire before she went to sleep. Here's part of our conversation:
AC: Mommy, Jesus loves me.
ME: That's right Anna Claire, He loves you very much.
AC: Yeah.
Long pause.
AC: Mommy?
ME: Yes?
AC: Jesus loves you.
MELT MY HEART!

AC's 2 year stats

I know you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats, wating for these. Ha.
AC went in for her 2 year check up today and was a champ! No tears and super cooperative with the doctor! Way to go, AC! I will admit - I had a "moment" at the doctor's office when they needed to weigh AC and asked her to stand on the 'big girl scale'...no more sitting in the "boat"....our little girl is growing up. You're right - it doesn't take much to move me.
Height: 33 1/4 inches (25th - 50th percentile)
Weight: 27 pounds (50th percentile)
All in all, a good report from the doctor! Plus she got the flu mist (instead of the shot) and that was a funny experience in and of itself.
No pictures...my camera is having issues, so we're shopping for a new one!

Over the River and Through the Woods...

....to Gatlinburg we went! A kind family in our church generously gave us a week at their time share in Gatlinburg, and we had a blast! We were in need of a vacation, and this could not have come at a better time! Anna Claire was a trooper through the whole trip -from the long drive to all the shopping, etc - she did just wonderful!
Here are some views from our cabin's balcony, porch, front gate, etc.:




Pancake restaurants are on every corner in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, so our first morning there, we ate at Flapjacks. Here's Kerstin showing off her chocolate chip pancakes!
After breakfast, the western store next door was calling Brad's name. While he was inside trying on boots (that he eventually purchased), Anna Claire was outside riding on the 1970's merry-go-round. I'm pretty sure I put in about $5 worth of quarters, but I kept reminding myself that in about 12 years, I'm going to wish that $5 would entertain our child for that length of time!
Then it was my turn to shop.....so I found the most delightful Christmas store! This place was amazing! We shopped for a long while in there and made a few purchases! I can't wait to decorate for Christmas!
And because we were on vacation - Anna Claire was allowed to eat breakfast in her new Dora ball pit. Lovely.
Here are Anna Claire and Kerstin before heading out for the day! Anna Claire's new friend is Darby from the "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" show on Disney - her new favorite.
While shopping in downtown Gatlinburg, we were in "need" of a little energy boost, so we found a quaint little place that served all things fried....here's Kerstin trying a deep fried Milky Way while AC samples a deep fried Snickers.


And now for a word from our sponsor: The Mommy Hook! Moms (and Dads) - if you have a small child that still rides in a stroller, this is a must have accessory! It held all our shopping bags, diaper bag, and my purse. When Anna Claire wanted to get out of her stroller, I simply moved the hook over to one side, and the stroller wouldn't tip. I love this new addition to our stroller!
One evening, AC served us all "tea" using her new tea set from her Aunt Roro (Brad's sister).
And here's AC in her "wed wace car"! She thought this was pretty cool!
We went to Ripley's Aquarium while we were there and had a blast! We weren't sure how AC would do with all the fish, but she loved them! She thought she had arrived because she didn't have to ride in her stroller!





We also went to The Apple Barn - a place filled with all things....well....apple! They were serving hot apple pie, apple dumplings, and apple fried pies along with hot/cold apple cider! Pa - we thought of you often at this place! Delicious. Anna Claire pretty much slept through this part of the adventure...I think the aquarium did her in for the day!