Thanksgiving Weekend

We were able to drive up to my parents' the day before Thanksgiving. And of course a visit to Papa's and Grandma's never disappoints. We enjoyed some Fall weather and a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner. Here are some pictures that help highlight our weekend...

So, here's what we were up to Thanksgiving morning... The girls love playing in the playhouse that Grandma sets up for them:

Enjoying the outdoors:

After raking up some leaves Andy demonstrated to the girls how to jump in and Rachel took right to it:

I really don't want to be sitting in this pile of leaves!
Rachel loved it!
Having fun with Papa in the leaves:

We really enjoyed the drive up to my parents' as we got to enjoy some Fall beauty. The leaves at our place don't really change colors and they'll probably fall off at the end of January and new ones will grow at the beginning of March. We don't really get seasons here, so it's fun to go a bit farther north and enjoy it...

Riding bikes:

Helping Papa and Daddy with a dirt pile (a bit of deja vu here - another post to follow!):

On Friday we headed to Longview (the closest decent size town to my parents) and were treated to Chuck E. Cheese. The girls pretty much expect this when they are with my parents! And then after pizza Audrey headed back home with the guys to take a nap. Grandma, Rachel, and I went to see Tangled, which is definitely going to be added to our collection. Such a cute movie! Friday evening Rachel mastered tying shoes - she picked it up so quickly and was determined. She's been eyeing some shoes for a few months now and Grandma caved in. So, I told her she needed to learn how to tie them if she was going to get them (I've never bought her shoes with laces). Anyhow, she was determined and she succeeded! :)

On Saturday there were lots of tractor rides with Papa and Daddy:

A random (really cute) picture of Rachel at dinner Saturday evening:

After the big boys worked hard all afternoon burning away leaves and a dead tree that they cut down, we all made good use of the burn pile to make smores:

The girls loved it!
And of course we celebrated Grandma's birthday a week early:

Rachel helped me pick out a dress for Grandma. Rachel was so good the whole weekend to not ruin the surprise. Grandma wore the dress to church the next day and she looked FABULOUS! Grandma spoils us all rotten, so it's fun when we get to spoil her a bit...

Finally on Saturday night Grandma showed the girls how to break apart a wishbone. Rachel won the wish!

We headed back home on Sunday. Like most trips, this one flew by. It sure was nice to be with family for Thanksgiving again. We've missed that the past couple of years... And we are definitely grateful for much. It's hard to put it all in words. But the overwhelming conclusion is FAMILY and the precious time we get to spend TOGETHER, whether it's our own little family or our extended family.