Since Thanksgiving?!

     Updates have been spotty lately, haven't they? And, with all this great weather (60's and possibly 70s this week!) who can think of Christmas?! Well, as I look through iPhoto and share these with you, I'm sure you'll be thinking "Ahh, the holidays!" right along with us.

     Presleigh probably won't remember this Thanksgiving when she's older, but she can look back at her blog and see photographic evidence that Papa actually cooked the whole meal for once. With so many relatives out of town, it came down to us to host for the guests who came. It was quite a change from the "You make dessert and bring a few Cokes." Especially, since Papa hasn't had a drop of soda since February of 2010.

     Not only did we do the turkey, the sides, and all of the trimmings this year, but Mommy actually tried her hand as a prep-cook and sous-chef. She rocked the house, and Papa was proud of her.


     Presleigh helped out with the morning's pancakes ("pampakes", as she says it) and green beans, and not just the eating part. It was a very exciting time for her until nap time rolled around and Papa got the kitchen really humming. You could tell that Papa was impressed - at several points, he didn't think it was all going to come together. But, at only 10 past 4 that afternoon, the babies got up from sleepytime to the smells of yummy Thanksgiving dinner with all the bells and whistles Mommy & Papa could muster!



     What an awesome Thanksgiving! Next year, we hope to add a few new traditions to the family, like giving the kids a piece of the Thanksgiving story and having all of us read it aloud as a family. Not enough of that history going on in the world, I imagine. Hey, by that time, Presleigh will be able to read a bunch of the words on her own, right? She's already so mature for 2-1/2.

     Speaking of which, what a great helper?! Pancakes, cleaning up, she even helped feed the babies a few days back. Had to sneak a pic of that in, too. Jovi wasn't sure what was on the spoon, but that typifies her these days, anyway. Presleigh did a great job feeding her little sister and seems to have the gift of helps. Jovi might have the gift of gulps... Alright, maybe not. But, she did enjoy whatever Presleigh fed her.

     Christmas is such a great time of year. We love the meaning of the season, the excitement of Advent, and the fun of putting up all the decorations. For some of us, the decorations could stay up all year long. (Alright, by "us", I mean "me".) Regardless, Presleigh enjoyed helping with all the decorations, baubles, and garlands. She also posed for a few pictures before we left for the holiday. Here, we see her doing one of her favorite decorating tricks: "How many balls can I pull of the tree before someone figures out they're missing?" It would have been an okay trick for her to pull at home, but we were at North Point Community Church when she decided to "undecorate" a Christmas tree!