Thanksgiving Holiday

What a good looking family I have!!! From left to right, Uncle Brian, Adam, Kendall, Bill, me, Aunt Nancy, Uncle Mike, Sam and Uncle Patrick.

We had a great time with my family over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was the first time in my whole life that I was able to see my extended family during that time! Even more special, it was the first time in my whole life that I've seen my grandmother's house decorated for Christmas. I can't believe I've lived 31 years without seeing her tree!

I buried Sam in some leaves that my cousins raked up. He seemed to love it.

Here is Mary Ella with a cranberry jello that Kendall and I made. Kendall made it beautiful, I just made it solid.

We had about 27 people at Mary Ella's house for dinner on Thanksgiving. It was so special. Sam loved getting to know my cousins. Here's a pic of him and Jackson, my aunt Jennifer's son.

This is my Uncle Patrick. I loved the roaring fire in the background, plus the delicious sausage casserole in my belly.

Here is my Aunt Nancy with Sam. He is in love with her. Especially when she plays with the duck puppet. Right now, everything that he puts on his hands is called "duck" and says "kak kak." We got to see my good friend from high school (yes, in New York) and her family. They are workers in Lebanon and it was fantastic to see them and hear how God is moving in their lives.

Here is Sam with their daughter Esther.

And here we all are at Umstead Park on a hike this morning. Rachael is on the right - looks the same today as she did in high school.

Here is Sam with his girlfriend Laney. I have some awesome photos from today, but I don't want to hog all of them from Hollie. I'll post them later, once she's had time to blog. As you can see, Sam doesn't want anyone his age to wear shoes. He always takes his own off shortly after we put them on him.

Here are the cutest grandparents in the whole world. My coke-sporting Granddaddy and Memaw. We were so blessed to spend time with them.

And, last, but not least, here is Sam with our great friend Matt. We couldn't get a great photo, but this one is good because it shows you Sam's new sign. It means, "I want down."