Thanksgiving in SoCal

Okay... this blog has gotten away from me.  I have SO many posts to catch up on that it's a little ridiculous.  I got soooo busy with my business and the photo editting and blogging associated with it, that our personal blog got left behind.  Sigh...

Anyways, let's start with Thanksgiving.  We are so thankful that we decided to spend the holiday with Grandpa Jim in Southern California.  We knew it was going to be tough being our first Thanksgiving without Steve's mom, but being with Jim made it much more bearable.  And of course, we also got to see our good friends Kirk and Marianne while we were there.

Marianne met us at the dog park one afternoon and the kids had a blast paying with all the little dogs.  And Steve and I enjoyed the time together as a family!

On Thanksgiving Day I cooked my very FIRST turkey which was a little nerve wracking.  While I was cooking, Grandpa taught the kids a few things about football.

I'm happy to report that the meal turned out FABULOUS!  The turkey was moist and tender and all the fixings were awesome.  I am officially no longer afraid to cook a turkey and was amazed how easy it was.  Here's Paige doing the obligatory "Olives on the Fingers" photo during dinner.

The kids really enjoyed hanging out with Grandpa.  Molly spent some time learning about money and rolling coins for him.  Lucky for her, Grandpa gifted her with the final coin rolls!

She also spent some time hanging with Grandpa in the backyard collecting leaves, which she ended up turning into a leaf collection by taping them into a book.  She definitely has her Mommy's love for the biological world.

The day after Thanksgiving was Steve's birthday.  Grandpa joined the kids at the pond where they enjoyed feeding the local fauna before eating a nice dinner out!

Then we headed back home to Grandpa's to open presents and eat birthday pie.  Yes... Steve's not a big cake fan, so we got him a banana cream pie instead.

The next day it was time to pack up and head back to Sacramento.  But, on our way home we got to spend the afternoon with Steve's dad and Jackie.

Grandpa and Grandma spoiled the kids with treats and presents, but the highlight for the kids was meeting their new dog, Mellow.  And let me tell you... that dog lived up to his name.  I don't think I've ever met such a sweet and laid back dog ever.  He definitely had Paige wrapped around his little toe.
 

It was definitely a whirlwind trip... but we wouldn't have had it any other way.  We got to spend lots of time with people we love and it was a perfect reminder of what we are truly thankful for this Thanksgiving.