The Holiday Season Has Begun

Thanksgiving morning started off with Bobby's first gift of the holiday season.  As soon as he saw a wrapped present, he did what any kid his age would do.....he immediately tore the wrapping paper off to see what was inside.  A far cry from the days that his Santa presents would remain under the Christmas tree wrapped for days following Christmas until I finally unwrapped them and placed them back under the tree until he became used to their presence in our home.  Every holiday you can just see how much Bobby has matured and how much progress that he has made, progress that we absolutely feared would never come.

 A new outdoor Christmas decoration.  As soon as I put up our outdoor decorations, Elmo will find his new home on our back porch so that Bobby can see him all of the time.

Now, time to get the dinner ready.  I found Bobby many time throughout the morning hanging out in the dining room checking out the table.

I think that he enjoyed the symmetry of the place settings.  Grandma Carolyn kept taking pictures of me throughout the cooking process and I, quite frankly, was too busy to put a stop to her madness!!

I was 100% burning up by this point.  Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and rolls had just come out of the oven.  The mashed potatoes and green just finished on the stove top.  The glass or two of wine didn't help the matter either, but I was HOT.  I repeat...HOT!!  I had to go outside for a couple of minutes to cool off and my mom felt that it was necessary to follow me and get a picture.  This should help people to understand my problem with taking too many pictures!

Bobby had left my gloves out on the front porch, so I picked them up to bring inside, easier to just wear them so that I wouldn't forget.

Dinner was great, especially because we had a full table.  Grandma, Aunt Mimi and Aunt Dianna....Bobby's favorite trio of women.  Uncle Tom and Kaitlin rounded out the Smith family dinner table.  If you are wondering if Bobby actually eats anything from the Thanksgiving table......the answer is no/yes.  No he doesn't eat the typical fare, but yes because I add a dish to the table that is Bobby acceptable, homemade fresh cut french fries.

After dinner was over and the kitchen cleaned, Grandma wanted a picture with her grandchildren that were present....which lead to a lot of craziness!!!!

Elmo's trying to muscle his way into the family picture!!

Trying to keep Bobby sitting nicely for a picture is just such a complicated task.

Bobby jumped out of the picture, Uncle Tom jumped in....

And then the giggles started....

Wait a second, Bobby's back, but where did the rest of the crew go??!!!

"Bobby, give Grandma a kiss!!"

Yes, it's one of our favorite pictures ever!!

My beautiful niece, Kaitlin, was laying on the floor when Grandma wanted to get a picture of Bobby, with his Mommy and Daddy.  Then this happened......

Daddy is the leader of the laughs!!  His great sense of humor got us all in stitches.

Trying to get Bobby in on the craziness!!  He wasn't feeling it, so we let him go....

I just want to take a second here to talk about Bobby's dad, my husband, Bob.  He makes me laugh. He is a great dad.  He loves Bobby and is involved in every aspect of his life.  He is there when things are bad, when it's not fun.  He didn't get up and run when the going got tough.  He is there to enjoy the good times and make them even better.  Did I mention that he makes me laugh!!  He works hard so that we have everything that we need.  Girls, when you are picking a life partner, make sure that they have a great sense of humor.  Keep laughing!!

Jazz Hands!!

Uh oh Bobby, Kaitlin is wrapping you up!!

Bobby's turn to decorate Kait.  Yeah, she did it herself, Bobby wasn't too much help....

Zoi loves Kaitlin too!!

While we were cooking and eating our Thanksgiving dinner we started talking about our most memorable Thanksgivings in our lives.  What's funny is that mine really aren't that memorable from one to another.  They were all good.  My childhood holidays were filled with a lot of family, great home cooked food, no tension or fighting among anyone.  So this Thanksgiving, this is what I am most thankful for....I grew up in a happy, loving family surrounded by good people making good memories. This is the tradition that I want to pass on to Bobby.....holidays surrounded by love and happiness. What more could you ask for??!!!!