Thacker Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family today with a huge spread at my mom and dad's.  My mom slaved all day and prepared a delicious meal.  It was just my parents, grandparents, my aunt Karen, Jo, Kate and the boys, and us.  It was really nice to keep it a bit more low key.  The kids got some great quality time with their great grandparents which is rare.

Hudson and Camden cuddling with Grandpa Sheepie

Enjoying some derby pie and ice cream

We love when Jo is in town!  The boys adore her and she is so good to them.

Aunt Karen was thrilled to meet Cord too.

Camden and Grandma Thacker spent some time playing babies with stuffed animals.

He was cracking me up with it.  He was doing the exact some things I do to soothe Riella.  He's an observant little guy.

Grandma and Cord 

Since I'm the only girl born to any of my grandma's daughters I was the only shot of making this four generations of women picture possible.  It is something I dreamed would become a reality and I am so blessed that it has.  It is so special to me and I love that Riella gets her middle name from my grandmother.  She is truly a blessing to so many and has taught me so much about the kind of wife, mother, and Christian that I want to be.  I pray that I can pass on some of her characteristics to my daughter. 

We gave Cam and Hud a bath together.  They loved it and their sweet mohawks!

Then Papaw read them all a bedtime story before we left.

Kate got some good bonding time in with Riella. She was all smiles for her Aunt Kate.  :-)

Meeting Cord!

Kate came into town with the boys last night and we planned to spend the day together today.  We were all so excited to see them.  It had been almost two months which is just way too long in my opinion.  They walked through the door and I immediately began to cry tears of joy.  I had missed them all so much and just couldn't wait to get my hands on my sweet nephews!  The boys had a great time playing together and the babies enjoyed meeting their aunts for the first time.  :-)

Before they got there Robert got the mail.  Inside was a package from a friend of mine with this over the top adorable gown.  I couldn't wait to get it on her and start snapping some photos.  Isn't she precious?!!?

I couldn't wait to see this sweet boy.  He couldn't wait to get to the playroom. ha!

Sisters reunited and cousins meeting for the first time.  I love that they are only 6 days apart.  I hope they are best buds!

We tried really hard to get some photos of them together.  They weren't super cooperative...one would fall asleep and the other would wake up, then they'd switch.  When they were awake and happy they were moving their arms around so much they were hitting each other.  At the end of the day it just became comical.  I'm sure Kate still managed to get a few good shots though because she rocks like that.  ;-) (Disclaimer: This was just a quick pic I snapped on my iPhone)

Brown Thanksgiving

Instead of joining all of Robert's extended family for Thanksgiving we opted to host a smaller dinner for immediate family here Thanksgiving night.  With Riella still being so young we thought it might keep her healthier and less germ infested.

Riella's first holiday!

I LOVED putting her outfit together. 

All of my little turkeys.

This huge container of fresh fruit was devoured by the kids.

Me and the hubs

Nonno and Nonna cuddling their first granddaughter

Time for dessert! Yum!

DIY Snow Globes

Ryker and I wanted to make our own snow globes over his Thanksgiving break.  Robert took the day off today and Ryker and I headed out to pick up supplies for our project and some groceries.  It was so nice to get a little one-on-one time with him.  I miss him while he's at school and I feel like I just don't get enough time with him anymore.

We bought glass jars and a deer ornament for one.  We just superglued the deer to the lid and added fake snow.

He was so excited about the finished product. 

For the other one, we bought a wooden truck and painted it then added a bit of greenery in the back to look like a Christmas tree.  I loved the way this one turned out. 

 

It was such a fun and simple project and a great way to spend some extra quality time with my big boy.

Playland Play Date

We met Aunt Chelle and Nathan at our church's Playland today to get some wiggles out.  ;-)  It's the perfect place for a wild 2 year old to run off some energy in the winter.  We went to Mama Nita's for the buffet afterwards which was delicious as always. 

Me and my littles

I took the boys down the rolly slide.  They loved it!

Riella was busy making faces for Aunt Chelle

Love these guys!  They are getting to be such buds. :-)

First Baths

Riella has had a few baths since we've arrived home.  Her skin is so dry and with the cold temperatures I haven't wanted to give her too many so we can keep her skin well moisturized.  We've given her a sponge bath and I've washed her hair in the sink, but tonight we finally gave her a full-on regular bath.

Her first sponge bath was Nov. 12th.  The boys were very eager to watch.

She was not a big fan.

This is from tonight.  Still not a big fan...

 

Operation Christmas Child

Every year around this time we shop for toys, hats, gloves, and other necessities to fill a shoebox for a little boy somewhere in the world that wouldn't have a Christmas present otherwise.  It's part of a program called Operation Christmas Child.  I started doing this as a child and I love that we've made it a tradition with our kids too.  Today was the day to pack up our shoebox.  Ryker colored a picture for the little boy and Camden decorated the box with stickers. 

 

Tonight as we prayed for the little boy who would receive our shoebox, Ryker said he wanted to give it a boy he knows from school.  He said the little boy has said he doesn't have any toys at home and he wanted to give him some.  I told him that I would look into it and see if that little boy really did need some toys and that if he did we would get him some.  He quickly got a huge grin on his face and began bouncing up and down.  I love that boy's heart like no other!  He is so sweet and tender-hearted.  I pray he always keeps that love to help others!

Birthday Dinner

Tonight, I had the chance to get out of the house and celebrate my birthday (and a dear friend's) with some of my favorite ladies.  Anna and I's birthdays are just two weeks apart so we chose to celebrate together at the Cheesecake Factory.  It was the first time I'd taken Riella out except to the doctor and it was nice to get dressed up and enjoy some great company and delicious food.  All the girls made me feel so special and we had such a great time talking and laughing together.

Riella was beyond adorable in her outfit.  I'm obsessed with her jacket and want one in my size!

We had a great server who surprised us with candles and a happy birthday message on our dessert plates.

Sarah, Emily, Anna, and Tessa

Jessie, Jamie, Riella, and myself

So thankful for these ladies.  They are all such blessings in my life.

Riella's Newborn Pictures