thanksgiving weekend 2012.

our thanksgiving weekend started out with a pumpkin shake and old fashioned fresh cut fries from burger bar... both were delicious. 

brooklyn did really well on the drive up and was super excited to arrive in coalville at grandma and grandpa's house. she was mauled with hugs and kisses and then helped grandma with dinner. she got to eat fresh green beans in the process and was quite happy about that. girl loves her some green beans! while she was distracted doing that, james and i made a mad dash over to nike to see kayla and also to take advantage of some great deals. store closed at 6... we walked in at 5:57. thanks again for the hook up googs!

the rest of our thanksgiving eve was full of relaxing and eating treats that whit and chandler kindly brought to share. we all loved on that sweet baby o and said our goodbyes quite late that night.

thanksgiving morning brought a delicious bevarian creme filled pastry for breakfast. as if the calories weren't going to pile on later that day, we all enjoyed our own little section of this delicious little thing. james, however, was out burning extra calories playing in his annual turkey bowl with his dad and brother. he had a blast once again and was nice and sore for the rest of the weekend.

kayla and haley were lucky enough to ride in our back seat and entertain brooklyn the whole two hours to cokeville. ha. not lucky, but we sure did appreciate their willingness to sing goofy songs and listen to all 50 tracks of the good ol halloween cd. brooklyn loved it.

we were greeted at grandma and grandpa's with hugs, warmth, and the smell of turkey and dressing. oh my goodness the dressing. my grandma's is the best. hands down! the last touches were just being prepared and before we knew it, it was time to eat. 

dinner tasted as good as it was beautiful. truly. it was. i enjoyed every bite, being sure not to get too full because i knew my stomach would enjoy a few pieces of my grandma's homemade pumpkin pie. my stomach was pleased. such good pie. pumpkin pie is my all time favorite! and topped with homemade cream...it's a slice of heaven. 

we didn't leave the table for hours. we visited and caught up on each other's lives. a lot of talking and digesting. i really really enjoyed myself. 

/family picture in front of grandma and grandpa's house on dayton drive/

right after the above picture was taken, some cute little kittens came pouncing across the yard and brooklyn had to chase them. she insisted. so here she is trying her hardest to touch just one of those sweet little fur balls. she was unsuccessful.

/brooklyn with emma lou. she is such a good little helper and kept brooklyn occupied for hours this weekend. i loved it. and so did brooklyn./

at dark, we made the less-than-a-mile drive over to grandma jackie's for a visit. brooklyn wanted to touch everything in site. she especially loved grandma's teddy bear collection. she also got into grandma's tv remotes and before the night was over, had switched the one in the living room for the one in the den. neither remote would turn on either tv. it was not discovered until the next night. what a mean trick brooklyn played. 

our black friday montpelier shopping did not disappoint. i think we all found some great treasures and were happy to just spend the time together. the women folk have been doing this for years. remember last year? brooklyn didn't come this year. she stayed at grandma's and took a nice two and half hour nap. lucky for her daddy.

we said our goodbyes at grandma and grandpa petersen's, and then went over to say goodbye to grandma jackie. she fed us licorice, pretzels, peanut M&M's, grapes, and the likes. i almost felt like i'd had thanksgiving dinner all over again. brooklyn played with the bears again and had her diaper changed on the washing machine. we love when grandma jackie is in town. nampa, id is really far away, so we love any chance we can get!

saturday, we lucked out. grandma hadn't seen baby olivia yet and just couldn't stand it any longer. so she and miles made the trek to coalville just for a little while to come and meet that sweet tiny baby. olivia just wanted to sleep and didn't show grandma her big beautiful eyes until the very end. but those eyes. oh those eyes. 

that night was our third thanksgiving dinner with james' mom's family. by the end of the weekend my camera had died, resulting in no pictures of those festivities. we had dinner at a church which gave all of the kids plenty of room to run around. brooklyn loved it. she loves any chance she gets to play with kids. the more the merrier. she thought she was one of them, even though she was two years younger than most of them. she even got to play the skittle game grandma lisa brought for all the kids. brooklyn was in heaven. it was so cute. the night ended with some entertainment from some of the smith grandgirls doing some dances. it was so cute. again, brooklyn loved it. she kept clapping and then trying to go out 'on stage' herself. some day brooklyn. it'll be here before we know it. 

james and i are so thankful at this time of year, most especially for our families. we truly are blessed to have such a great support system and to be related to so many great (and fun) people. we're also very blessed to live so close to so many. we really are happiest when we're spending time with those we love. and as the christmas season is approaches, we feel even more and more blessed to have such great family. 

p.s. i ordered that one thing i really really want for christmas/my birthday. it was 30% off. i had to. so, it's on its' little way to my SIL's house to be wrapped and put under the tree so i can open it on christmas day! holy cow i'm excited!