Thanksgiving Little Rock Style

Thanksgiving seemed to creep up on me just like everything else has this year! And it hit on a surprisingly warm day. We were lucky enough to hit up several different Thanksgiving stops this year, and we did our best to stay as long as we could at each one, so Seth and I, and Elem could spend some time with family. First stop was pretty standard, we headed over to Aunt Nancy's for the standard Shelby Family Holiday get together. This basically includes all of Seth's mom's side of the family and this family is pretty big! However, this year one of the sisters and her fam was not there, since they were visiting in Louisiana, so the crowd was pretty tame. We missed Uncle Chad, Aunt Leslie, and Baby Avery, but we will see them in just a few weeks for some Christmas loving. There was plenty of good food, lots to talk about, and most importantly, our introduction to the newest member of our extended family..Mr. Harrison Henry McCoy. I am saddened that I did not get a pic, but I will give him major face time at Christmas. I mean he was the center of attention so it was kind of hard for me to get in and get a good one with Elem running around like a mad man!

The good thing about Thanksgiving for me is that it is not one of those Holidays that I just LOVE like everyone else does. I am such a picky eater and I don't cook, so there really isn't too much for me to stress about, but what Elem and I are going to wear to all the events! ha! So I got us both dressed, and loaded up the car with the regular stuff (which seems to be more and more everywhere we go) and ate my usual, ham, mashed potatoes, and rolls, and went on with my day. Its never good to be a picky eater on these days though-seeing that my kid and I ate the same plate of food-and I mean with the EXACT same items on our plates, we tend to get a lot of, "Is that all you are going to eat?" and "Can you really not find anything else that you like?" So it does get a little old, but whatever. I'm picky, and there is nothing I can do about it, and I am TOTALLY reaping what I sowed by trying to feed my child daily, with a limited 6 things that he actually eats. So don't think I don't get it or think it is weird. Trust me I do, but again, just nothing I can do about it!!

Anyways, back to the good stuff! So we hit up Thanksgiving day at Aunt Nancy's and then headed to Memphis for the weekend. So I will post on that next! So you know I tried to rock Elem out in style for the big day...knowing that I did not have any luck finding a holiday outfit, I had to put something together based on what was in his closet. Thank goodness for his willingness to wear a cool hat. Ahhh. Sweet little man. Just a chillin-


However, I can not say that everyone was in the best of moods. It seems that all of these family get-togethers have to be RIGHT at nap time for us. I mean every single thing planned for family gatherings, is right around meal times, which just also happens to be nap time if you are living with a toddler. So, it was like pulling teeth to get a cute picture of these 2 together. But they were being pretty silly for the majority of the day. Here they are mimicking each other making mouth sounds. hehe.

Elem and Cecilia.


It was a pretty laid back visit with the family-good family, good food, good play time-and we actually cut the trip a little short, because we were heading over to Aunt Joni and Uncle David's house..or should I say Ranch. Uhm it was FABULOUS!
First stop-a little visit with Mr. Naughty Tony. This side of the family actually raises and breeds race horses! Which if you live in or near Little Rock, you know that we have a horse track here in Hot Springs, called Oaklawn, and Mr. Naughty Tony ran there and I believe won a couple of races. That would be the place where my husband likes to refer that he has won "tens of dollars" each and every year! haha. So here is Elem, Papa, and Naughty Tony. The horse was HUGE and sooo sweet. He wanted lots of love.


Cecilia taking a liking to Naughty Tony as well. He was definitely the crowd pleaser.


And then here is Elem and I celebrating our Thanksgiving day. He loves me.


Like I said, our kids were beyond in need of a nap so we played with the horses for a little while, nibbled on some food, chatted with family, and then headed back home. It was a great relaxing Thanksgiving day if I do say so myself. I love to enjoy the holidays and not be stressed during them, and this one was just that. Yes, we had a few places to be, but nothing to major or pressing, I believe actually rounding Elem up something to wear might have been the extend of my stress. Which is good for a full time working mother. :) So it was a very great day.

I am so thankful this year! So so thankful for all the many things God has blessed my family and friends with that there are almost too many to list out. Working at a shelter, I think helps me keep things in perspective and seeing the direct effects of difficult times in the day to day lives of the parents and people I work with is SO humbling. And nothing has ever helped to make my eyes so open to the little things that I am so thankful for, that people just over look every single day. I am so thankful for my job and for the opportunity to help strangers in a time of need, and more importantly to play a major role in the lives of their children. A role that I would hope someone would play in the life of my child if we were ever to be in a situation where we needed the same kind of assistance. I am thankful for my home. My wonderful wonderful home. The one that I complain about because we dont have a fence, :) but the one I rush home to each and every night, just to drop my things righty when I walk in, find Sage sitting on the back of the couch where she has permanently left her mark with a dented cushion, and the one where my hubby cooks me dinner every single night. Having a place to call home, although yes it takes a chunk out of our paychecks every single month, is so rewarding and comforting. And most importantly I am thankful for my family. Both my immediate family and my extended family. We only live close to a few members of our extended family, and I would love nothing more than to have more of the fam around to see more often, but since we dont, I love the time I DO get to see them. My sweet little family, that I love more than anything-Seth and Elem, could not be any more perfect. Okay wait, not perfect in the sense that there are no arguments, or time outs, or screaming, or hitting (uhm from Elem not Seth :) hehe), or sleepless nights, but in the sense that I have everything that I could ever want. A fabulous husband who loves me-even though it took me a year and a 1/2 to change my last name, one who cooks for me every single night, and who unloads the dishes because he knows I hate to do it, and a little boy who turns my face with his hands just to get my attention to tell me that he loves me and to give me 5 kisses in a row. Wow I could not ask for anything more. For them, I am truly thankful.

Happy Turkey Day!