A November to be Thankful for!

 November got off to a nice start.  The weather was great, and our family was able to enjoy lots of time outdoors.  At school Macie took school pictures, and we were all impressed with how well they turned out- Macie is quite photogenic!

Even at home in pajamas I can appreciate a good pose.

Presley has continued to grow this month- she is so big that Mom had to move her into a rear facing toddler seat because she outgrew her infant seat.  We got a picture of her first time in the new seat, and she seemed really excited!

She has perfected the art of sitting up, and is no longer a weeble wooble.  Presley loves being able to sit up and interact with us- she is quite the ham!

She has started to babble, and can say Ma Ma very well.  She says Da Da from time to time, and it is so cute to hear her little voice.  She is the most vocal in the car when Macie and I are singing along with the radio.

She has also started mimicking sounds.  Listen as she tries to copy Uncle Will's silly laughter...

Macie and I are having SO much fun with our baby sister.  We love that she is no longer "breakable."

Macie has been enjoying her time at school in the Rainbow Room.  She has made lots of wonderful friends, and goes to school everyday with a big smile on her face.

On days when Graham is with them after school, they go to parks and play outside.  Macie and Graham have become really good buddies!

 

Presley really enjoys going to the park and being outside- she is finally big enough to have fun on the swings!!!

 

We love her enthusiastic chuckles!

 On days when they go to gymnastics Presley eagerly watches as the big kids run, jump, and play.

Seeing the kids move has encouraged her to give it a try.  So far all she does is say back and forth, but its a start!

One of the coolest things Presley does now is EAT!  Despite the fact that she still doesn't have a single tooth, she can eat with the best of them.  Mom jsut mashes up our dinner, and Presley shoves it in her mouth.  So far her favorite is lasagna.

Watching her eat provides tons of entertainment for the family!

 

After dinner Presley is covered with food, so Mom puts her in the "bath" while she cleans the kitchen.  Presley loves splashing around in the warm water!

Mom recently tried giving her a bath in an actual bathtub.  Presley was must have been thirsty, because she spent the whole time in the bath trying to drink the water from the shower head.

By Mid November our schedule got crazy!  Mom signed up to do the winter boutique at school, so she was busy making bows and hairpieces morning, noon, and night.  During the day Presley would sit on the floor and play with Mom's material!

Poor Mom ended up making over 250 hairpieces; we spent lots of time riding bikes and playing in the driveway while she worked.

 Because we had been SO busy, Thanksgiving snuck up on us.  Mom scrambled to get things together at Costco for our school feasts and functions, not to mention the feast for our family.  Uncle Will joined her and Presley at Costco and found it comical that Mom navigated Costco wearing Presley and didn't skip a beat.

Presley didn't seem to mind.

While Mom was busy shopping, Macie and I were at school working on our holiday events.

My class worked together to create a big feast just like the Pilgrim's had.  Here I am in the vest and hat I made,

and here is the place setting that I made.

The day before our holiday break, all of the Kindergarteners sat down together and had our very own Thanksgiving feast- it was AWESOME!!!

The next day our family watched Macie and her friends perform songs for the holidays.  Mom and Dad were SO proud of Macie.  She stood front and center and belted songs out to the crowd!!!

She worked up quite an appetite, and shoveled down a plate of pumpkin pie  as soon as she sat down.

After her performance we joined her friends on the playground and enjoyed the beautiful Arizona weather.

 Thanksgiving morning the family spent a lazy morning reading books and playing.  When it was time for breakfast everyone gathered at the table, and Presley was SUPER excited to be included at the "big kids" table.

After breakfast Mom cooked our feast, and Hayley, John, and Uncle Will joined us in the early afternoon to sit down for our Thanksgiving dinner.  I put on my special outfit for the celebration.

Before eating, both Macie and I gave thanks.

Macie gave a rendition of her school performance,

and I had the honor of saying grace for the family.

We all sat down on our new dining room table and ate until our tummies were ready to burst.

Presley woke up from her nap while we were feasting, so Mom brought her to the table.  Still dressed in her jammies, Aunt Hayley fed her some mash potatoes and she gobbled them down.

After we ate, the whole family enjoyed snuggling together.  We played board games with everyone, and enjoyed a lazy evening.

Before the end of the day we posed for a few pictures together.  Aunt Hayley was the only one able to get up from the couch- everyone else was to full to move (:

Thanksgiving was a nice, relaxing day, and we were grateful to spend it with one another.  The upcoming month of December is going to be CRAZY, so this relaxing time was much appreciated.  Tomorrow our family is going to get our Christmas tree and start decorating for the holiday season- we can't wait!!!!!!