Out with the Turkey in with the Tree

Turkey Day has come and gone. As is the case with any of my favorite moments, it has all gone by so quickly. We ate and we ate. And then we ate some more. All together we had 3 turkey dinners (not including leftover dinners) this year. The first was at our house last sunday. The 2nd was at my Dad and Stepmom's in Ohio (see photo of beautiful farm below). And the 3rd was at Bryan's Grandmother's home on the Tennessee River. All three were so fun and special- each in their own way.

Our turkey turned out yummy and on time. Two things that I most worry about for the turkey. Yay! I had a preggo-brain moment when I was purchasing the turkey and bought a bird that was actually twice the size we needed. Ooops. It was HUGE- 24lbs! I was thinking it was 2lbs per person when in reality it should be 1lb per person. My brain is not right. Everything turned out beautiful and it was a fun afternoon.



Dad's was also fun. We split the drive to Ohio this time and stayed in a hotel on the way there. That was nice. We had free breakfast at the hotel which I loved! You know, I gotta eat when I wake up these days and this place had SO much to choose from. I like variety. My stomach is tough to please currently so it is nice to have choices. It helps when those choices include make-it-yourself waffles! Yum! And all the OJ I could chug. Which is a lot. I'm in love with citrus right now. Wow, enough about the breakfast. It was wonderful to see the Ohio family. Grandma was doing great. I love seeing her. Linda made a feast for us. She is a great cook and such a warm, loving person. We are all so lucky to have her in the family. She takes care of Grandma like she is her own mother. And loves me like a daughter. :) Brett (stepbro) and his wife Gretchen were there also and it is always fun talking to them and getting to know them better. I'm not sure when I'll be back up to Ohio with this baby and all. It seems weird that some of my family will probably never see me when I am big and pregnant.



Bryan's family is always a hoot. He has so many aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. that there is never a dull moment. They love to play cards and games; so do I. We always play this card game called Maneuvers. It is a blast and is considered an initiation to the family if you can survive a game. Even better if you are any good at it. We also were able to tell the family in person about our babe. It was so fun! They were all sooo excited. They love family and are ready to welcome another Kelley into the world. I can't wait for them to meet him or her. We slept at Grandmother's house for the first time ever. We usually stay at an aunt and uncle's house. We must be grown up if we are staying in "the big house" now. Here's me butting in front of the buffet line since I'm pregnant. I think I was first in line at all turkey dinners this year. :)


Tuesday was the birth of my cousin's baby, Isabella Grace. Happy birthday, little girl. You are a cutie. Congratulations, Sara and Tommy!

We came back home sweet home today. Vacation was wonderful and relaxing this time but I was excited to come home! Especially since we went to pick out our Christmas tree today. Yippee! I LOVE LOVE x-mas and the tree. We went down to Fayetteville to the tree farm but ended up with a fir from out of state. They don't grow here so the farmers always import some for people like me and Bryan. We thought about cutting down a Leyland Cypress but were totally distracted by the beautiful firs. I made Bryan play the requisite Christmas tunes while we decorated it. Bryan is in charge of lights, me the ornaments. Up top is a picture of the beauty.