Thanksgiving

Whew! I don't know about you, but we are still recovering from the holidays in our house. As usual, my blog got put on the back burner in the midst of other events going on. So here's a few catch up posts to let you know what we've been up to!

We had Thanksgiving with one side of Austin's family (the Gilreath's) the weekend before Thanksgiving day. Then we spent the actual holiday out in Elizabeth City with the Keaton side. Loads of delicious food and lots of fun with loved ones. Mason was absolutely obsessed with mac and cheese this year. He ate about a dozen helpings of it. Poor kid, I think that may have been his first taste of it...sorry Mason!

We had to wake up this poor babe to get on the road to Elizabeth City. We don't co-sleep, in case anyone is wondering. But sometimes I sneak her into bed with me if she tries to wake up pre-6 am.

A granola bar and a book makes for a happy Mason.

Chowing down his eighteenth serving of mac and cheese.

Fall in North Carolina is almost surreal. It's so beautiful here.

The dock down the street from Grandparent's Keaton.

Baby Miriam was a little chilly on our evening walk.

Mason and great Aunt Brenda checking out the crazy Christmas lights display.

These pictures of Mason crack me up. He's sitting between Grandma and Great Grandma as they chat over breakfast. He fancied himself part of the conversation. I have about 18 shots of him that make like a flip book as he eats his biscuit, drinks his hot chocolate, and expresses his interest in what's being discussed. 

I think they deserve their own post. 

If the thought of your toddler going to college makes the tears flow (like me) or if you're my mom and just dropped your 7th child off at BYU this past weekend, you should read this article.

After Mason's 2nd birthday party, when all of the chaos had died down, he fell asleep on our bed between Austin and I for a nap. Instead of sleeping I just looked at him and cried. And cried and cried. If 2 years went this fast, where will the rest of the time go?

And last night Miriam spent her first night in her own room. Five months has never passed so quickly in my life. These sweet babies are my greatest privilege and I cling desparately to every moment with them.

Please stop growing so fast, little ones.

Pool Party!

Grandma and Grandpa decided our summer wouldn't be complete without a POOL! Mason was pretty much thrilled all week about getting to go and swim. The weather here is crazy hot. Seriously. Crazy. Sweltering. Humid. Hot. Any method of cooling down is definitely in order.

The Miriam series.

Chubby baby. Skinny jeans. 'Nuff said.
These jeans are size 6 months and I could barely squeeze her chubby little thighs into them. It was just too cute to not take three dozen pictures of.
Her darling striped onesie was a gift picked out for her by Grandpa.

I could kiss those cheeks all day long.

Tiny Chef

Who doesn't love pizza? And the only thing better than pizza is homemade pizza. Mason was ecstatic about helping and I love that he's getting big enough to be interested in these kind of things. 

After we had pizza for dinner that first night, every time I asked him what he wanted for breakfast/lunch/dinner the answer was "umm...some pizza!" And he'd throw his hands in the air. How do I say no to that? 

So for lunch three days in a row we had pizza. 

I am still working on a breakfast pizza so I can really make his dreams come true.

Surveying the goods

Roll it, and roll it, and mark it with a "B"...

Sometimes you have to take your clothes off to make really good pizza.

Poor sister. Mason has a strange way of showing affection.

"We're makin' PIZZA!!!"

What a face.

Enjoying the fruits of his labor.