MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Or so it seems at the rate of slowness that is my blogging. AND I don't have any outside activities going on either- I've just been a slacker- but we had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving break!


Wed. we went to the zoo for my dad's birthday and as always everyone loved it- and the weather was just beautiful!! 75 and sunny:) (The happy couple above!)

Here is our cute little family- Dante's head is the elephant in case you were wondering. Sometimes he like to make believe. So, just believe it ok!
Dante also likes to not follow the family and gets in his own little world sometimes. When we were looking at the seals, I noticed he wasn't with us- and I was like, great! Where did we lose him this time... when Chet saw him just on the opposite side of the seal pool, hanging with the family next to him. We were shouting his name, to try and get him to come over to us- but the look he gave us was priceless- it was the look of, "Why are those people yelling my name?" OH! They are my family! (Too bad I didn't get that picture face-- it was hilarious!)

Chet had the day off on Wed. so we were excited he could come! He was too! But he was more excited that he kind of looks like the giraffe there.
Hmmmm?? Do you think he could go out for being the Toy's R Us giraffe?? Do they even have that giraffe anymore- where they sing- "I don't want to grow up, I'm a toys r us kid?" Or is that old school? If it is- I say Chet needs to bring Old School back, baby!

Erin loved the little small animals- especially this prairie dog. She wanted to know if we could call and ask Pets Mart to order one??

Here is Aunt Emily with Minnie, Erin and Ethan. The morning of the zoo it was pretty chilly and I told Ethan if he was going to wear his swimsuit (and yes- I still let him wear his swimsuit in public in the wintertime- I'm the BEST mom EVER!!) Anyways- I told him, he would have to go and put a sweatshirt on or a long sleeve shirt on under his short sleeve top- he then comes out with 3 different SHORT sleeve shirts on- saying "Mom, THIS will do!"
Chet had the fun job of pushing whoever wanted to be pushed in the stroller and it normally came down to Ethan and Minnie, and sometimes both!
AWW! And here is the funnest dad in the world, with some pro ninja kid, and a little surfer man who apparently can't walk--- with a side of some sweet sugar and spice that is Erin:)

After the zoo we went to go see:

It was SOOO cute! I think I even liked it better then the first one!:) The kids loved it- and it was appropriate after the zoo. Except- we then had Erin asking us to order her a Penguin from Pets Mart. (It is called Pets Mart, right?)

After that it was presents, cupcakes, and hot tubbing! FUN!FUN!FUN!

Hope you had a fun birthday dad- and thanks for taking us along for the ride:)


Then we had our Yummy Thanksgiving Feast the next day over at my moms- to which my camera's memory card was full (again- another post about my camera soon!) and I hadn't cleared it yet, from the zoo.

But- it was very good! We had a normal baked turkey and then a deep fried turkey. Seriously- deep fried turkeys are good- and only take about an hour! If that-- it's great:) We had to learn how to deep fry when we went camping over Thanksgiving the last few years- and we just have loved the taste. And it isn't as gross as it may sound- being deep fried.

But, I did get some pictures of the afterwards. Like the pumpkin pie, with the fingerprint in the middle of it, that one of my dear, sweet children, just couldn't resist and then decided they didn't really like pumpkin pie, and spit it out.

We then played crazy rook- like we do pretty much every family get together.. which is nothing like rook- but you use rook cards- because we are cool like that.

Here we have Chet contemplating his bid- he is very serious, and actually did very good, considering this was his first time playing (don't ask me how we have been married for 8 years and how we play this at every get together- but he has not yet played it? I have NO idea how that happened? I think he was just trying to fool us!)
My dad tallying up the scores and the winner is......... I can't remember- I just know it wasn't me or Chet... so it doesn't really matter, but I think it was Elizabeth, or Derek (Christies new beau). Oh, well.

And my new thing I'm most thankful for this holiday season is:
COOKBOOKS! They kept my kids VERY entertained while we were playing the game. It is almost better then actually eating the food-- they were going CRAZY! So, now I know what I will buy when I go to half priced books next time- and who knows, maybe I have some future cooks in the making.:)

I hope everyone else had a very Merry Christmas, I mean- THANKSGIVING!!

(I can't believe Christmas is 24 days aways... CRAZY!)