Thanksgiving THANKS!

 
Thanksgiving is always a special time of year to help people remember what they are thankful for. I have a lot of things I am thankful for. Too many to name, really. I love in the picture above how Aria has learned to tickle! She's laughing herself too!

Thanksgiving was a nice day. It started early - as I made some rolls that I hadn't ever made before. They turned out SO yummy!I also made some mashed potatoes and a pumpkin dessert.

Aria LOVES to help. With anything. She loved to help me push the vacuum around, wipe off the table, be involved and baking, etc. She is a VERY hard worker. I don't think she'll be the type to just sit around when she is older. And, of course, we encourage her!

Then we went to Drew's parent's house where Aria ate to her hearts content! It was a smaller group this year, but we still had a lot of fun! I love this family. Blaize and Kazh had Thanksgiving with their mom this year, so we missed them. Aria was the only kid! Ben, Laura & Bethany and Hannah took a last minute trip to Canada, so we missed them too.

 Then, in the evening we went over to my family's Thanksgiving. I love that our families live close so we can see everyone. I love my family! They are all so nice and kind to each other. I love that there isn't much drama to deal with on either side, so thinks are peaceful and inviting. My brother and his family had Thanksgiving with his in-laws at the same time so they weren't able to make it this year. My brother and his family in Atlanta didn't make it either, but we usually see them in the summertime instead.

After dinner Aria gave her Birth Mom a call to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving! It was a great conversation and Aria even 'talked' a bit! We are especially thankful for them. Aria's Birth Mom took such great care of herself & Aria while pregnant with her and I know that has been a huge contributor to why Aria has hardly gotten sick. They made such a selfless decision so Drew and I could be Parents. To be a mommy & a daddy. We will always be thankful to them. Even though we may show it in our own way, I hope they always know that. We will always make sure Aria knows how we feel.

Alex brought his new Playstation Move with him and we played a lot of that. It's way fun!

Aria missed Alex.

Thanksgiving night, Janet was pretty excited for Black Friday. It's her favorite time of year. Thanksgiving itself is secondary for her. She loves a good deal and this many deals at once sends her into an excited frenzy! :) Her excitement is contagious. So contagious, I went with her. I know, I hate Black Friday, but I love hanging out with Janet. So I went. At Midnight instead of the morning deals. Lots more fun, and the crowds were nicer!