Thanksgiving

At long last, I have finally found a spare moment to record our Thanksgiving holiday. Bronwen is still sick, but resting peacefully in her crib, *pause for a moment to make sure statement is accurate...whew, it is* and I have some energy to complete the task.

There isn't too much to relate, actually. We drove an hour to Mandeville to TJ's sister Kadee's house. Bronwen loathes the trip, and showed her displeasure the entire way there. We arrived with our cranky baby, whom everyone wanted to see and hold, and she refused to cooperate, as cranky babies tend to do. I knew she needed a nap, but being in a strange place, she also balked at the idea of sleeping, despite Cousin Shelby's best effort to give her a stuffed animal friend.

*No images of cranky baby currently available*

We ate our dinner, Bronwen on my lap the entire time. I gave her a few samplings of sweet potato and spinach, but some turkey must have slipped through, because at long last she napped. Thank you tryptophan!



After a scant 30 minutes, however, she was up and in decidedly better spirits. It was a lovely day outside, although a bit on the chilly side, yet we didn't let the biting teeth of Autumn deter us! I put Bronwen in her fleece hoodie and TJ carried her outside. As you can see, she was thrilled to feel the wind on her face and the sun on her cheeks. It didn't take long for her to notice what was behind her--the swing set! So TJ strapped her in...Everything looked fine at first glance...


And then:
Seriously , folks, this isn't a set up. TJ, my engineer husband, thought that this is how it was supposed to go.I gently pointed out (*panicked voice* "TJ! THERE IS ANOTHER STRAP!!! FIX HER!) how he needed to correctly handle the situation, and it was a little better.

Once Bronwen was securely fastened in the swing, TJ and she had a ball. He pushed her and she flew through the air. This was her first experience with an outdoor swing, and she thought it was great fun.

At this point we went inside to play with the cousins for a bit. Bronwen enjoyed watching all the girls run around, and she even had some play time on her mat that I brought along. When she tired of that, I brought her outside again to participate in one of my own favorite activities--bird watching.

TJ got his time in as well.
And, as it usually happens, once people see a great photo op with cute kids...

This pretty much brings us to the end of the narrative. We left for home, and once again Bronwen cried and fussed the entire trip back. It was amazing, though, for as we walked through the door, she was fine once again. Yes, she, Dorothy Gale, and I all have the same philosophy: There is no place like home, with or without the turkey, and for that we give thanks.