Thankful

It's been awhile - we were on the road last Monday (literally - driving from Clarion to West Virginia to Joel & Renee's family's lodge) and yesterday we were getting settled back in at home.

We had a perfect Thanksgiving - and part of what made it perfect was the fact that it was over a week long! We left last Friday and spent 3 nights in Clarion. William had a great time cruising around Gula & Grandpa's house, playing with all of his toys, and spending time with his grandparents and Aunt Erika. He even got to ride on his Daddy's special rocking horse from when he was little, AND learned to play the harmonica. (No joke! Remember that Fisher Price drum set from the 80s/90s with the cymbals, maracas, etc.? His grandparents taught him how to blow into the harmonica and he was so tickled that he was making music. It was pretty cute).



We ate lots of good food, went on walks, helped Grandpa and Gula set up their Christmas decorations, relaxed and watched the PSU and Steelers games. Had a great time, and couldn't believe it was already time to leave when Monday rolled around.

From Clarion we drove (I believe it was between 3-4 hours) to the Riffee's gorgeous lodge in the mountains of WV. Their entire family was there (the place was huge as well as beautiful!) - 5 kids including William, 2 dogs, and Joel's siblings and parents. We were bursting to see Joel and Renee, especially pregnant Renee! They're both doing well and are expecting their little girl, Marley, in February. We felt like part of the family and even got to participate in a little surprise baby shower for them. Thank you so much to the Riffees!


From WV we had another 4 hour drive to State College, to the Grim's for Thanksgiving. We were so excited to arrive and see everyone, including Gran, who came all the way from Florida, and who we hadn't seen since April! Of course Nanna's house was beautiful and her meal was perfect.

We were happy to see Aunt Amy, Uncle Dan, and cousins Luke and Morgan. William loved them! He spent his days playing with everyone - Nain, Taid, Uncle Tib and Aunt Mary. We even got to see cousin Taylor who came for the weekend for the last PSU home game. It was special to see so many family members all together at the same time. William was quite a ham and was eating up all of the attention.

In fact, he decided on the day after Thanksgiving as the day that he'd take his first steps! I'm so glad I was in the room to see it amongst all the happy visiting and commotion - he took 3 steps from his Aunt Mary to his Daddy, and was SO proud. We have been pestering the poor guy ever since, having him walk from person to person. So far he's really not that interested, and his record is 4 steps. He'd much rather crawl; it's faster at this point and he is a pro. He wrestled and lounged with Uncle David and Uncle Andrew, laughed at the doggies, watched football, and sampled some of the Thanksgiving feast. (Results: he loves turkey but was not a fan of real sweet potatoes.)

Click the collage to enlarge!

To say we are thankful is an understatement. We have the most loving families in the world. We have a happy, healthy, hilarious little boy. We have a roof over our heads and a bright future to look forward to.

Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone, and here's to the beginning of the holiday season!