gobble gobble

  We spent Thanksgiving in Lake Arrowhead with Jay's family. It was a fantastic time! From cooking, to fishing and card playing we thoroughly enjoyed our time together. I think Avery had more fun than anyone. It was wonderful watching her bond with her grandma, aunties and uncles.  She woke Jay and I up at 4:45am every morning and screamed until we took her upstairs to the main floor. She would smile as Jay carried her upstairs to the dark living room and kitchen. She would excitedly look around the room and then begin crying all over again, when she realized no one was there to greet her. Fortunately, for her, all the crying paid off and her sleepy family emerged from their bedrooms to begin the day around 6am. 

  Our cabin was very old and very small, but we enjoyed the confined space. While the women slaved away at Thanksgiving dinner, the men fished off of the dock.

 James, Jay and Steve were very proud of their catch. And it was very good! It took a lot of man hours to catch the little guy and they retired for the day content with their accomplishment.

  Yes, this is all the women in matching pjs!! We are that nerdy and proud of it! I will openly admit that the onesie is not a good look on a 6 month pregnant woman, but I swallowed my pride and joined in on the fun. Can't hide the tummy anyway!

  
The prom pose was my idea...

   Each morning I went outside with my cup of hot tea (and usually a little 1 year old) to enjoy the crisp cool air and the feel of the morning. I told Avery that Thanksgiving was about giving thanks and that beauty like this in the world is something to be grateful for. I feel so blessed to have been in a place of such beauty with people that I love. It was an amazing opportunity for Avery to bond with her family and I know that she is missing them since we returned home.

   Ok, in this coat I look more like 9 months preggers than 6, but it was freaking cold!! Our intention was to go to the village to shop and meet Santa, but when we discovered that Santa was running a half hour late, we took our  little girl back to the cabin and put her to bed.

 From wearing everyone's shoes...

  to playing Cadoo...

 we couldn't have enjoyed ourselves more.

Some of my favorite moments were our adventure walks on the trail. I would get us bundled  up and we would walk to the dock to visit daddy while he fished.  It did take us a very long time to walk a very short distance, but we had a blast collecting rocks and sticks.

I am so grateful for my in-laws and am happy to know them better after this trip. Maybe this should be our new tradition???