Thanksgiving Turkeys

Once again, we stayed put for Thanksgiving this year.  Since both of our families had just recently been to Dubuque to meet Cooper, we didn't have any family come in town for Thanksgiving.  It was a quiet, long weekend spent at home with our new family of five.  I use the term "quiet" loosely though, because with a new baby, a busy toddler, and an inquisitive preschooler, life is never really quiet!  It was nice though to enjoy some really special moments together, not have to run around to various places, and spend some time just resting around our own home. 

 

The season of Thanksgiving always makes one express gratitude for the many blessings in life, and this year was no different!  Of course we've been so blessed for the recent addition to our family and we really realize just how lucky we are to have three healthy, happy children.  This is just the beginning of the things we have to be thankful for this year, but in this season in our life, it's certainly at the top of our list!  

 

How can you not be thankful for this lil turkey?! 

 

 

 

It's already hard to imagine our life without this tiny little turkey!  He was wearing MJ's first Thanksgiving outfit, which was WAY too big for him, but of course I had to take his picture in it.  :)  It's so hard to believe that next year he'll be eating turkey with us!

 

 

One thing that I have always wanted to do is volunteer to serve Thanksgiving dinner at a homeless shelter.  Due to travel plans and what not, it just doesn't seem like it's ever worked out.  This year, it had really been on my heart, and I saw an ad posted on Facebook looking for volunteers to help with a long-standing tradition in Dubuque called the Donna Ginter dinner.  They prepare hundreds of meals that they deliver to elderly or other people that are not able to leave their home.  Then, they also serve a meal to homeless in the afternoon. 

 

I thought it would be a good experience for MJ to open his eyes to helping and serving others, so I brought him along.  It was really a special experience for us to do together.  The scenario was different than I'd expected though, and MJ wasn't able to be as hands on as I'd hoped for.  Luckily a friend of mine, Angela, and her son Jackson were there as well, and the boys were able entertain each other during the downtime.  Our role was going through an assembly line and preparing boxed meals to be delivered.  Because it was hot food, MJ wasn't allowed to handle it, but he went through the assembly line with me each time, and I think he gained a general understanding of the whole process.  I'm so in love with is tender and giving heart! I hope this is a trait that will stay with him throughout his life. 

 

 

After our volunteer time, we picked up the majority of our Thanksgiving meal from HyVee.  Thanks, HyVee for making Thanksgiving meal prep a cinch for this busy and tired mama!  I made homemade mac and cheese and pumpkin cake, but the rest of our meal was courtesy of the good ol grocery store.  I still had to bake it all, but it sure made it MUCH easier on me!

 

Once all of our little turkeys were awake from nap time, it was time to take a few pictures and get to the good part...food!

 

 

 

Aren't they all just the cutest?!  How blessed I am to be their mommy!

 

I recently inherited Grandma Dorsie's china set, and I was very thankful to be able to use it to set our Thanksgiving table.



Part of our centerpiece was MJ's thankful tree that he made preschool at church.  The leaves represent things he told them that he's thankful for.  :)



It's not truly Thanksgiving without pumpkin cake!

 



This was Cooper's spot as we all ate our Thanksgiving meal.  He had a nice yummy meal of milk, of course.



Daddy helping get the kid's plates ready.



The perfect end to my evening as I sat and held a sleeping Cooper on my chest while the other kiddo's watched a Christmas show on TV.

 

 

The next day, it was time to haul out all the Christmas decor.  I was really excited to decorate for Christmas as a family this year.  In my mind, I had this really picturesque idea of how it would go.  Let me just say that reality really set in this year, and my picturesque view was really nothing like it went.  Ha!!  Between stopping frequently to feed Cooper or soothe him to sleep, Charlotte who can tear apart a room in a minute, and MJ who was very impatiently waiting for each decoration, it was a long and tiring process! 



MJ's enthusiasm was sure sweet though.  He could not wait to begin the decorating!  He was really good at helping with the tree this year. 

I turned on Christmas carols on Pandora, and that seemed to keep Cooper happy for quite awhile we decorated the tree. 

Little Miss Charlotte even helped with a couple ornaments before losing interest...

and finding more stuff she could get into and spread ALL over.  ;)



MJ liked to hear about each ornament, and he declared this train ornament, which we gave him last year, his favorite. 

 

After a day full of decorating, we got cleaned up and in our Christmas gear...

Although she doesn't keep them on long, Charlotte is really into all things girly lately like bows and bracelets.  

MJ was SO excited to get his Christmas shirt on for the first time this season.  He was quickly off to play with his Polar Express train.  

 Even little Cooper was full of smiles in his Christmas outfit. 

 Sweet, sweet girl

We then bundled everyone up, packed up the kiddos, and headed downtown for one of our very favorite Dubuque traditions.  Santa and Mrs. Clause right down the 4th Street Elevator each year to kick off the Christmas season.  There is Christmas music, hot cocoa, and cookie decorating for the kids.  Then, at 6PM the whole hill at the end of 4th Street lights up with Christmas lights, and Santa and Mrs. Clause board the elevator and slowly make their way down the hill.  They are greeted by lots of eager little ones, and they do such a great job making their way through the crowd and shaking hands of all the boys and girls. We just love this event!

 

Cooper made his first appearance at this event by being all snuggled up next to mommy in his wrap.  I couldn't live without this wrap.  It's so great for carrying him and keeping him nice and warm and happy right next to me. 

MJ was anxiously trying to get a glimse of Santa.  Later, Santa shook his hand.  We have such great memories of the first time we brought MJ to this event.  It's neat to see his development from year to year.  Here, he's holding his Polar Express bell in his hand.  :)

Last year Charlotte was snuggled up in the stroller, but this year Mat and I pulled her out of the stroller once Santa was on his way down so that she could get a better view.  She wasn't too sure of it all really, but I'm guessing by next year she'll be even more into it. 

After watching Santa, we piled back into the van and headed over to Reflections in the Park.  This is Dubuque's drive-through light display.  They do such a great job, and we enjoy it every year.  Cooper was really impressed as you can tell.  Such a sweet baby!

 



We wrapped up our Thanksgiving weekend by completing all of the decorating the following day.  I was SO excited to put up this decoration.  This ceramic tree was made by Grandma Dorsie 1976.  I used to love seeing this tree in her house each and every year. Since grandma passed away, we hadn't found this tree and just assumed that it had been given away, but this summer when my grandpa was moving, mom discovered it boxed up in their garage, and she gave it to me.  I am so honored to have it in my home now!  MJ was really excited to place all of the lights in the tree for me and we enjoyed lighting it up together.  It was a really special moment.  

Finally, our tree is done and proudly displayed in our front window! 

 

Merry Christmas!