Spoiled

While Christina was here over Thanksgiving we went to see Catching Fire together. We had heard about the new theaters with recliners and decided since is was just the three of us we could afford to check it out. Let me just say it is worth every penny. Actually it wasn't much more than just a regular theater so we are sold. I am not sure we can go back. Oh and the movie...fantastic!

Thanksgiving 2013

What a fun Thanksgiving! We had G & G Cooper here and Stacey & Terri's family came down. Ashley & Benjy were here along with Christina. Jeff & Rachel were in Utah with Rachel's family this year. The weather was so nice we decided to eat outside and enjoy it. It was so nice to have a place where we could all fit and even spread out. Everyone helped bring the food so we had a huge feast...

2 turkeys and a ham

Rees playing with his birthday present from us. Cooper is lots of help.

Dane was cruising all over.

Terri had the sniffles so she took extra precautions so Grandpa Cooper wouldn't get sick.

Can you believe the feast!

 

Of course the best part of Thanksgiving is NOT the dishes.

Cooper supervising the whipping of the cream for the pies.

He was just ready to get the pie fest started.

So many pies so little room!

Furniture Fiasco!

We decided that since our couches had holes worn through them it might be time for a furniture upgrade. Seriously the grandkids loved poking their little fingers through the holes but not so much the rest of us. I went shopping the end of October and picked out some new couches. This was harder for me than it sounds because I tend to agonize over these kinds of decisions and then pick the wrong thing after all is said and done anyway. So this time I was smart enough to plop on them and lie down etc in the showroom while I was trying to decide. These ones were the winners. But come to find out they were back ordered. I find this out after the delivery date was arranged etc. So the first delivery date came two weeks later and still no couches. Then the second date two weeks later and still  no couches. Finally just minutes before Thanksgiving and a house full of company they got here. I should have taken a picture of the room with just our two rockers that we used for a month because it was quite hilarious looking back. Since it didn't seem so funny at the time there are no pictures.

Thanksgiving Program

The week before Thanksgiving Rees was having a school program so I went in to see it. Unfortunately Mendis couldn't leave work. They sang a couple of songs and had a pie feast as a grade. It was so fun to watch Rees sing with his class. He's a great little performer and you could tell he knew all the songs and was trying his very best. I still can't believe I am a Grandma and not still watching my own kids perform!

Good job Rees, you were a great pilgrim!

The New Ride

So we had a plan. Just before Hayden came home we wanted to get us a new car and give him the old one we were driving. Mendis and I looked and looked trying to decide what we wanted. Anything on wheels was fair game it seemed. We spent weekends checking out car lots and just trying to narrow it down. Finally I did some more looking around and narrowed it down even more. Oddly enough we were down to the Lincoln MKJ and a Ford Edge when we decided I should check out the new Accords. So while we I was getting "Hayden's car" checked over I did just that. We couldn't believe how much cheaper they were and how many more bells and whistles they had. So a couple of weeks later we drove us home a new 2014 Honda Accord...

Out with the old and in with the new! Even now months later I can say I love both those cars! We could do our own Accord commercial.

Cooper's Birthday

 Cooper is 3!! So our first official family function on our new patio was his birthday party. Ashely made this adorable cake. It's amazing to think Coop is three already. Time is flying by! You can tell by the cake that he really has a thing for cars. In fact he almost always has one or two in his pockets.He has such a fun little personality. We love to have him come visit. He loves playing in the yard and trailing behind as we work out there. He is talking up a storm now and is getting easier and easier to understand. We love you Cooper!

Veteran's Day/ Mendis' BDay

Nov 11 is always a special day around here. It always starts with egg on toast and grape juice for breakfast and then it's down to Mendis' parade. We had all the usual cast of characters in attendance but for the first time in memory Mendis' parents couldn't make it:

The weather was perfect this year!

The flyover is always a hit especially with the grandkids.

Dane is chillin

The boys cleaned up in the candy department. Ashley was so smart saving a bunch of it for Reeses birthday pinyata because they was so much. We had lunch and Ashley & Benjy swished pomegranates all afternoon while Mendis worked outside in the yard. For some reason that's his idea of a good time on his birthday. Tacos for dinner is always on the birthday menu too.

November Project

 The first part of our little project involved removing the dead tree in the center of the patio. I was really sad to see it die but not to see it go. I had hopes of it growing up through the top of a patio cover some day. Nope it died so Mendis chopped it up and added it to our wood pile.

 Next he filled in the hole with cement and colored it. The hard part was done and it was time to turn it over to Brian and his crew... Loved this part.

 It only took us twenty years but we finally got our patio cover up. We have really been enjoying it. We even had Thanksgiving dinner out there. I Love progress. Next will be the snack shack hopefully.