our Thanksgiving Holiday in Mississippi

Flying into Memphis, TN several weeks ago brought more than big smiles across our little family of four's faces. Passengers on that 2 hour flight might have seen a little jumping up and down on the seats, heard a few squeals of giddy excitement and tasted a sense of early Christmas joy. With Clay beside us, the trip down was a cinch. The boys had airplane snacks, read books, played with their cars and airplanes and smiled at each of the nearby passengers.

After the easy flight, Parker insisted on going up front to see the pilots, who were gracious enough to let both boys climb into the cockpit for a quick minute of exploring.

We were greeted with a warm smile and huge hugs from mama upon leaving the security area and readily loaded and hopped into her car for some Chick-fil-a and catch up. (well, that is after I ran back inside to the check-in desk to let one of the attendants know that I left Cooper's diaper bag on the airplane. Thank you to the nice worker who retrieved it for me!! You know when you travel with umpteen bags, it's a guarantee that one day you will forget one of those items on an airplane!) Anyway, after retrieving the diaper bag, driving a few miles down the road to the Chick-fil-a and devouring in some yummy chicken, we were Grenada bound!

This trip was particularly special for us because this was the first time my family had all been together for a major holiday in almost 7 years!! (since Clay and I have been married basically). Though it has worked out that we have spent a number of wonderful weeks in MS at various times throughout the years, it never seems to work out for all of us to be together on a holiday. Yea for togetherness! We were able to see quite a few of our relatives and friends while in the state which made it even more memorable.

I love seeing the boys interact so easily and excitedly with their great-grandparents.

My brother and his wife drove in to see us the weekend prior to Thanksgiving so we could all celebrate together, and it was a HUGE deal because they were actually able to stay for Friday night, all of Saturday and Sunday morning. That never happens; these busy two have crazy work schedules so usually their trips to Mississippi are short-lived to less than 36 hours. Mama Sam and Shorty and my Uncle Barry drove in for the Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday as well. Seeing Uncle Barry for the first time in awhile almost put me in a standstill; it's funny, each time I see him, I think he looks a little bit more like daddy. :)

Baylor (my husband and sis-in love's schools) had a huge win over the weekend, so Cooper donned his Baylor Bears shirt the whole next day. It's hard for us because we have so many schools we route for between Ole Miss, MSU, Baylor and OSU so we take turns wearing the shirts. :)

Papa fixed his garden-grown vegetables and special peaches n' cream for us while we were in town.

 

 

A visit to Jackson allowed us to see other grandparents and get quick hugs and a cup of hot cocoa from one of my aunts and cousins.

Exploring in the woods behind Rassie's house...if only I had not been worried about snakes the whole time. The boys were quite disappointed when their little adventure was cut short. :)

Dear friends.

More dear friends and some of our kids.

Helping Rassie decorate for Christmas.

Love my mama.

Maybe next time when trying to get them to smile at the same time I should not have them proclaim, "Merry Christmas!!!" first. Note to self: the only thing you will get if you do that is wide-open mouths.

Parker and Cooper's "3 ornaments on one branch" tree (that I am sure Rassie has never changed! ha ha!)

Jingles has now joined our family. He is loved dearly. Friends, you have asked for years if we were ever going to get a dog...well, here you go! We now have a dog. ;)

A trip to Oxford.

Uncle Galloway and Shorty - Brothers

November 2012

 

While making an Oxford trip to see family during our Mississippi stay, I stopped by the park near my grandparent's house where we had spent a number of hours playing when my brother and I were younger. Though the playground equipment has totally changed in the last 20+ years, the feel and overall look of the park is still the same. I actually found the exact hill and spot where my dad, mom and all of my dad's relatives would come gather for our annual July 4th gathering to watch the day's celebration and fireworks. Such special memories...

 

Parker helped Mama Sam and Shorty in the garden :)

And before heading back from Oxford to Grenada, we wanted to give hugs to Aunt Kathi. (the boys were quite exhausted at this point; Cooper actually passed out before I even got out of the neighborhood at 5:45. Must have been the combination of the park and Shorty's "E-I-E-I-O" (aka riding lawn mower/tractor to Cooper that wore them out. ha ha!)

I took the boys by my elementary school before the end of our stay down South and I do believe they had quite the fun.

Parker was thrilled to get to run out on the football field for a few minutes before entering the building.

Rassie's students were excited to have "Rassie's special visitors from Minnesota" coming by to see them. :) So cute.

We even got snuggles with Cousin Collin, Cousin Ashland, Uncle Butch and Lala while in Grenada. I realized after returning that I did not have pics with the boys and their Lala or their Aunt Val. I am kicking myself for not getting one. Next time...

The flight home was great. Our bags were stuffed full with holiday treats and gifts from family members; we are so spoiled! The boys entertained themselves with stickers and more stickers, airplane treats, a book and our special elf friends, that belonged once upon a time to Grandmother. (thank you Aunt Kathi!!)

Our elf friends sat right there with us making sure we were on our best behavior the whole flight home. It worked like a charm. Now, if I had just kept them out and with us during our airport time in Minne that would have been close to perfect! :)

Safe and sound in Minnesota we now reside. Winter has officially arrived. Cool afternoons are no more. Snowy, icy cold days are here to stay for awhile. Best get settled in!

Thanks to all for a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! We love each of you so much and look forward to our next trip that allows us to see each of you for more hugs, kisses, and memories!