Full of Thanks

With it being an odd number year... it was just assumed that our Thanksgiving would be celebrated in Meeker this year! We certainly don't mind the long drive, especially if it means spending the Holiday with family in beautiful snowy Colorado. Unfortunately, for tradition sake anyway, Jei was going to be 35 weeks pregnant by the time we headed north towards the Rockies, and we (Jei) didn't feel all that comfortable making the 13 hour one-way road-trip... and spending a handful of days in the middle of nowhere with the nearest hospital being an hour and a half away... with the possibility of going into labor a tad bit earlier than expected! But fortunately, both families, Colorado & Florida, definitely understood our concern and were more than willing to give up cold, snowy Colorado... to warm, sunny California!  

The Floridians showed up first...

with plenty of time to get Allen all to themselves!

Moe-Joe kept busy, helping Allen with

some projects on his workbench... 

Building a corral for his farm animals...

Playing hide-n-seek...

And of course getting in lots of good playtime in the bathtub!

Meanwhile, in preparation for the Colorado crew to arrive,

Jei slaved away in the kitchen making homemade cinnabons!

And while Jei was cooking and Moe-Joe was playing... Dad-Oh & Ming waited patiently for the entire family to be together.

Mandi & her Boyz finally showed... and Dad-Oh & Jason took time to enjoy the weather and discuss politics together in the backyard.

And then suddenly... Hampton decided to go for a swim! Actually, he lost his balance on the edge of the pool trying to catch a football that I threw to him... but regardless, the effect was still the same: he got completely soaked... and we all laughed hysterically (except for him of course)!

After all the initial hugs, hellos, chats, and falls into the pool,

everyone gathered inside for some lunch.

And after lunch...

it was all about play-time!

Watching all three cousins play together

puts the biggest smile on my face!!!

It wasn't long before the warm weather beckoned us outside

and a trip to the park was a must!

Hamp showed off his football skills

as Allen watched on & cheered.

And then he got bored and moved on to where Sammy & Dad-Oh were playing paddle ball and decided to be their ball-boy.

Meanwhile, Hamp decided to annoy his mother just a little too much... and paid for it with a football to his backside!

Thanksgiving was finally upon us, and that morning the boys gathered around Dad-Oh to play games on the iPad.

Sammy happened to notice that there weren't any

cool Thanksgiving decorations for the dining table...

So he took it upon himself to make some for us!

The girls take a break outside to enjoy the calm...

before the storm that is preparing Thanksgiving dinner!

Of course that calm before the madness started

was the perfect time for another family photo.

And then it began!

Don't let those smiles fool you...

these two were all business.

So while food was the focus of the younger ladies...

The prettier ones had all their focus on Allen! 

But that didn't last long... for when Allen heard Hamp & Sam hootin' & hollerin' over on the couch playing a video game, he quickly joined them in all the fun.

Seeing all his boys laughing & giggling on the couch...

Dad-Oh just couldn't resist! 

With the boys on the couch playing games... the girls got busy in the kitchen putting on the final touches on our turkey day dinner.

Jei and her three turkeys!

One big happy (salivating) family before the big feast.

Plates overloaded and ready to dig in... but not before we give thanks for our family being together and for being so very blessed!

The night after an incredible meal, we heard Santa was making an early visit through town... so we made the short drive in hopes of seeing Jolly Ole St. Nick.

Moe-Joe and her sweet boys.

Not sure what is going on here...

but whatever it was, you can be assured we had fun!

After a fun night of lots of silliness and seeing Santa,

Dad-Oh treated us to a delicious meal out in town. 

We got back home, put the boys to bed,

and then family game night ensued. 

There were definitely a lot of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Holiday... but at the top of that list has to be having three healthy, happy and loving cousins who get along so well (ok, so maybe not that well)!

There might have been a few of us (and by a few of us I mean ME!) that missed the cold weather and all the snow, but I think overall we were all pretty happy with the warm weather, all the sunshine, and the way our Etheridge Family Thanksgiving Holiday turned out this year.  Thank you family for accommodating Mrs. Preggers and I, for making the long trip to SoCal, and for making our turkey day one to remember!