Thanksgiving 2012

We spent Thanksgiving in West Memphis with my family...

Ava Kate discovered Memaw's Dancing Elves shortly after we arrived and they quickly became her FAVORITE!!  She probably danced with these elves 90% of the time we were there!  Sister Loves to dance...

Traveling with 2 small kids for 5 hours has become quiet the challenge, so this was our first visit to Gigi's in over 6 months.  It was a relaxing week with family and friends that involved a lot of food, games, movies, and a little black Friday shopping.

Emma Gayle, Watson, and Owen wrestling with Josh...or maybe a game of football, I'm not sure

a little rest breaks with games on the ipad...

We spent a lot of time in our pajamas lounging around the house....it was great!

Ava Kate helping Memaw read the newspaper and pick out Black Friday Ads for mommy...

And Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without some of Memaw's low-fat banana pudding!

On Thanksgiving morning, Anna, Josh, and I ran our first Turkey Trot!  It was a 4 mile run at Shelby Farms with over 3200 participants!  We all finished, but Josh kicked our butts....finishing 4 miles in 30 minutes!!

It was a fun experience that may become a Thanksgiving tradition!

After burning all those calories, we were ready some of Memaw's yummy turkey and dressing!

We attempted to get some family pictures on Thanksgiving, but the kids weren't exactly cooperative....so here's what we ended up with

Mom, Anna, and Memaw...

An attempt at a family photo...

The crew minus Papa Bart, the photographer...

Ava Kate and Papa Bart...

One of the best parts of going home for the holidays is visiting with old friends and their growing families.  

Meeting Kinley for the first time!  Ashley and I grew up together and were next door neighbors during and after college, but now live 8 hours apart....which means we don't get to see each other as much as we would like and that we see each others kids grow up through blogs and text.  Luckily our time at home for the holidays overlapped a little and we were able to get together!

 Kinley and Ava Kate...

Ava Kate and Miles playing together just like their mommies did at this age...

Joe and Owen playing a little inside football...

Miles, Matt, and Ava Kate.  You can't tell by their size but Ava Kate is actually 5 months older than Miles!  Matt was comparing their weight and confirmed that Miles has Ava Kate beat by a few pounds! Ha!

Trying out Ava Kate's bow...  this is a picture that will show up again at his rehearsal dinner!

Cute little Elmo bottoms ready for bath...