Thanksgiving 2011

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration, as usual.  Shawna and Doogle joined us from Las Vegas and Gpa Kelly made the trip from San Marcos.  We started the day with a hike @ Daley Ranch, then went home to make dinner.  Gma outdid herself cooking and everyone chipped in, including Costco, making pies. Cayden even made a pie (it was very good) and insisted we vote on the best one. He scurried from the dinner table to make ballots, insisting that the Costco pumpkin pie was not eligible.

Hike at Daley Ranch

CJ eyes the turkey

Aubs puts the finishing touches on yummy rolls

Gma smashes potatoes

Table is set

CJ has been talking all week about eating a turkey leg - he got one!

We sit down to eat

The 'finalists' in the pie competition

We had to taste them all - right?

Pie 'sample' plate

Collecting the secret ballots

Counting the votes

Guess who won????

All-in-all it was a terrific day.  One thing everyone forgot is the tradition involving the cans of whipped cream.  Oh well.  Everyone is out getting a jump on shopping and I'm home alone.  Kinda nice, actually!

Catching up

I just downloaded the pictures from my camera and realized I hadn't blogged in awhile, so am taking this opportunity to do a little catching up.

James turned 13 last week so we took a ride up to see him with a few goodies.  James is quick to point out that he's a teenager now.  I guess he thinks that's a good thing.  Oh well!

Overcome with cash

His favorite- angle food cake with strawberries.  I really think devil's food would be more appropriate!

Yum!

Go James!

Halloween was another missing blog chapter.  It started when we built a doughnut eating apparatus for a party Aunt Shawna was involved in.  It seemed pointless to build it and not try it out.
Aubry and CJ celebrated by dressing as The Mad Hatter (Aubs) and, for lack of a better description, plunger man (Cayden).  Cayden has this plunger that he likes to play with, no worries, it's never been used for its intended purpose.  It was, in fact, a Christmas gift he asked for last year.  If there's anything CJ is not short on, it's imagination!

It's a bird, it's a plane, no....it's plunger man!

Bonnie and the kids at the doughnut machine

It's harder than it looks, or so I'm told

Aunt Shawna gives it a test

Plunger man and Miss Aubrey as the mad hatter

Today we celebrated Bonnie's 29th birthday, for the second or third year in a row.  Her birthday is actually tomorrow, but she's busy with a softball game.  She wanted chicken kabobs, so we BBQ'ed and enjoyed an afternoon clowning around.
Happy Birthday Pook!

Do you think she could eat it in one bite?

Aubrey and G'ma make kabobs

They were yummy!

Opening gifts

I think this family's cuteness comes from their grandpa.....what do you think?