thanksAbunch

we traveled to MN for THANKSgiving and spent a long lovely weekend with the olivier clan :)  henry was busy ordering everyone around within five minutes of our arrival :)  especially pop pop  

 he discovered a love of ipads and became quick friends with morgan

just desserts :)

the food was delicious and the company was even better.
i know i sort of skimped on photos over the weekend....i think i get a little lazy when I know that there's another photographer around shooting away ;)  haha
sometimes its nice to sit back and just enjoy.

we also celebrated an early Christmas 

 racing cars!

Henry wasn't the only one to get some sweet gifts (he wears his new bear slippers every night)......I just have to add that I received a sewing machine!!!  I am going to add photos of what I made with it later.  I'm super pumped and have already dreamed up a bunch of projects to work on.  Its a nice beginner machine...so hopefully I'll be able to work it without calling Molly every five minutes :)  I am just dying for some free time...which has suddenly become very scant (the reason why this post is over a week overdue) so that I can use it!  Oh, Austin received some wonderful gifts as well haha (sorry I've got sewing and scheming on the brain)

Gran even put some cupcakes together to make an Elmo birthday cake and we were able to have a little prebirthday birthday shindig!

 woooohoooo

 daddy helping with the candles

 mmmmmmm frosting
(btw check out that hair.  there's some there right? a few curls anyway)

 and more presents!

we also went to watch Rocori high school win first place at the state football championship at the dome in Minneapolis!  Henry thoroughly enjoyed himself.  He almost literally ran the full length of the dome twice.  He likes to watch football and really gets into the crowds' reactions to the plays.  But the best part was watching auntie Tessa perform in the kick line at half time!  He just stared open-mouthed   haha

See I told you he gets into it :)

 

 After the game and performance we went to Dave and Buster's.  Austin and I were a little worried about how Henry would react, but he was very good and sat through the wait and the meal.  It was as if he knew there were fun and games ahead for him if he did :)  Here is everyone lined up at the little horse racing game.  I may or may not have told them all to give me some goofy looks....henry has a look of concern, of course, because the horses should be busting out of their gates any second. he even got to throw some balls and push a few buttons here and there :)  it was a blast!  Gran got a video of him playing the horse race on fbook.  I've been trying to figure out how to post new video formats so we'll see....

we had such a good time--it always flies by so fast!  things have really picked up speed at home too.  this weekend i'll be traveling back to brookings to perform in the Christmas Celebration.  Then next weekend is Henry's birthday, followed by another trip Eastward to Flandreau to really celebrate Christmas :)  All the prepping and planning in between has got us running a little ragged....but we love we love we love the holidays and a little busyness doesn't keep me from playing carols and taking a time out here and there to build some lego castles with a certain sweetie :)  Hope you are all enjoying the season as much as us!