Thanksgiving at the Beach

My dad once told me that the best way to finish all of the small, nagging projects in your house was to schedule a dinner party. So naturally . . . we volunteered to have Thanksgiving at our house this year. In 7 1/2 years of marriage, Mark and I haven't lived below the Mason-Dixon line and therefore have never been able to host the Lyles family for any holiday. Clearly, it was our turn. It started out as a joke . . . let's do Thanksgiving at Robin and Mark's--but quickly became the motivation we needed to tackle some of the unfinished home projects that had been hanging over our heads. Don't get me wrong, we have a LONG way to go, but round 1 was completed before lunch on Thanksgiving!

It was so wonderful having everyone over. I didn't take many pictures because I was trying to be a good hostess (even though we ate off paper plates!). Finn especially loved having his cousins over and getting to show them his toys, room and play in his own backyard. At one point, he comes racing through the house wearing a shirt, and shoes (no pants) because Luke had taken his pants off and Finn wanted to be just like Luke. Nevermind that Luke had shorts on under his pants when he took them off. Finn did not. He was in hog heaven and hearing the screen door slam over and over was truly music to my ears. We loved having everyone over and hope that it won't be next Thanksgiving before everyone comes back. Here are just a few pictures Mark took on the beach.

My little turkey

Snuggling with Uncle Danny after a wipeout on the cement (notice the bandage!)

Benich Vist Take 2

Let me set the record straight here: 1. I love my friend Kriya. 2. I love her kids, Wade and Bree. 3. I want Finn to love them as much as I do (because he will be hanging out with them regardless)

Now, the reality of the situation is that while #'s 1 and 2 are most definitely true . . . #3? Not so much. At least this was the case this summer. I was so excited to finally be closer to some of my dear friends and even more excited when they are able to visit Charleston. Kriya and her kids spent a week at Wild Dunes this summer and I was so happy that FInn and Wade could be buddies and Kriya and I could spend hours chatting and catching up while watching our adorable children frolic in the ocean and develop a lifelong friendship. Which could not have been further from the truth . . . the entire time we were together they fought. It started out as innocent bickering and ended up in a full on knock down drag out wrestling match. Sad, but I was resolved that they would get over it and be friends eventually.

So, when Kriya called and said they were spending an entire week in Charleston I was thrilled and had to go ahead and book my day with them because she is a busy lady and has lots of friends and family to squeeze in. What followed was shockingly one of the most pleasant days I have ever spent. Seriously. The boys were angels and LOVED playing together and got along great. Not one fight the entire day. We played on the beach, lunched at Taco Mamacita's, hung out at the house and played on the beach some more. Seriously, one of the best days ever. Now, it is highly likely that this will never ever happen again, but that's okay, because this was one for the record books. Of course, I didn't take any pictures, but Kriya did. So you can see her's here.

Kriya, Wade and Bree: thanks for spending your day with us and we can't wait until your next visit.

What You Missed . . .

An encore performance.

Notice how he does his hand motions while holding an ice cream that doesn't fall off. What talent!

Harvest Dinner

Finn's school puts on a fun event called the Harvest Dinner. Reminiscent of the first Thanksgiving dinner between the Pilgrims and Native Americans (note to self, do NOT call them Indians!), all of the families gather together to celebrate, eat, give thanks and of course, hear 3 and 4 year olds sing songs, because I'm pretty sure Squanto and his buddies put on a show for their parents back in the day. The kids worked so very hard and did a great job. Everyone sang and no one ran to mom and dad until after it was over. Finn was so very proud and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing him in his element. As a proud mom, I will only force you to watch one song.

Emma, Easton, Gracie, Zack, Finn and Easton

Our Native Americans

Singing with the Pilgrims. No stage fright here

Clowning around with Zack

After a great show and a quick meal, it quickly went downhill . . . all of the kids were high on excitement and sugar and ended up climbing under, over and around stacks of chairs

School Pictures

I love that they take pictures at school so that I am guaranteed at least one photo of Finn where he is sitting still and semi-focused. These turned out way better than I expected, although Mark wanted to know why they put flowers in his hair.