Here and There Thanksgiving

We had a special Thanksgiving holiday this year! They are all special, absolutely, but this year was no different - with a couple added treats to really make it great!
Tuesday night after school, Matt, Siena and I drove back to Michigan to visit the family. We were anxious to get there and spend some much-needed time with family and friends. We finally made it to GR by 3am and crashed the second we hit the pillow. Wednesday morning we spent some time with my mom, allowing her to get a little "Siena fix". About noon that day, Matt, Siena, Emilie and I met Joyce's brother at a local airport and he flew us down to St. Petersburg, Florida to spend Thanksgiving with Joyce's family.
When we arrived in Florida, we were welcomed by lots of the family! We all stayed in a gorgeous house right on the water. Joyce's other brother and sister-in-law were gracious enough to host all of us - and it was wonderful! We went swimming, went to the beach, ate wonderful food, stayed overnight in a beautiful yacht, and had a great time with family...all in a very short time. We flew back on the plane Thursday afternoon after Thanksgiving meal. It was a very short, but very sweet stay...and we are super grateful for the opportunity to be down there and spend time with wonderful people. (Not to mention that it was 80 degrees and picture-perfect weather...a wonderful little break from the chilly weather we have up north!) As a side note, Siena loved the warm weather and the company! She enjoyed the water, the sand between her toes, throwing her YaYa in the pool to see if he could swim (he can't!), running around with all the kids, and spending time with her Oma, Opa, and Auntie Em. (Siena didn't so much like to sleep when we were all exhausted, but whatever...we'll let it slide...we were in Florida, for pete's sake.)

The beautiful home we stayed in...


Our "humble abode" for the evening.
Siena and the beach got along VERY well...then again, who doesn't get along with the beach very well???




After getting back to Michigan Thanksgiving evening, we drove straight to my aunt and uncle's house for the rest of the holiday. I can't say enough how wonderful it is to spend time with family. It was relaxing, entertaining, filling, and fun. I think I stayed in my PJs most of the time, but that's half the fun! We played cards, watched football, ate constantly, and really...just hung out. Everyone loved playing with Siena - and she didn't mind all the attention one bit. It truly is special for me to see my cousins and family with Siena - it brings me back to when I was little and how I used to adore them and want to be with them all the time. Special moments.

Siena wants to be just like her Aunt Em...

A little dancing on the countertop never hurt anyone...

Can you tell I love the delicious drink that Ken made me?
Siena got a little treat - licking the spatula...homemade whipped cream!!

Friday night, I had my 10 year high school reunion. Can't believe it. In a way, I feel like I've been out of high school forever, and then again...not really. I wasn't really planning on going until the last minute. I figured I might regret not going, so might as well. I really am glad that we went. It was really nice to see friends and people that I really haven't seen in 10 years. I won the award (a green and gold shot) for traveling the farthest to get there - Thanksgiving and family had nothing to do with that drive up to Michigan...it was all for the reunion. :) Matt and I mingled for a couple hours, made small talk with lots of people, and then we were both ready to get back to family.

When we came home, my uncle was at the bar, perfecting his latest concoction. We all played cards, stayed up late, and laughed a lot. Does it get much better? And, it's really nice when you have about 25 hands that are willing to watch and play with Siena...takes a little of the pressure off of following her everywhere in an unfamiliar house. Everyone's happy!
Saturday afternoon was our annual family flag football game. It was really cold that afternoon, so we all bundled up in whatever we could find and headed out for a little friendly competition. I must say, there is some serious talent in our gene pool. I'm just saying, I would totally draft any of them. Age means nothing!! That being said, someone had to win...see for yourself who the winners were...

Hard core competition:

Drum roll, please...celebrating with champagne!

Sunday morning came and we had to head back to Missouri. It's never fun driving back home after such a wonderful holiday and break. But these holidays are so special. I so badly want my family to really KNOW Siena...and I think they (and we) got that over Thanksgiving. Super thankful for all of them. And especially thankful for Matt and Siena, the two people who mean everything to me.

Happy Halloween!

Before we get to Halloween night, let me recap the days leading up to it. We had a costume parade and Fall party at TUE. Nikki, Amy, and I decided to have a little fun with our costumes. Since Nikki's boyfriend coaches for BS South and Matt coaches for BS, we both took a jersey from their teams and played "rivals". Amy dressed up as a ref, making sure nothing got out of hand! :)



The Halloween weekend was busy! My uncle Ken flew into KC for the weekend from Michigan. A buddy of his flew in from LA, and we had an awesome Halloween weekend. We went to a chilly football game Friday night (a win again Columbia Rockbridge), went out after the game, watched college football on Saturday, and then went to Skies downtown for a wonderful meal Saturday night. We spent almost 4 hours down there, eating delicious food and tasty drinks! So fun! Then, Sunday morning, we woke up early and tailgated all morning waiting for the Chiefs game! It's a tradition we have been trying to uphold. The tailgating was so fun - and we all got ready for an awesome game vs. the Bills.
Then after the overtime win, we drove home to take our little Siena out on the town! It really seems like just a minute ago that we had a "baby Munkin" on our hands for Halloween. This year, we had a little...COW! When I tried on the costume for the first time a few weeks ago, I could not stop laughing. I don't know if it's the hooves that sling under Siena's shoes, the tail that dangles in the back, or the hood that allows a couple of chubby cheeks to peek through under the snout...this cow outfit is the cutest thing ever. I guess we might as well take advantage of one of the few times Siena will be okay being called a cow. :) We brought her over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to see her little cousins and to visit a few houses around the neighborhood. She loves her cow outfit. We even taught her to say, "Moo"! She carried her little "purse" around with her to collect the goodies from the evening. It was so fun to walk her around to the houses. She doesn't quite understand the concept of Halloween yet, but she certainly made the best of her outfit and the evening! She was darling. It was a really fun evening!! (After that, we all went home and crashed the second we walked in the door!) :)

Lots Going On!!

Man, it's hard to keep this thing up!! I'll be thankful later in life when I do, I know... :)
So, this fall has been crazy busy! Between Matt's football season, my starting up teaching again, Siena going a hundred miles an hour, friends and family coming to visit, lots of activities and things to be a part of...it's already the end of October and I feel like all I did was blink!
Here's a quick recap of our life the past few weeks. I'm blessed beyond words...

This picture just makes me laugh every time I see it. We watched Georgia for some friends of ours a few weeks ago. I think Siena was trying to hint to us that she wants a dog - she would not leave Georgia alone. And from the expression on Georgie's face, she wants nothing to do with this...


My mom and Peter came to visit us...well, let's be honest - they came to see Siena, and we just happened to be here! Can't keep a Grandma away from her grandbaby!! We had a really nice, relaxing weekend. The weather was perfect. We went to the football game on Friday night and the rest of the weekend was spent together...just spending time! Perfect!!








A few days after my mom left, a very dear friend of mine came to visit for a few days! Kasey flew down from Canada to enjoy a little KC time with Siena, Matt and me. It was super unexpected, but such a treat! She helped out in my classroom for a couple days, went to a GREAT football game (they beat South in double overtime!) on Friday night, and flew out again on Saturday morning. I can't tell you how wonderful that was! She is such a sweet friend, and I love her dearly.





The morning after the clutch win again South (and the late night of either coaching all night or running after a 1 year old all night), Matt and I ran the KC half marathon. We have been training to run this for a few months, and were very excited to finally run it! The last 3 weeks of our training was almost non-existent, so we were very curious to see how our bodies, lungs, and legs would hold up! We had the most amazing morning weather, lots of adrenaline, and actually a very enjoyable, successful run! It was so special to run it together. We were true teammates, helping each other along as we ran the 13.1 miles through downtown KC. We finished in 1 hour and 53 minutes - reaching our goal of under 2 hours. Yeah! That being said, we are glad the training is done - it frees up that much more space and time for seeing other other and our little darling!! Proud of you, babe!


The afternoon after the half marathon, we went to Sibley Orchard with some friends of ours and had did it all - went to a pumpkin patch, had a weenie roast, made smores, and went on a hayride. It was beautiful weather and the perfect opportunity to enjoy the fall weather!





This fall weather has been outstanding! It was a pretty Sunday afternoon and as we were out on back porch looking at all the leaves that needed to be bagged, we decided to put the 5 million leaves to good use and stick Siena in them for a fall photo shoot. I think that's a much better use of our time!! :) She had fun crunching all the leaves - and giving us a few fun faces...