Thanksgiving...

We were so lucky to have my brother, Mindy, Gavynn and Riley visit us for Thanksgiving!  There's never a dull moment with this group.  We made too much food and ordered too many pies, but we tried our best to eat ALL of it.  Food comas all around.

Instead of shopping on Black Friday, we went to Dave & Busters to play a few games.

Noah and Gavynn

I played a giant, multi-player game of PacMan with the boys and Gavynn.  Seth won!

Uncle Bug & Seth

We tried to get a picture of all of the kids, but Riley was busy trying to win a stuffed animal with the crane game. Seth left, Noah right.

 I just thought this one of Riley was cute.  Noah couldn't help himself, but jump into the picture.

The birthday celebration continued and the boys received more presents...including the incredibly popular Pie Face (thanks Uncle Bug, Elmo, Gav and Ri!!).  The kids (big and little) played it several times over the weekend.  The best pictures were when they were turning the handle in anticipation of whipped cream to the face.

Gavynn

Seth

Riley

Noah

We snapped a few more pictures before they left for their long drive home.  We do not spend enough time together, that is for sure. Bub and Mindy are pretty cool, but Gav and Ri...those kids are so amazing and are growing up way too fast.  I miss them.

 Seth sneaked in to photo-bomb.

Seth wasn't the only one who photo-bombed.

When it was time for the silly picture, Gavynn said 'Pick me up, boys!'...and they did.

Noah tried to stow-away.

After our company left, we distracted ourselves by putting up the rest of the Christmas decorations.  Usually, I read heart-warming stories on social media about how lovely it was to decorate the tree as a family and it was always a head-scratcher to me.  Our history of decorating the tree has been filled with fights and other behavior that didn't make decorating the tree a warm, family memory.  I'm pleased to report....this year was different!!  The boys really enjoyed decorating the tree and got along well.  I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them talk about the different ornaments and remembering where or why we got them.  It was a great time together and we all decided that this year's tree is our the best one we've ever done.   Don't worry, though, the lovely time together didn't last long after the tree was up.  Naughtiness ensued shortly thereafter.

Seth in white, Noah in blue.

-Shelby