Turkey Day 2010

I love Thanksgiving.
I mean, what’s not to love?!
You get to hang out with family/friends all day
and eat and eat and eat…
and people don’t give you weird looks when you go for seconds
because they are doing it too!

This is our second year celebrating Thanksgiving in Columbus.
While it is still sad to be away from our families,
we love that we have great friends who are just like family!

This year, Thanksgiving was at our house.
Cramming 14 adults plus a few babies into our small space was tricky,
but we totally made it work!

I was in charge of cooking the turkey this year.
I’ve never cooked a turkey before and I was actually quite concerned.
But with the help of my wonderful friend Amy
(plus several phone calls to my mom for directions on how to actually cook a turkey!)
it turned out delicious and moist!
(yes, Calli…I said MOIST. Deal with it!)

Tyson was picked to carve the turkey,
since he happened to be standing in the kitchen when it was time!
The other boys were quite impressed with his mad carving skills.
(Actually, they are med students and are trying to identify the different ligaments and whatnot)

The best part of having a big group is all the food!
Everyone brought something yummy…
we had green bean casserole, cheesy potatoes, rolls, candied yams, mashed potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, stuffing, and lots of delicious desserts.
(Side note: last Thanksgiving, I was pregnant…this year, I wished I could still wear my stretchy maternity pants!)

   
This was Riker’s first Thanksgiving
so we had to snap a picture of our little family.

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone,
we are looking forward to Christmas!
Especially since we will get to see all our families!

(Big) Boys and (Little) Boys

Sometimes when Riker and I are playing together,
I try to imagine what kind of boy he will be when he gets older.
And then TJ comes home and it really isn’t hard to figure out.
Because, really, boys are all the same regardless of age.

For example:

As the (big) boys gathered together to play video games,
the (little) boy was eager to be involved.

While the (big) boys stared intently at the screen trying to shoot their opponents,
the (little) boy stared intently at the controller trying to figure out how it works.

Also, this is why we do not own a video game console of any kind…
if we did, this would be what our house looks like every night.

Adorable Videos of an Adorable Baby

*Disclaimer: TJ took the following videos with his cell phone. Most of them are recorded in the wrong direction, since he doesn't know how to work his phone. You can either tilt your head to the side or turn your computer monitor. Whatever works for you!

Last week, we spent a lot of time playing outside.

Riker was allowed to crawl around in the grass all he wanted.

At first, he didn't want to do it at all...

he hated the way it felt.

But he soon warmed up to it and was a crawling fool!

Riker likes to copy us...

especially if we scream.

I scream, he screams.

Feel free to ignore how I sound.

It isn't pretty.

Sometimes, Riker sticks his open mouth on my face.

I think he's trying to give kisses...

but really I'm just getting a face full of slobber.

And it feels really creepy.

Again, ignore how fantastic I sound.

Just focus on the cute baby.

YUCK

Riker likes to eat.
He will eat anything that I give him.
Well…almost anything.

Tonight, Riker tried broccoli for the first time.
He refused to swallow it.
First he made a disgusted face.
Then, when TJ started laughing at him,
Riker started laughing too.

But he still would not swallow the broccoli.
He still had a piece in his mouth almost 30 minutes later.
 
He will eat sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, potatoes, corn, squash…
every vegetable is just fine.
Except broccoli.

Indian Summer

This week, the weather in C-bus has been awesome.
So awesome that we have tried to spend every waking hour of every day outside.
We are soaking up as much sunshine as possible before the cold, grey winter settles in.

We hit up the zoo,
had a neighborhood bbq,
went on lots of walks,
picnicked outside,
and today we went to play at the park.

Riker loves to swing.
He would be completely content to sit there for hours.

 

There were so many kids to watch at the park
it was practically impossible to get him to look at me!

 

Riker wasn’t a super fan on sliding DOWN the slide,
but he was all about attempting to climb UP the slide!

  

Next week, it’s going to be cold.
And it’s only going to get colder and colder.
BUT…
only 32 more days until we fly home to Arizona!

Like Father Like Son

TJ is a big fan of technology.
It is rare to see him without a cell phone, iPad, iPod, or laptop in his hand.
So these pictures really shouldn’t surprise me…

Yep.
That’s TJ and Riker both playing with their phones.
I let Riker play with my old phone and he loves it.
He’s free to chew and slobber all over it.



Riker is fascinated with all of the technological devices in our house.
If the laptop is out, he crawls directly to it and starts banging away.
If we are talking on the phone, he tries to yank it out of our hands.
He can usually be found punching the buttons on the DVD player.

I do not want to raise a tech-junkie baby…
This is why we try to spend as much time outside, unplugged, as we can!

1 Hour and 14 Minutes of FAME!

Another election has come and gone.
If you know TJ at all, you know he is not shy about sharing his political opinions.
So it was pretty awesome when TJ was asked to be a guest on a political podcast.

(click the picture to be redirected to the website to hear the podcast!)

One of the reasons TJ was asked to be on the show is because of this:

 

(again, click the picture to check out the website)

TJ and a great friend, Ryan Anderson, have recently launched a new website.
Rebel Politics is focused on voting data
(as well as some saucy campaign gossip).
If this is your kind of thing, go check it out.
If not, check it out anyway!
(I helped pick out the banner and whatnot…so that’s worth looking at!)

Disclaimer: This is, in no way, a political blog. This post is simply my way of bragging about my politically-minded husband. If you have strong opinions about anything political, please go over to Rebel Politics.

Any Excuse to Party!

TJ and I are always looking for excuses to invite friends over.
We thought Election Day would be perfect.
Friends came over bearing plates of yummy treats to share
and we gathered to watch the results come in.
There were many discussions about candidates and issues,
as well as talk about nap schedules and cute, new boots!
The kiddos played “Pin the Tail on the (Democratic) Donkey”
and TJ did a dance whenever his preferred candidate won.

Did you vote today?
(If not, don’t tell TJ!)

Shutterfly Holiday Cards

Last year was the first time I ever sent out Christmas cards.
I think I only sent out 5.
(I don’t even think I sent one to my mom.)
I love to receive Christmas cards from everyone,
so I suppose I should be better about sending out my own.

Have you checked out Shutterfly’s holiday cards?

This is currently the top contender for our 2010 Christmas cards.
I love all the different colors…
way cuter than the traditional red and green.
Plus, it says “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”…
which means I don’t have to stress about getting my cards out before Christmas!

But I also love this one for a couple different reasons.
1. I love the red with the turquoise. Such a fun combination.
2. It’s a holiday card + a family letter. Two for the price of one.
You can see more adorable holiday cards here:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

 

Or, if I start feeling REALLY ambitious,
I can pick one of their Thanksgiving Cards.
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/thanksgiving-cards
Again, I love the colors!

Shutterfly also has folded holiday cards. 
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
The scalloped edges on this card are so cute.
Plus, I love the simplicity of this card.
Can’t you just see a cute picture of my chubby baby on the front?!

There are way too many cards to choose from,
so it might take me a while to pick which one to use!
In the meantime, email me your address
so you can be a lucky recipient of a Grier Family Christmas Card!

**Shutterfly is offering 50 free holiday cards to bloggers.
Go to http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/ to receive your free cards!**