Turkey Day 2011 !!!

Turkey day was so special this year, as is every year, because I got to EAT!! Most of you know that I love food therefore I LOVE turkey day!  This year we got to see the whole fam, all greats, grands, great grands, etc.  It was very busy going from one feast to the next, but thankfully I got to get a few snap shots in before we had to rush to the next grub! 

My mom's side of the family all met at her house.  It was fun watching my babies play with their cousins, or so we call them...they are actually my cousin's babies...would that make them their second cousins!?!?! I'm really not sure, but I call them cousins and it works.  Anyway...moving on...I had a blast watching them all play, just wish we could have stayed longer and wish they got to see each other more often. But I am thankful they got some visiting time in on Turkey Day.

This is the girls, two of my cousins' little girls and baby girl.  It's funny because my cousins SWEAR they did not intend for them to match...poor baby girl got left out of the memo :( but she's smiling to make up for her non-matching outfit.

 All the babies...yay YOU try getting six babies ALL under 3 years old to look at the same camera and smile...I can promise you it will not happen :)

After we ate, my Mema and Pepa wanted some family snap shots. It was perfect weather outside which make my favorite pictures anyway.

 This is my Mema and Pepa, Mema's momma (Nana) and ALL (except one) of my mom's brother's family...including spouses and children...that's a big family right there ;)

 This is Mema, Pepa, Nana and my mom's side of the family (plus Cha-cha, my cousin)...mom's side isn't as big.

 All the single ladies...or not single but all the ladies in the fam right here!!  Count them, there are FIVE generations in this picture.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.  Hubby and I talk about all the time how some children do not have neither of their grandparents to enjoy, get to know, and spend time with but right here is FIVE generations...I'm so proud!  It's my Great-grandmother (Nana,) my Mema (grandmother), my mom, me and baby girl!!

 We also go to celebrate this little man's birthday...he is three already...I cannot believe that!! It is true what they say time flies fast the older you get.

 He loved his cake.

 Though, he wasn't really sure what he was going to do with that whole cake all to himself!

 I love this cowboy pose...aint he too cute!?

 I'm a bad cousin...second cousin...or whatever I technically am...I cannot tell the twins apart, but nonetheless this is one of the adorable twins and she was having her the best time in the sandbox all by herself!

 Eating his cake.

 Ignore the mother in the foreground, but the other twin was playing in the car and got grass on the side and had to have it wiped off...soooo funny!

 Here she is trying to figure out how to get out.

 This is my dad's mom and our family...it's always so special to have her with us on Thanksgiving!

 So after my side of the family's turkey day events we headed to Q-town, however we missed the feast and showed up to a house of full bellies.  After everyone left we got to hang out with Nana and PaPaw, and tried (key word there is try) to take some pictures.  Nana is by far NOT a model...it's ok we love her anyway and proceed to take multiple pics regardless. :)

 These are three handsome country boys...and I wouldn't trade any of them for nothing!

 Can't hold those two babies still very long...and that little man is trying to talk his PaPaw into taking him for another ride...that is all he wants to do!

 So PaPaw gave in :)

 Turkey day was especially special this year because baby girl said her first word "Da-da" aaahhhh we got a pic of it too!

 This is the pic where Daddy heard his baby girl say "da-da" so sweet and she was proud see that smile on both of their faces!!!

 This is her actually saying "da-da"...she had that tongue going like crazy!!

Saturday morning started by watching Elf on the Shelf the movie which we recorded several nights ago in anticipation of adopting our Elf.  So today we went to town for a very special lady's wedding and on our way there we stopped by Target and adopted our family's Elf.  If you are not familiar with Elf on the Shelf and have children (or not), I strongly encourage you to hop over to their website and read about Santa's little helpers! You can do that Here.  So we picked up our Elf and I could not wait to get home and wake him up, give him a name, and activate his Christmas magic.  We were beyond tired and as little man took the box from me he accidently hit baby girl in the face...therefore resulting in a not so fabulous Elf naming pic!

 She was telling her Daddy about him hitting her in the face...but look at that smile on little man's face he could not wait to open the box and put our little Elf to work on special Dawkins family assignment ;)

 Little man got to be the first one to touch the Elf, because babies are not allowed to touch him once he receives his Christmas magic or he will loose it and not be able to fly home (aka the North Pole) each night and report to Santa how the babies were...which would be so bad!

That's him!!! I know for the first few years mommy and daddy will probably have the most fun with the Elf, but I am so excited to start with this tradition for our family!!!  Although, I have to say little man is very much aware of the Elf, and that if he is bad the Elf will tell Santa about it.  He also knows the Elf's name...we named him for the babies because they are too little to name him.  So what is his name...before I tell you I have to say I came up with it, hubby liked it, little man agreed and so it stuck....Bocephus it is!!! ;) I will leave ya on that note.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!!