Lots of Love

We had lots of love and lots of visitors this past weekend!! The Gibbs family invaded Tuscaloosa for Abby's birthday (and we are looking forward to having the Givens family in town next week for Thanksgiving)!

My parents started their long drive Wednesday night, and ended up getting here around 11 am on Thursday. Nate was THRILLED when Nanny & Poppy showed up at his school for pick-up at 12!!

After naps, we spent the afternoon playing games, reading books, and playing at the park. But first, Nate insisted on giving his present to Abby. (He had SUCH a hard time picking something out for her...the 2 of us went to Toys R Us last weekend and he painstakingly went up and down each aisle, looking for the perfect gift for his little sister. He decided on a stuffed animal - kitty cat - and then we rushed home so he could make her a homemade card, complete with stickers & glitter! He "wrapped" the gift himself...by picking out a Lightning McQueen bag and stuffing 100 pieces of tissue paper inside. Adorable.) Abby loved the cat and has slept with it at naptime & bedtime ever since.

We showed N&P one of our favorite parks, and almost immediately headed towards the swings. How cute are these two!?

Nate was eager to show off his new skills - he can pump his legs/swing by himself! And they both laid on their bellies for awhile and swung like "superman!"

It got pretty chilly pretty fast, and Poppy started putting his hands in his pockets to keep warm. Miss Priss thought this was the coolest thing and walked around like this for most of the afternoon:

No visit to the park would be complete with a few slide races...

We came home & had yummy chicken parm for dinner (if I do say so myself), as well as a dance party & Elmo bubble bath. A great night!

Friday morning, Nate was super proud to show Nanny all around his classroom and introduce her to Miss Thompson and his friends!

Then we took Miss Priss to her weekly gymnastics class, so she could show off her skills for N&P. It was super crowded due to public schools being out for Veteran's Day, so Abby had a hard time at first. Then, she got into the swing of things once she found the hula hoops.




After gymnastics, we picked Nate up an hour early for school so we could have a special lunch date with N&P and Daddy!! We had heard great things about the Crimson Cafe on "The Strip," but unfortunately our lunch was just so-so. The highlight was the s'mores cookies for dessert!

Nanny & I worked on crafts for the doggie party during naptime (if I never have to cover another shoebox with contact paper, I'll be happy), and luckily the kids slept long & hard. Aunt Lora's flight got in that afternoon, and she rolled in about 4:30 pm! So exciting to see her & have her see Tuscaloosa for the first time!

Then....the big surprise....another special birthday "package" arrived for Abby that evening...Aunt Bebe & Uncle Mike!!! They drove from Knoxville, TN just to see Miss Priss at her party. So sweet! I knew they were coming but no one else did and WOW, to see the look on their faces. It was a great moment. (It was extra special b/c my family won't ALL be together for either of the upcoming holidays. Thanksgiving, we'll spend with our respective in-laws, and then Lora will be in Europe for Xmas.)

While Lora helped me cook dinner (yummy sausage & orzo, thanks H!), the kids entertained everyone else. And of course the paparazzi snapped into action...

Thanks to Aunt Gena, Abby has a new art easel - complete with dry erase board, magnets, and chalkboard!

Watching the UNC game with Uncle Mike! Go Heels!

After dinner, Nate wanted to "help" Abby open presents...I'll let you guess how that went.



Love at first sight with her Fraggle Rock doll, Red



Saturday morning, everyone was a huge help in getting Abby's party set up. It was a hectic morning but a good one and I think the party went off without a hitch. After lunch, Bebe & Mike had to leave :( so the rest of us just relaxed during naptime.

Before going out to dinner, Nate made sure to show Aunt Lora the things he wants for Xmas in the Toys R Us toy catalog. I think he pointed to about 90% of the toys!?

Getting ready to head out to dinner...seriously, love this cutie pie!

We tried yet another new restaurant for dinner, Wintzell's Oyster House, and thankfully it did not disappoint. Everyone had yummy seafood and sides and Abby chowed down on grits. Aunt Lora got in some lovin' before we had to leave:

Aunt Lora, N&P all headed out early Sunday morning before anyone else was up. I was sad to see them go, but so happy we had such a fun weekend! Family times are the best times...