Thanksgiving 2016

Last Wednesday, the Givens (minus Gena) invaded Tuscaloosa! Nate & Abby were extra excited to see Uncle Kevin, Mum Mum & Granddaddy and had lots of plans :)

Thursday/Thanksgiving, Greg & Stan spent most of the day in the kitchen. (I know, I'm lucky that I don't have to do the Thanksgiving cooking!!) Abby made a "hangout" outside and had chairs & snacks for everyone. Ha!

I'm not sure why she thought her flapper costume was appropriate....

Showing Uncle Kevin how to use her favorite app, Musical.ly

Our chefs!

The only way I get in pictures these days - selfies!

Ready to eat!

Quite a spread!

The whole gang (well, minus me!)

EVERY year, he tortures me with these darn turkey legs. So gross!

Friday (my birthday!), Greg and I did some Black Friday shopping in the morning and then I ventured off alone for a few more errands. Everyone else took the kids to a nearby playground, and then out to lunch.

Uncle Kevin was a good sport and played hopscotch, four corners, and everything else Abby came up with!

Digging into ribs & wings at Moe's. (Gross!)

Date night at Side by Side

Greg got me a yummy cake!

Saturday, after a big breakfast, Mum Mum & Granddaddy had to start the long drive back to Johnson City. Luckily, Uncle Kevin didn't have to catch his flight back to NYC until the afternoon, so we spent a few hours on the quad for Gameday!! It was one of the biggest tailgates of the year, since it was Alabama vs. Auburn.

In front of the Denny Chimes

Can you tell who lives in Manhattan!? Ha!

My girl.

Nate had fun throwing the football with Uncle Kevin & Greg.

Greg got interviewed by a reported, and was told he might be in the paper the next day. Lo and behold, he was!

This picture was in the online edition of the Tuscaloosa News. So cute!

Nate's favorite thing to do with his Daddy - wrestle!

Denny Chimes in the background

Bryant Denny stadium

We were sad to see Uncle Kevin leave, but are hopeful to see him soon for Christmas. And we are thankful for another great Thanksgiving with family!

Eat My Beats party

On Sunday, Abby had her 7th birthday party at Eat My Beats!!

She picked this location because it has a stage & microphone for singing, plus a huge area to run around and be silly with her friends. She specifically asked that it just be a "girl" party, because she gets "the stage fright" in front of boys. (Except for Nate! And she let him pick a friend too.)

Ready to party!

Abby wanted a glow party, so I did my best with the décor!

Greg made the hopscotch and said it was the hardest part of his day. Ha!

Lots of fun greeting friends

This girl LOVED the microphone

She looks like a natural!

The glow necklaces were a HUGE hit!

The stage was pretty popular :)

These two flipped bottles the whole.darn.party! And had a ball. Go figure!

I can't get enough of this little cutie!!

(And she couldn't get enough of the cheeseballs!)

Dancing with Daddy

Love these two cuties :)

Classmates!

More singing :)

 Click here to watch a video of Abby and friends singing "Party in the USA." (Abby comes in strong on the chorus!)

Time to make a wish!

My favorite girl :)

Just what they need.....more sugar!

So happy Nanny & Poppy could make the trip for this little one's party!

After we got home, Abby opened her presents.

As you can tell, it was the year of the Shopkins!!!

Happy 7th Birthday, Abby! [Part 2]

Abby started her birthday morning off right, with her favorite food - GRITS!!!! While Daddy made grits, eggs, and bacon, she opened a few presents from us and Nate.

Nate got her a new Kindle case & Kidz Bop cd.

I got her a Caboodle (remember those from the 80's?!)

*Let me back up for a minute....every year for her birthday, I take Abby to get a pedicure. (And they paint her fingernails too.) We went on Sunday the 6th, and had so much fun! She giggled and giggled b/c she was so ticklish. She definitely loves to be pampered (TROUBLE!) and said doing this is her "favorite day of the year!" :)

Back to her actual birthday....

I got to eat lunch with the birthday girl, and I'm not sure if she was more excited about her lunchable or the triple-chocolate brownies we made to hand out to the class.

 All on her own, Abby - painstakingly - made goody bags for her class. It took her a good 4 days, and she was so proud of the final result!

How funny is that sign?!

The goody bags were in number order (alphabetical order for class), and had a nametag, bracelet, bookmark, and 2 starburst for each kid.

After Hip-Hop class, we met Greg at Hokkaido (aka the "ninja place") for dinner. The kids love this place and I do too. Hibachi grills are the best!!!

 Even though we were all stuffed, we made room for a few bites of these giant cupcakes. Fresh Market for the win!

The birthday girl opened a few more presents from relatives and then it was time for bed. What a day celebrating our favorite 7-year-old !!!!

Happy 7th Birthday, Abby! [Part 1]

It's hard to believe, but my "baby" girl is SEVEN years old today!!!! She made quite the entrance 7 years ago, and has been dazzling us with her personality ever since. It's funny....I used to always say I wanted to be a mom of 3 boys. Now I can't imagine NOT having a daughter! She is the daughter I never knew I wanted :)

7 Tidbits about Abby these days....

1. She sleeps on top of the covers every.single.night. She claims this is how she's most comfortable, but I know it's because she doesn't want to make her bed each morning. (Shades of her Aunt Bebe!)

2. For the past month, she has been taking a beginner Hip Hop class every Thursday afternoon. The girl has got rhythm!!! (Don't worry, the teacher keeps all the moves very PG.) So far, they have learned choreography to "Thriller" (because of Halloween) and now they are working on a new routine to "Can't Stop the Feeling." She has a recital in May and I cannot wait to see how that goes!

3. She sings non-stop. Anything from church hymns or songs she learned in the school choir, to Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus. She is constantly singing.

4. She loves crafting! Such a girl after my own heart. She has a "shop" with the 2 girls next door, and they sell crafts - drawings, beaded jewelry, bookmarks, you name it. Currently, they are just working on their inventory because the last few times they set up shop at the end our driveway, they only made about $0.50. Ha! I admire her little entrepreneurial spirit!

5. She is obsessed with her fringe ankle boots. She wears them any chance she can, despite the weather. We taught her "These Boots are Made for Walking" song and she cannot get enough!

6. Nate introduced her to an app called musical.ly.... She uses her kindle to make short videos of herself lip synching and then can post it on her profile. Right now, she only has 4 followers because I made her account "private," and she is not happy about that. Ha! Seriously, she is 7 going on 17.

7. Put all of her sass and big personality, and Abby has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. She is always offering up a hug or smackaroo or a "snoogle." She is the best little mommy to her favorite stuffed animal friends, Helen & Pippy. And, most days, she is my little shadow and just wants to be where I am at all times! I know this will end in just a few short years, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

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Now, it's time for a stroll down memory lane. This is my favorite part of the kids' having birthdays, because it means I get to look through old pictures!!

Newborn and oh so tiny!

6 months old

1 year old - showing off birthday gifts from Aunt Bebe

18 months old

2 years old and already a big fan of dressing up! (And layering!)

2.5 years old

3 years old with her birthday present from Mommy & Daddy!

3.5 years old - at the beach/Berly's house

4 years old - Western Day at school

4.5 years old - Miss Priss loves the beach!

5 years old - she loves to pose!

5.5 years old - oh the sass!

6 years old - she bought "Georgie" at Disney with her own money!

6.5 years old - on the Black Warrior River

7 years old and turning into a teenager :(

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Every year, I ask the kids the same questions. The kids moan & groan when I do it during their birthday breakfast, but luckily, they still indulge me :)

How old are you? 7

What makes you happy? Playing with friends

What is your favorite animal? Kitty cat

What is your favorite thing to eat? Grits

What is your least favorite thing to eat? Lettuce

What is your favorite thing to do? Play with Nate

What is your favorite TV show? “Winx” (on Neflix)

What are you really good at? Singing

What is your favorite movie? “Star Wars”

What is your favorite color? Dark purple

What is your favorite song? “Classic” by MKTO

Who is your best friend? Nate

What do you and your Mom do together? Cook

What do you and your Dad do together? Wrestle

What is your favorite sport? Dance

Where is your favorite place to go? The movies

What is your favorite book? “Eerie Elementary” series

What do you want to be when you grow up? A mommy, organizer, and star

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Stay tuned to hear about Abby's big day! I have lots of fun stuff planned.....