Happy Thanksgiving

Bonjour, mademoiselles and monsieurs. I will be your server for the Thanksgiving holiday.

We have a wonderful menu tonight that will delight your every sense. Please join me on a journey of delicious, homemade dishes that will make your mouth explode with the sensation of Thanksgiving. May I present your menu?

 

Menu du Thanksgiving
 

Appetizers: Homemade Ranch Dip with Delicately Sliced Vegetables

                 Fromage Fort with Assortment of Fancy Crackers

Dinner: Free Range Spinach with Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Garnished with

                 Locally Sourced Pomegranates and Avocados

            Pork Roast with Luscious Onions

            Sauce a la Canneberge (Cranberry Sauce)

            Honey Wheat Rolls with Pumpkin Butter

            Sweet Potato Mash with Pecan and Brown Sugar Topping

            Garlic Smashed Whole Potatoes

Dessert: Blueberry Pie with Autumn Leaf Garnish

Bon appetit!

Thanksgiving, Behind the Scenes

Mmmmmmm...

Adalyn wonders how you get butter from pumpkins.

"Mom, I'm busy eating, don't disturb me. Oh, and it's delicious!"

Mommom and Adalyn give thanks for the delicious meal before them...and for the many awesome leftovers ahead.

Ah, Christmas Friday, the day after Thanksgiving which is spent fueled on leftovers preparing for the next big holiday.

The Goldilocks Tree - not too small for Daddy, not too big for Adalyn, but just right in between.

Ninja lends her wisdom but never her own paws.

Uh oh, a thief has run off with half of our Christmas tree!

It looks like Ninja is helping, but believe me, she never dirties her paws.

"Mommy, are you going to help or just stand there all day taking pictures?"

Oh no, Adalyn has glitterbombed herself with one of the ornaments!!

Mommy finally lends a hand to help decorate the tree.

If you look really hard, you can see a certain sparkle to Adalyn's glow.

TADA! Our Christmas tree! (Actual size)

It's a sad day when you realize your Christmas tree is in danger of being dwarfed by a toddler.

The holidays are hard work - especially with all that eating. Time to relax and unwind.

Adalyn crawls into bed with Daddy and giggles after stealing Mommy's side of the bed.

The monkey is so delicate and small that his bed consists of one pillow and one teeny tiny blanket.

Adalyn sings the hit song, "Honey Bunny, Tutti Frutti."

Uh oh, it's a big diaper walk!

Bonus kitteh pictures:

The Kitty Adventures, Part 1: Can a kitty climb so high up a tree that it is afraid to come down?

The Kitty Adventures, Part 2: The smell of nature

Happy 2nd Birthday, Adalyn!

Happy Birthday, Adalyn! You are now 2 years old...no longer a baby, but a big girl!

What new things can Adalyn add to her resume? Well...

• Adalyn is mostly potty trained! YAY!
• Adalyn knows the sounds that ALL of the letters make, even the vowels. We're starting to learn that you can put those sounds together to form words when you read...soon she'll get ideas and thinking (an awesome quote from Beauty and the Beast)
• Adalyn has a lovely singing voice. She knows a surprising amount of lyrics to certain songs and will sing along.
• And because Adalyn knows most of the alphabet song, she also knows most of her alphabet! We're missing a letter or two here and there, but she sings this song to her stuffed animals to rock them to sleep before night time. 

Now...on to the fun stuff like parties and cake and balloons! Which we were able to enjoy with Poppop and Mindy!

Adalyn loves her pockets!

Neon Pegasus teaches Adalyn that they can take away your glitter, but they can never take away your sparkle.

How much fun was Adalyn's birthday party? Let's just say the party wasn't over until the crazy monkey got some birthday cake.

Adalyn had about as much fun playing with the balloons as she did with all of her toys!

Mommy furiously ices the last of the cupcakes for Adalyn before a tiny riot breaks out.

Adalyn poses for the camera with all of the sophistication a 2 year old can muster.

The loot

The cake

Poppop and Mindy oversee the festivities to make sure Adalyn has as much fun as possible.

...and it was love at first sight.

Adalyn is excited to open up her other presents to see if they are as crazy as her new monkey friend.

Adalyn and the monkey approve of her doggie sweatshirt.

Ah yes, crazy head floof for a crazy little girl.

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

The monkey inspects Adalyn's new flashlight.

Will Adalyn's next present be as awesome as a flashlight and a crazy monkey?

This soccer ball was kicked all over place! Even the monkey got in a kick or two.

Uh oh...will the new baby usurp the monkey's throne?

"Baby Jewelry!"

Looks like the baby's accessories were perfectly made for the monkey.

Adalyn feeds her monkey a bottle while Daddy assembles the monkey transportation unit.

Looks like the monkey is buckled in and ready for a ride!

Adalyn takes the monkey for a ride in the stroller...seriously, it's getting too cute and silly around here.

The monkey is ready for a piece of delicious birthday cake!

Adalyn and company took the party to Explora, a science museum for children and children-at-heart.

Adalyn discovers the awesomeness of fun mirrors.

With her magical toddler powers, Adalyn makes the ball float in the air...with a little help of course.

Looks (and sounds) like Adalyn won't be composing any musical masterpieces any time soon.

Adalyn tells Mindy about all of the fun stuff she has played with.

Poppop helps Adalyn learn about the science behind guitar strings.

BIG BUBBLES!

Poppop tries his hand at making ginormous bubbles.

As the party winds down, Adalyn finds time in her busy schedule to enjoy her presents.

Poppop rocks Adalyn to sleep in her new pajamas with her new reindeer buddies.

Adalyn's starting to get enough hair to wear her birthday bows!

Adalyn is crunching some serious numbers on her new laptop.

Adalyn takes her laptop to the computer chair for all of her serious work.

Two of Adalyn's favorite things all on one shirt...Elmo and lollipops!

Bonus kitteh video:

Adalyn wasn't the only one who enjoyed the balloons...so did Ninja!