Give Thanks....And Decorate! :)

Now that I've digested the new hair cut, we can talk turkey and get down to the business of Thanksgiving!  Aren't you ready to gobble up some new pictures?  (Aren't I punny?  OK, enough of that.  Twelve hours of work makes a girl loopy :)  Here's a cute picture of the girls to distract you :)

CHEESE!



Now, back to business.  Pay attention!


Orignally, our Thanksgiving was supposed to entail good food, good friends, and good fun.  However, the 10-month old (being the 10-month old she is) had some different plans that included her usual specialty:  POOP!  For the second time in 8 weeks, Ellery Kay had a belly bug, something that does not foster good food, good fun, nor spending time with good friends!  >:-/

Plan B included a quick trip to the grocery store for John, and a night of prep-work for me.  If we couldn't go to a potluck Thanksgiving, we would make it all ourselves!  John even bought a poor little Jenny-O turkey meal for himself and Tanner.  And, in true Hurliman-Thanksgiving fashion, we made enough food to feed our family and 3 others - YUMMY!

Tanner said she wasn't going to eat Thanksgiving dinner, only help cook it.  As it turns out, getting more sweet potato streusel is a good motivator for eating the rest of Thanksgiving dinner :)

We ate well, and have tons of leftovers that we're STILL munching on! 

Once our bellies were filled-to-the-brim, on Friday it was time to DECORATE FOR CHRISTMAS!  I had two very willing helpers!

Well, one of them looks a bit loony, but willing nonetheless.

In order to make room for the tree downstairs, we had to move the girls' Little Tykes kitchen set upstairs to Ellery's room.  This is big stuff in the life of a baby and toddler!  (and, since it required rearranging Elle's room, it was big stuff in the life of Mommy & Daddy, too! :)  Given it's success, the kitchen now has a new home.  In one fair swoop, my beautiful "nursery" has succombed to the almighty plastic toys.  But Big Sass' Beauty Salon is just around the corner in Tanner's room - such fun!  :)

I'm not sure who likes it more - Tanner or Ellery. 
I am sure, however, of how messy Ellery's room is on a regular basis now.

My name is Ellery, and I have a tongue-wagging problem. 
But I'm cute, so it's OK.

Finally - decorating the tree! 

I can't WAIT to help!

This is helping, right?

THIS is helping, RIGHT?!?!?!?

NO, this is how you help, Ellery!

One last story before signing off.....after Thanksgiving, like at midnight, I headed out to Wal-Mart to get Tanner the coveted Barbie Jeep that was on BIG sale.  While I was waiting in the crowd of people to snag my Black Friday purchase off the shelf, I was chatting with the other parents around me.  They were talking about how their 2-, 3-, & 4-year olds all were insisting on this, that, and the other thing for gifts, and it dawned on me that I hadn't even asked Tanner what she wanted for Christmas - or if she'd even like a Barbie Jeep.  I just assumed she would love it (and I still contend that she will!)  The next morning, after the Jeep was purchased (by the skin of my teeth!  But that's a different story...) I decided to ask Tanner what she wanted for Christmas.  Her response?  "The Christmas Star, Mommy."  Not a Barbie Jeep, not Polly Pockets, just the Christmas Star.  "The Christmas Star, punkin?  Anything else?"  "No, Mommy, just the Christmas Star."

Tanner's Christmas Star :)

Oh she can be so sweet sometimes.  :)