I am Thankful!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. The morning started out with a parade on TV! I even got to see some of my favorite Sesame Street characters represented as huge balloons; now, that is exciting. I was extremely impressed by the marching bands, and I tried to drum along as they made their way down the parade route. I see a drum solo in my future. After enjoying the parade for quite some time, I decided to do a little chocolate pie taste test; I mean, I wouldn't want Mom to make something that didn't taste just right. It was delicious! I couldn't get enough. While on my pie sugar high, I snuck into Mom and Dad's closet and emptied every single one of their t-shirts off of the reachable t-shirt racks. Happy Thanksgiving, Mom! I just didn't think you were busy enough with all of the cooking, so I created another task just for you. Apparently, while I was napping, Dad tried to burn down the kitchen while baking his pumpkin pie. Mom only put him in charge of one edible item because she wanted her kitchen to stay neat, but he was able to create a gigantic mess and cause the oven to smoke and ooze pumpkin filling in a matter of minutes. What can I say? Dad is special!











As soon as I woke up from my nap, Mom got me dressed, and we headed to my Great Aunt Marsha's house for Thanksgiving dinner, which we enjoyed with Great Aunt Marsha, Great Uncle Ray, Haley, Cameron, Great Aunt Robin, Hannah, Aunt Mallory, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Ian, Grandma, Great Grandma, Dave, Mom, and Dad. Aunt Marsha and Uncle Ray had tons of delicious food, and I am not exagerrating! I think that the mashed potatoes and crackers were my favorite though. I attempted to fit as many crackers as possible into my mouth as the pre-dinner entertainment. Aunt Mallory tried to taunt me with the mashed potatoes by filling up my fork but not bringing it to my mouth. How rude, Aunt Mallory! The turkey that Aunt Marsha and Uncle Ray made was also amazing! I could definitely get used to a day that revolves around eating as much as humanly possible. My Great Grandma came all the way down from West Virginia to eat with us, and it was so good to see her again. I started eating before everyone got to the table because I was starving, so by the time everyone sat down, I was done and ready to get up and keep playing, which meant that I threw a small fit and wouldn't let Mom enjoy her food. Don't you people know that we are on my schedule!? Geesh! After dinner, I got to play with Cameron and Haley in their playroom. They gave me lots of their old toys and books, which I appreciate greatly! Haley even gave me my very own ottoman - finally! Aunt Mallory, Aunt Stephanie, and Grandma showered me with tons of attention, like always. Great Grandma kept telling me that I am really strong, which means that she thinks I am solid if you get my drift. I'm just athletic, and you have to have strong legs to be as adept a climber as I! Uncle Ray chased me around a little bit, and Uncle Ian played the drums while I did a little dance. My new thing is to spin around and around until I make myself so dizzy that I stumble into things. Aunt Stephanie and Grandma got a big kick out of my new trick as I stumbled around the room like the drunk Thanksgiving guest necessary to complete every family holiday. Later in the evening, I found the dessert stash downstairs, and I was able to look pathetic enough to get a little taste from everyone. I think I ate my weight in dessert. I even licked Aunt Stephanie's plate clean. I couldn't let any of the chocolate go to waste; that would just be sacrilege. By the end of the night, I was a mess with chocolate ground into my tights, all kinds of food decorating my face, and mashed potatoes smeared through my hair; those are definite signs that I enjoyed my Thanksiving holiday. Before I left, I paid homage to my dinner roll before taking the last Thanksgiving bite that I could possibly get down. Oh my, oh my, all of the spinning, all of the sugar, all of the food, all of the attention, all of the fun, I was passed out before we even got out of their neighborhood. Thank you, Buice Family, for a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of awesome food and loving family. I hope everyone had as nice of a Thanksgiving with as much to be thankful for as I did. Yesterday, Mom and Dad were supposed to go down and watch the traditional rivalry game between their Alma Maters, UGA and GA Tech, but Mom got really sick, so they weren't able to go. Grandma did come over and play for awhile under the assumption that she was going to babysit, so that made my evening. Go Dawgs, and that is all I am going to say about that! The night ended with Dad close to tears and Mom sick and asleep but with a smile on her face.

I am thankful for my Mom and Dad, who love me more than life; a Grandma who spoils me rotten; Aunt Stephanie and her great fashion sense, which she uses to expand my wardrobe with all kinds of cool clothes; Uncle Ian and his roar face, as well as his love of music for which I share; Aunt Mallory and her ability to always make me laugh; Opie and his willingness to let me hit him on a regular basis; my princess chair and the hours of enjoyment that it has provided; my favorite foods, like bananas, mashed potatoes, Oreos, milk, corn, Graham Crackers, and pickles; the approaching 8th tooth that will help me to enjoy these foods even more; my Playgroup peeps; all of my wonderful friends and family; each day that comes with a new discovery, such as spinning in circles until I almost want to puke; my best, bedtime buddy, Mr. Duck, without whom I wouldn't be able to sleep; Mrs. Suzana, the balloon lady at Publix, as well as the cookie lady; all of the money that I am saving by not having to get haircuts; my blooming ability to communicate what I am thinking; the newfound freedom that comes with walking, which my knees very much appreciate; my innate curiosity, which gets me into trouble, and my obvious genius, as well as such much more with which I am blessed. A kiss to you all!

Speaking of what and whom for which I am thankful, I am also thankful that Mom and Dad have such wonderful friends. Last weekend, we celebrated Mr. Justin's birthday with a big dinner made by Mrs. Teri. We got to hang out with Mr. Joe, the Lambs, the Perignats, and the Bickers at the Germany residence. By the way, the kitchen looks amazing, Mr. Justin and Mrs. Teri! Mrs. Teri made pork and chicken and tons of sides; then we had cheesecake, which is Mr. Justin's favorite. Mrs. Teri had to get a little creative with the candle when she realized that she didn't have any birthday candles. Everything was really yummy, Mrs. Teri - thank you. Mr. Justin chased me around the house and tackled Brayden and me like we were football players, which made me laugh hysterically! I like being one of the boys. Mrs. Heather got down and played with Brayden and me, and at one point, there was a bit of mistaken identity when I grabbed on to Mr. Russell's legs thinking that he was Dad. Brayden fed me strawberries, and I followed him around with my mouth open like a baby bird. Once you feed me, you just can't stop. Unfortunately, Hudson wasn't feeling well, so he fell asleep early, but Brayden and I kept the party going late into the night. Mrs. Teri and Mr. Justin have the best fireplace on which to climb; Mom's just glad that it is not in our house, or I would knock out a tooth for sure. The evening was marvelous with good food and great friends. Happy Birthday, Mr. Justin; we hope your birthday was everything you wanted and more.

Now, the annual shopping must begin! With one 4 hour mall trip under my belt, I am ready for more Christmas shopping.

*Due to Mom's being sick, we are skipping the editing step tonight, so we apologize in advance for any mistakes.