We Gobbled Til We Wobbled

We returned to the Rea family Thanksgiving this year, after at least a 2 year absence. It was delightful. An abundance of tasty food, 150 members of our extended family and some fantastic heavy equipment for Andy to operate. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

Eli snuggling on the couch with Grandpa. I don't know what Eli is up to, he has taken to giggling and closing his eyes whenever the camera comes out.

Luke got his first taste of Thanksgiving football. All the menfolk gather in the field to whoop up on each other and burn off some calories. Luke has no clue what's going on but they were nice enough to include him and let him run with the ball.

The cousins introduced Andy to the fine art of fort-building with blankets and sleeping bags. Andy has also informed me that he wants speakers in the ceiling for watching his movies. Sure, kid, I'll get right on installing that surround sound for you.

We came home on Saturday so we could recover from the non-stop fun and games of Thanksgiving. However, approximately 2 tons of leaves were in our backyard and peer pressure forced us to remove them. The little rascals mustered enough energy to jump in the pile before Steve scooped it all up.

The Saga of the Eye Surgery

Aunt Judy and Grandma Betsy came to help us out on Sunday afternoon. The boys were excited to have company and we were grateful that our little guys were well cared for while we were with Luke.
We had to check in at Duke on Monday morning, only to sit around for over 2 hours and wait our turn. They operate in birth order so we had to wait for the younger ones to get finished. They wrote on Luke's face twice, just making doubly sure the correct eye was marked. He was a good sport and absolutely thrilled to have sole control of the remote.

Luke was slow to wake up after the surgery. Once he was alert and realized he had an IV and his eye was swollen shut, he became anxious and irritable. The nurse gave him something that I know I'm allergic to and he didn't respond well, either. The poor fella couldn't keep anything down for almost 3 days.

Here we are today. I think he tried to look as pitiful as possible for this shot, because two minutes before and immediately after, I was asking him to settle down and stop bouncing off the walls. He had a check-up yesterday and apart from the swelling, he looks pretty good. He doesn't quite have the stamina for a full day at school so we are holding him out until Monday. We are glad this is behind us and optimistic that the surgery was successful.

Somebody Had a Birthday

Since the binkies were abandoned, Andy has attached himself to this hippo. Please note that hippo has spent the last 4 years of his life under a pile of blankets or sitting on a shelf. My how things have changed. He goes everywhere. But hippo doesn't like to get dirty so he often sits in Andy's car seat while Andy enjoys numerous adventures. When Andy heard there was going to be a birthday, he declared it was hippo's birthday as well. Hippo turned 9. He wanted a hippo cake and various gifts. He was forced to settle for cupcakes. Sorry, no gifts. Parties for stuffed animals are not in my contract.

Eli is the almost birthday boy, celebrating month 11. This is my new favorite shirt. He can finally wear long sleeves without sweating like crazy. Heather challenged me to take a picture of Eli every week for the first year. I think I almost made it. Maybe skipped a week or two in the midst of moving.

Luke took this picture and it turned out super cute.

At last, the real birthday boy. Steve celebrated his special day by going to the Wake Forest v. Boston College football game with a good friend. The boys were enamored with the musical cards at Walgreens and wouldn't you know it, we purchased the Star Wars card with a glowing light saber and it plays the SW theme song. How about that.
I'm sure Steve feels complete now that he has this card in his possession.

From Camping to Costumes...

Our neighborhood celebrated Halloween with their 17th annual costume parade. We gathered in a cul de sac, paraded through the neighborhood and then quickly ate hot dogs and chips together. This was our first neighborhood event and our boys were delighted to have so many other kids to chase.
Steve, Luke and Andy all dressed up and ready to go

Steve took the boys camping on Friday night. It was 36 degrees during the night, hence the winter coats, hats and gloves. Brrrr! I'm glad Eli and I stayed home.

There was a large group of 5 and 6 year old boys on a Father-Son camping trip and they had their tents set up close by. Luke jumped right in and joined the fun. He has really done well making new friends. He was very happy to see lots of little boys doing exactly what he wanted to do.

Posing by the lake