Last Week was your first Thanksgiving, Julia! And your third, if you're keeping count, Aidan.
We got to spend a lot of quality time with Aunt Rebekka and Uncle Ross, who came in all the way from California to see us.
We wore hats, we went to the arboretum, we went to playgrounds, we went to Mimi and Pops' house, we went to Gigi and Pa's house. We saw family left and right, and people came flocking in just to meet you, miss Julia!
You and Rebekka shared several special moments.
As did you and Uncle Ross!
You even got to briefly meet all your Sugarland cousins and Uncle Dana and Aunt Mendi as they stopped by on their drive to Arkansas.
You got to meet your Great Grandpa (Pa) and Great Grandma (Gigi), as well as Uncle Phil and your cousins Steven and Lacey. Plus you took a great nap on Baba's chest.
We had a great Thanksgiving, but considering you were only 6 weeks old on the day of, you really didn't get to appreciate the gorge fest in its entirety. But, here's proof you were there...right behind the cranberry sauce.
Aidan, you rocked Thanksgiving too: Wearing olives on your fingers...
Wearing out the furniture in Mimi and Pops' dining room:
And wearing your 'newsies' hat, which you asked to wear.
And then picking one out for Daddy.
And then serendipitously matching Pops too!
And then dressing the whole ensemble down to the bare basics.
And wearing us out! Being two can be serious business.
But it has its serious benefits too.
Daddy and Aidan. Daddy on the right.
You even got to hang out and go exploring on Uncle Phil's farm.
But, more important that what we did or didn't do, was that we were together, as family. And together, we were!
Brothers and Sisters:
Uncles and Nephews/Aunts and Nieces:
Parents and Children:
You know, special family, sharing special memories, even if they sometimes started acting like turkeys.
You know...family!
FAMILY!!!!
And one of the specialist of the special moments we got to share as a family was that miss Julia, as a 6 week old baby, you started SMILING and really reacting to grown-up's voices and faces over Thanksgiving break. Everyone was so amazed by your beautiful smile!
Aidan, you have a lot of special people in your life. Most of them are older than you. Some of them are older than me and your mom. A lot of them are older than me and your Mom combined.
But age means nothing, unless you're trying to get senior discounts on movie tickets or yogurt or something, and then it totally counts. But, when it comes to playing with you, you actually are like the magic in the movie Cocoon. You de-age your grandparents, great grandparents and great aunts...greatly! (Not literally, but metaphorically...ya know?)
Of course, you always have a blast with Yaya and Baba and Mimi and Pops, and they have a blast with you too. You know all their names and get really excited when you get to see them and play with them.
(Remind me to get more pictures of you and Yaya, okay?)
But this past week, you got to finally meet one special relative, and finally warmed up to another.
Your famous Great Aunt Gerri, who is techincally your 1st cousin twice removed..right?) came to visit us from Tenessee. Though this was the first time you met her, she's been a part of your life since before you were born. The last time she visited, she told your Mom that the next time she visited, we would have a little baby. At that moment your Mom suspected she was pregnant with you, but hadn't told anyone yet. Kind of like an oracle, right? Aunt Gerri's always commenting on pictures of you and sending you gifts left and right, even though we tell her she's too kind and it's too much!
But you finally got to meet her, and you guys hit it off immediately. You love saying "Jerrrr-EEE! Jerr-EEE!" (although sometimes your refrain devolved into "Jeremy", but that's okay too!).
As I write this, Aunt Gerri has already headed home, but we had such a wonderful time with her. I don't think you'll be forgetting Aunt Gerri ever! (Who could?)
When Holly's grandparents, your great grandparents, are in town, you normally like to go check on Pa, your Great Grandfather Paul. You like to look at pictures of the family and point out Pa. Heck, you even liked to climb in his lap and give him hugs.
But recently, you've been pointing to someone else in the family photo, someone who you've met many times and -quite frankly- kinda ignored. But not any more. You love saying "Gigi" when you point to your Great Grandmother's picture, and then you started calling her "Grandma" ("GRAMMA!"). This weekend when she and Aunt Nessa ("Nesssss") came to town to spend more time with Aunt Gerri, you started calling her "Gramma Gigi!" and, with a little encouragement from your dear old Dad, got brave enough to go tickle her...and Gramma Gigi giggled! You loved this process so much that you repeated it dozens of times over the weekend.
I'd say that you two are now good friends, which is better than good for us!
I barely knew my grandparents and I wanted you to have a really good relationship with yours. Check! You love your Grandparents.
But as an added bonus, your Mom and I are so thankful that you're getting to know your Great Grandparents too! Not too many people get to spend an afternoon tickling their Gramma Gigis!
You're a really sweet little man, Aidan and I know you are destined for greatness. If you surround yourself with greatness, then it's only inevitable...and this weekend you got a great dose of greatness from your Great Aunt Gerri and your Great Grandma (Gramma Gigi).
So there's no need to point out the average age of some of the company you keep because calendar age doesn't matter...it only matters if you're young at heart, and as you prove again and again, you've got the magic touch in bringing out the kid in many an old person! (including me!)
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