Thanksgiving 2009

We had such a great Thanksgiving this year and were able to see lots of extended family. A few days before we were scheduled to leave on our trip, I surprised Gary by giving him an early 30th birthday gift. It has always been his dream to go to a Michigan football game in the Big House. So, I sent him along with his brother, brother-in-law, and dad to THE game - Michigan vs. Ohio State. Even though this wasn't the best year for Michigan football, I hear that it was still a great game and a great experience. We just wish that Jimmy could have made it too - you were missed!

Chris, Andy, Don, and Gary

After the game, Gary's dad took the guys on a tour of the school. Both of Gary's parents went to U of M and Gary had never been there. They got to see old dorms, frat houses, and hangouts. It was really special for the guys to get a glimpse into their parents' past.

That night, Gary's Uncle Ken and Aunt Phyllis hosted the guys for dinner. They had a great time catching up, but the highlight of the evening was watching cousin Lisa's son, Brandt, entertain the crowds.

Gary had an extra night by himself in Detroit, so he decided to go to a Detroit Lions game. The game was a great one and the Lions ended up winning by one point as time expired. He said that he was hugging complete strangers in celebration - how fun!


While Gary was in Michigan, I headed over to Knoxville to spend some time with his sister and my nieces. Mary Laine and Gabby are at a fun age where they can really play with each other now. And Mary Laine loved watching older cousins Ainsley and Emma and learning new tricks from them.







Catherine and I loaded up the minivan with all four girls and made the trip to Charlotte. The girls were so good for us and the trip really went by quickly. But, we were obviously happy to be there and to get to see the rest of the family.

Grammy feeding Mary Laine Thanksgiving lunch

Mary Laine and Gabby snuggling with Uncle Jimmy

Triple Trouble - Gabby, Mary Laine and their foster cousin Alissa

"Almost-Aunt Kate" was a big hit with her gingerbread cookie making for the girls

Ainsley, Alissa and Mary Laine

Emma and Ainsley enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner

Mary Laine enjoying her Thanksgiving Dinner

The dogs were begging for Thanksgiving Dinner to be OVER

First Thanksgiving

Happy to be reunited with her daddy

Unfortunately, we had to cut our time with the Dyksterhouse family short because I (Kathryn) got strep throat. Thankfully, we had an army of helpers with Mary Laine as Gary got the car packed up to head to the beach and I laid on the couch and was pretty worthless.

Aunt Kelly with the girls

Our final leg of the trip was St. Simons Island to spend the weekend after Thanksgiving with Kathryn's mom's family. It has been a few years since we were all together, so it was a really special time for us.

The Sturdivant/Dyksterhouse families

The Langdon extended family

Mary Laine with cousins Will and Laine

When mom's sick, Mary Laine spends lots of time in PJs or pantsless :-)

Mary Laine and cousin Mack


My cousin Marni and her adorable family

A picture of the cousins - Mack, Sydney, Mary Laine and Addyson


Happy Thanksgiving!

Rockstar

Mary Laine is practicing to be a rockstar. I think she has the pipes to make it big.

What Christmas Is All About...

November 2009

Now 10 months, Mary Laine is really growing and developing the cutest personality. She is sweet and curious, busy and hilarious. Here is her picture with her doll this month:

Mary Laine now has four teeth. She loves to eat, so the teeth have proven helpful in opening up her world to more table food.

Blueberries everywhere

She still isn't quite sure what to do with this apple, but thinks it's a fun toy for now

Her new discovery this month is STAIRS! She started out tentatively climbing a couple over at her grandparents' house, and once she mastered those, she was ready to go. She has made it up an entire flight, and thankfully has figured out that it is better to scoot down them backwards rather than head-first.


When the baby gate is up and the stairs aren't accessible, anything will do - boxes, laundry baskets, tables, chairs. If it's on her level, she'll probably attempt to climb it.


We took her to her first Pillow Academy basketball game. She got to cheer on the girls team and was able to watch some of the boys' game. Because this girl's carriage turns back into a pumpkin around 8:00, we had to leave at half-time.

Learning to love the game

Playing with Papa and Uncle Mike

Watching very intently. Go Mustangs!

Mary Laine with Walker and QuaNiya, two of her favorite players
She was asking them for an autograph

Some other fun things that Mary Laine was up to this month was keeping in touch with out-of-town family on the phone, playing at Mimi and Papa's house, and sleeping on Ms. Jessie's shoulder.

Ms. Jessie is Mary Laine's favorite nursery worker. This is how I usually find her after church.

Also this month, Gary got to go to Atlanta to play in a golf tournament with Phillip. While he didn't get any pictures of Phillip, here is a precious pic of Shannon with Carter and Kelsey:


We also went to an engagement party honoring my cousin Adair and her fiance Daniel. They are getting married in January and we're so excited for them!

We had a very full and fun Thanksgiving that I will write about in a separate post

Mary Laine's First Text

I know Kathryn has been updating the blog with lots of pictures in chronological order, but I have to post a picture that we took tonight. Aunt Susanne just got back into Greenwood for Christmas, and Kathryn, Myself, Susanne, and Mary Laine were enjoying a meal together in our living room.

While we were all distracted Mary Laine took the opportunity to grab Susanne's phone and begin punching buttons (one of her favorite activities). What we soon realized was that she had somehow activated the phone's text button, and she was using the phone to communicate with us.

Here is the picture I took with the phone in Mary Laine's hand after she finished her text.

I have edited this post to make sure that it is understood that Mary Laine actually typed this on the phone in case I didn't make that clear. Evidently the 'P' and the 'O' being next to each other lends this possibility, but I can't imagine the odds of this happening.