This year we spent Thanksgiving in Houston with my Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Keith. Both of their Texas-dwelling kids and their families were in other states for the holiday so it was up to us to fill the grandkid void. (Raine took the role seriously and made sure that Aunt Mary Ann’s M&M bowl was empty before we left!)

We had a fabulous turkey dinner outside on the patio, watched football, and gorged on scrumptious pie. The kids had a blast playing with all the old-school Fisher Price toys that Mary Ann saved from her kids’ childhood. Carter quickly became a pro at going up and down stairs — our one-story house doesn’t provide an opportunity to learn — and he doesn’t even have any bumps or bruises to show for it!

On our way out of town we stopped to see Shannan and her family for a few minutes. They had just gotten off an all-night flight from Hawaii so we didn’t stay too long, but it was fun to see them again.