Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving with the Bradshaws

Thanksgiving!  Well here goes!  Let's see how quickly I can record this trip!  I have a limited amount of time, but really want to blog about our trip to Tennessee!

These are the cotton fields we passed.  They are actually pretty close to us in Mississippi!  I just had to take a picture, because I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen cotton growing!

 Oh so beautiful!  I wish I could look out my window and see something that I could turn into something amazing.  Who would of thought that these little puff balls would make the clothes we wear!

The drive!
 The truck that through a rock up and cracked our windshield on the way!

 The trees!
 The Capital building in Jackson, Mississippi!
 More trees!  Brent thought I was turning into some kind of tree hugger, because I kept taking pictures of the trees!
 I just thought it was a beautiful drive, so I kept taking pictures!  I usually only like pictures with people in them, but lately I've been wanting to take pictures of everything!

 We made it!  The human pretzel!  We were so glad to arrive!  Halle asked about 50 times "are we almost there yet?"
 We had a Turkey bowl!  Melody the dog had a blast.  Seriously the nicest dog ever!!  Almost makes me want a dog( :


 Halle opted for the swings at the park!

 She also liked the geese.....
 until they turned around and chased us!  I did not get a picture of that because we were running!!!
 Martin, Tennessee!  I can only imagine spring here!
 Jenny doing a Jig on the front porch of their cute little home!
 Oh yeah and the brown dog in the picture is just some dog that decided to join our walk that morning and then decided he'd rather stay at the Bradshaw's than go home!  I have to admit if I were a dog I would have wanted to stay too!  All these fun kids to play with and love you!

 We went for a walk down by the college!
 The trail was beautiful!  Kids running biking and a dog to boot!
 I felt like I was in one of those magazines where you think to yourself, "where is that place?  I want to live there!"
 Go Halle Go!  She really did try to keep up, but she just does not have the energy like the other kids!

 Mac and Sally crossing the Bridge!
 Halle getting a little nervous!  Brent kept getting a little to close to the edge for her liking!
 Kelton and Hayden decided to run and got way ahead of us!

 Everyone needed a little ride!

 Halle and Mac!
 Kelton on the bike!

 So Cute!
 Kelton of course way up in the tree!
 Charles weaved us through the Forest to find this obstacle course the ROTC at the school had put together.  There had been a big storm that knocked down some trees on top of it, but that did not stop everyone from trying it out!

 The bars twisted as you tried to hold on!



 The kids wanted me to take lots of pictures of them on the monkey bars!  I always do what they say!!( :





 Chin-ups too!

 Kelton the wanderer!
 Sally and Hayden!!!
 The lost tribe!  It was a little bit treacherous!  At first I was fine and then I started thinking about the all the bugs and snakes that might be lurking out there and I started to panic a little bit!  Charles said that it was too cold for ticks so that made me feel a little better.  I was hoping that meant it was too cold for snakes too.  I hate snakes even plastic ones.
 Kelton found a stick!
 Jenny made sugar cookies and let the kids help!
 The boys had dart gun wars and played video games!
 The girls sometimes tried to watch the shows the boys were watching, but didn't last long!
 Mostly the girls just played and played and played!  They all three slept together in Sally's twin!  It was really cute all there little heads squished together.
 Pizza the next day!
Jenny making more cookies!

Charles fried up the Turkey!  All the food was so yummy!  We all had such a nice time together.  I'm so glad Jenny and Charles invited us up for Thanksgiving.  It really would have been so lonely at home in Mississippi. I was thinking back to all of our Thanksgiving dinners and all the wonderful memories we have had with cousins and extended family.   I think this Thanksgiving I am most grateful for family and extended family.  I am so grateful for My extended family and for Brent's extended family.  I can't imagine life with out them.  They really are what makes life so sweet!  Be good to your family. 

 The holidays are much harder this year as we have so many Traditions that involve extended family.  The kids keep reminding me of all the things we won't be able to do this Christmas.  This morning was particularly hard as the kids were really not wanting to go back to school.  Everyone had a stomach ache and Hayden's headaches returned.  I was thinking it was something we were eating, but now I believe it is probably just the stress of school.  We had a little talk last night about trying to enjoy the journey.  I'm afraid my boys are just enduring this journey right now and I hate for them to miss out on the good parts of even a bad journey.  Sometimes were always thinking about when we will be happy.  I'll be happy after I get that new job etc. and we really forget to be happy right now.  The journey is really the fun part, right?  As we arrived at school Kelton gave me a really sad face.  They all made sure to hug me before running off to class, which is really kind of prohibited because it makes the drop off line a little slower.  It will get better for them, I'm sure.  Getting all the decorations out was a little hard for me too.  I should probably take my own advice, but I'll admit it is hard sometimes.  I'll try not to cry every time I look at the Christmas tree this year( ;