So much to be thankful for

We truly are so blessed as you can see from the images of little angels below. This year we have constantly been reminded how wonderful God is and his love for us. When you hear stories all the time of people who are suffering or who have lost a love one or had a sick baby, etc. I am reminded how precious life is as well as all the moments I get to share with my family and friends. This year especially I feel especially thankful for all the family and friends we have and for the amazing family God has blessed me with. A friend of mine talked about how life and one's happiness is all about your perspective and it is so true and this year I can honestly say that my perspective is focused on all the blessings I have and I feel very complete and content.

My parents came to visit us in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving and it was such a treat. Ellie had the best time with Mimi and paw Paw and Mike and I were very thankful for the entertainment of Ellie which allowed us to get settled in our home and have a much needed night out with friends. Plus we all got to watch Auburn defeat Alabama in one of the best Iron bowls ever! War Eagle- as you can tell from the pics below Ellie is a huge Auburn fan and loves to yell War Eagle- she has quickly learned that if she is in trouble or on thin ice to just yell War Eagle Daddy in her cute little voice and mike melts. We had such a fun week and it was hard to say goodbye but luckily we will all see each other again at Tripp's baptism in Tampa over Christmas- we can not wait.

Our Big Move back to OKC

We have had quite the adventure! First, our amazing Lieutenant Commander Daddy graduated with his Masters from the Navy War College! He has come a far way from his days at Auburn and we could not be prouder- doesn't he look handsome in his uniform- I am one lucky lady!

On our move back to OKC we stopped and visited friends and family along the way and really had a great time. We are so blessed to have so many people who welcomed us into their homes and shared their time with us. the kids were great car travelers eventhough Tripp decided to not sleep very well- but all the sleep deprivation was worth it.

Our first stop was in Campbell NY to visit Mike's Aunt Elaine and Uncle Dan- Ellie immediately LOVED Aunt Elaine- they were two peas in a pod. NOt sure the next time we will see them so it was so great for them to be able to meet Tripp and see how much Ellie has changed in a year.

Next we were off to Pittsford NY to visit the Smiths. My cousin Dan and his wife Marta have two little boys, Sebastian and Matteo who are both exactly 7 days apart. Marta and I have always been due about a month apart but she seems to always go late and I always go early - I think I got the better end of that deal. Anyways, we had a great visit and it was so fun to exchange tips for our similarly aged kids. Plus, as a added bonus we got to see Aunt Joan/ Mimi Smith- eventhough she was not Ellie's Mimi, Ellie loved seeing her because she looked so much like her mimi. We will see them again in April and can not wait.

We then drove to Buffalo to see Mike's Aunt Patty, Cousin Kim, her husband Scott and kids Travis and Sarah. Ellie immediately bonded with Aunt Patty again because she looked so much like her Gramma Reese. We only got to stay for lunch and eventhough the trip was short it was so fun to catch up. We drove from Buffalo to Olean to stay with Mike's Aunt Chris and his Bushia- what an treat- to see Bushia with her great grandchildren and grandchild Mike was so touching- the kids just loved her and I know she felt the same. Living so far away we have no idea when we will all be together but we have been fortunate to see Bushia twice in the past year and are so so happy she met little Otto. Again a short visit but a wonderful one all the same.

The next leg was a long drive to Chicago to see the Chicago Piedmonts- Ellie loved her cousins and they were just so sweet to her. Will would let her tackle him and EC taught her several dance moves- they played the most hilarious game of monkey see monkey do in which EC would do a move and then Ellie would try it- I laughed so hard I was crying. While there we had our own mini thankgiving which was such a special treat. Cha Cha Rose was the best because not only did she give up her bedroom to us she would watch the kids so I could nap whcih was priceless at this point in our trip.

While in Chicago we got to go to dinner with old Navy friends, Lionel and Zheide Dacpano. We knew Dacpano in Jax and he was actually in our wedding. They have an adorable little girl named Addie who is exactly a year younger than Ellie- in the past 5 years since we have seen each other we have definitely grown up but when we got back together it was as if no time has passed.

Are you as tired as I am? I told you it was a long journey. Our next drive was to Nashville to see college friends April and JOhn and their little girl Vivienne. Mike was super excited because he actually got to watch the AUburn/Georgia game in the south with Auburn fans. I was so happy to be able to catch up with one of my best friends and relax as this was our last big stop before heading to KS and then OKC.

OUr final stop was in Kansas to she Mike's Cha Cha Mur- she had not met Tripp or Ellie as the last time we saw her I was pregnant. We only got to stop for dinner as we were closing early the next morning on our house in OKC but it was so wonderful to see her and share our angels.

As long as this entry was our trip was even longer but I would not have done it any other way. I will say it again- we are so so so blessed to have so many wonderful family and friends who love us and our children so much. We are happy to be settling into Oklahoma where we are blessed with even more friends but we also very much enjoyed our adventure- Enjoy all the pics!

(***NOTE- the pictures are in the reverse order- sometimes blogger can be aggravating- so start and the bottom and go up to see our journey unfold.)