Thanksgiving '11

Thanksgiving in AZ this year was a total blast. Because Brandon had to go on a business trip the Monday after Thanksgiving, we stayed in AZ and had him fly out from there so I could stay with family while he was gone. So we ended up staying 10 days! Here are the highlights--

1. Rett is not a car baby. He hates his carseat. It pains me to admit this, because life is so much easier when the baby likes the carseat. But it is what it is. On the 10-hour car drive, he was in his carseat maybe 3 hours. Don't judge. :)

2. The girls were fabulous in the car-- Lanie was better than Lexi even. That was a total surprise. The girls have transitioned fabulously to having a little sibling. They are so patient if I have to help the baby, and they just wait until I can help them. This was a good thing since I was dealing with him in the car so much.

3. Lexi and Lanie need a backyard. Period. They had so much fun playing outside. My sister (in the pictures) bought a bounce house slide thing, and Lanie got so excited every time she woke up and it was still there. She'd say, "Side, Side! It's working!" So cute.

4. AZ in November is fabulous. My favorite conversation--

(Dave) "The weatherman says it's supposed to be rainy and cold tomorrow."

(Rebecca) "Yes, but when is the weatherman right?"

D: "Well, he said that today would be sunny and 75 degrees."

R: "Yes, but it's sunny and 75 degrees everyday."

HA! So true!

5. The turkey trot will forever be fun. Even if my sister has to practically drag me at her pace. Here are some pics of the big day.

Bec and I after the race. I had a baby 6 weeks prior, and she had ACL knee surgery also 6 weeks prior, so we weren't expecting to be fast or anything. It's a 10K, and we finished in 1:02. About a 10-minute mile. Not bad, considering we aren't runners by any stretch of the imagination. NOTE: My number was 1984- the year I was born! Random, huh? I thought that was stinking cool. The family group shot. One of these days, we'll start getting more and more people. :) The littles did the family fun run.
Before the race, with my niece Kinsey. She did NOT want to be there, so I gave my most exciting smile for her. :)

6. My family is big. There was one point where we were at the gym and the instructor asked who was hosting a family dinner. Bec raised her hand, and the instructor asked how many people, and Bec answered, "60". Just Mom, siblings, and kids too. Crazy...

7. The "Proffitt Family Survivor Games" was awesome this year. Really fun to compete as families, even when most of us are competition-obsessed crazies.

8. Lanie will actually sleep on someone's lap. She's never slept on mine of course, but Joy was enjoying a good snuggle. She skipped her nap for Thanksgiving, and was exhausted by 5.

9. I have plenty of nieces and nephews who are ready and willing to hold my baby. That was pretty fun. Now if only we can convince him that he doesn't need Mommy all the time...

10. Ned's Crazy Sub will always be a destination, even though there are WAY better sub places. We went to Firehouse Subs, which were delish, and Ned's just can't compare. But it brings back some nostalgia for me, so we always go. Thanks, sisters of mine, for humoring me and coming with. :)

11. Brandon is still allergic to Arizona. I don't know exactly what it is, but he was wheezing the whole time. And Rett broke out too. Weird...

12. My sis-in-law is amazingly talented. Margaret not only took my family pictures, but also made my Christmas card this year. And they are amazing. AND they cooked us an amazing dinner in Tucson.

13. We need to live closer to family. It's just too much fun. And so much easier when Brandon is out of town. Lexi had a blast with all her cousins, and Lanie enjoyed tagging along.

The end. :) I as usual forgot to pull out my camera 98% of the time.