A Weekend With The Robb's

My side of the family stayed the weekend with us after Thanksgiving.

[ Joseph went to the hunting camp, so it was a house full of Robb's - + Caroline all weekend] 

:)

It was a weekend full of food, family and football.

With all the leftovers, it was like Thanksgiving Dinner all over again.

I'm not complaining.

The boys ruled the TV all day Saturday.

Again, I'm not complaining.

There were some good games on.

Specifically the Alabama game & the Florida State game.

you knew I was going to say that didn't you?

Everyone helped me pull out the Christmas decorations 

and we worked on the first stages of making our home Merry & Bright

for the holiday season! 

It's beginning to look festive around here!

& I now have Caroline running around saying

Ho-Ho-Ho

!!

Caroline had a blast all weekend just running around playing from morning until night with her Nonnie, Opa & Matt Man.

Sunday came too quickly.

[ Days always fly by when you want them to last ]

^^ I hate that. 

On Sunday Mom & Matt left early - 

they have a standing Sunday tradition for The Bucs' Game.

They're very superstitions about their football.

But our team has been on a winning streak since they started the tradition...

[we won't talk about what happened this particular Sunday though] haha.

Go Bucs!

But Dad & I went to Church - 1st Sunday of Advent :)

It was a beautiful service as always.

It was the first time Dad had been to this church in Fairhope.

He loves our Pastor though- so I think he might come up here just to come to church with us on Sunday's now! 

After church we had the best.brunch.ever.

The Grand Hotel is a hop skip & a jump away from our house-

people rave about this brunch.

So, with it just being Dad, Caroline & me, we took advantage and decided to check it out for ourselves.

& thank goodness we did.

It was divine!

The had too many options to try everything.

The prime rib was to die for though. 

& Caroline loved their homemade Belgium waffles [with homemade syrup of course]

We also explored the grounds a little bit.

"Frolicked" through the gardens & played some "Putt-Putt"

I think Caroline loved exploring just as much as we did!

I think I'll be making this Brunch one of my special meals before baby Hadley gets here.

 It was THAT good. 

& When I'm not so pregnant, I'll definitely be going back to indulge in the bottomless mimosas that are included in the Brunch price.

I've got to get Joseph over there. I'm sure he would want to make it a monthly thing! 

Thanks, Dad! So glad we got to experience it together. 

I finished my weekend with a little bit of work & a little bit of cleaning.

Sure was quiet once everyone left. Blah.

But Joseph is home now! finally.

We kinda missed him ;)

Now, let's start this week with a bang! 

Thanksgiving at The Turner's

Thanksgiving Day has came & went.

& I wouldn't change a thing. 

As I've mentioned, this year we held Thanksgiving at our home. 

We had both sides of the family join us-

both sets of parents, the 3 siblings, Joseph, Caroline & myself.

party of 10.

Dad & Matt came the night before and brought me all the odds & ends from Niceville that I was missing. [One lesson: I learned I need to increase my amount of serving utensils...2 sets isn't going to get you by on Thanksgiving] 

OH! & While we're on the night before Thanksgiving--

We stayed up until midnight & were on the phone & computer right at midnight ready to make one of our "Black Friday Door Buster" purchases that we were told would be available at 12:01 AM on the morning of Thanksgiving. 

Customer Service just isn't what it used to be [feeling kind of old as I saw that, but it's the truth!] 

I won't get into all the details, it was a long process- needless to say, we went to bed without making the purchase we were trying to make at midnight- not because the product was already sold out, but because none of the service reps knew what they were doing and when we asked to speak with a manager, after holding for 5+ minutes...we were simply hung up on. 

Not.A.Happy.Pregs.

We got over it though! Just a loss of sleep, no big deal. 

I started Thanksgiving Day extra early - it was strange...it was like Christmas morning when I was a kid:

You remember. That hardly able to sleep because you're so excited for the next morning, anxiously anticipating Santa's arrival & wondering if you'll hear him when he comes to your house.

Yeah, I guess I was just that excited for our 1st Thanksgiving hosting.

I worked from 6:00AM-7:30AM [on Thanksgiving? yeah- work hours.]

Then got myself ready & started in the kitchen with the appetizers.

Mom showed up shortly after I had started in the kitchen. We started going to down on everything that could be done early. It was a great system & I'm so thankful she was there to help me through the process. Timing is everything. 

Absolutely crucial on Turkey Day. 

Josephs's side of the family got in just a little while later and the appetizers were served.

Caroline was so excited to have her whole family there.

She wanted to show everyone everything.

[like they'd never seen it before]

Football was on TV. The boys manned the fryer. The girls worked in the kitchen and everyone was happy.

There was So.Much.Food.

I had the menu made for probablyyyy 2 months prior to this. (See Menu Below). But it didn't seem like that much. I knew for sure that there would be left overs, but not nearly as much as there was. 

It'll be Thanksgiving in our house for probably the next week...longer if the food stays good. 

After we ate, there was a period of relaxing - some dosing off from the fullness of the feast.

& Then after a little relaxing, it was game time.

I don't recall the name of the game- but it was a blast.

Mary Catherine taught us a dice game -

a small wager gambling game.

So.Much.Fun.

Karlyn took home the loot :)

After some pictures, more laying around, and running around with Caroline it was time to call it a night.

This Thanksgiving was one for the books. & one I will never forget.

Not just because of the hard work that went into making this Thanksgiving, but for the people that were there and the memories that were made.

As much as I would have loved to just sit around and watch football- 

I wouldn't trade the time in the kitchen that I had with Mom for anything. 

I learned a lot. We had some good laughs & listened to some good country music [that part was predictable, wasn't it?]

I wouldn't trade the hours that went into the preparation of the menu, the decorating and the scheduling and planning.

I wouldn't trade how happy Caroline was to have everyone around her.

I'm so thankful for my family. Both sides. 

I'm so thankful for my husband & all that he does for our growing family.

I'm so thankful for my beautiful and smart little girl who keeps us on our toes. 

I'm so thankful for the precious baby that I can't wait to get to know. 

I am so blessed to have so much in my life to be thankful for- the list could go on and on. 

Who knows where everyone will be in their lives next year at Thanksgiving..

but if both sides will let us - I'm down to have another gathering at our house for Turkey Day!

:)

T H A N K S G I V I N G DAY M E N U 

Appetizers:

Baked Brie

Spicy Roasted Chick Peas

Cashews

Beer Cheese

Bacon Roll Ups

Lunch/Dinner:

Turkey with Gravy

Glazed Ham

Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Dressing

Cornbread Casserole

Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Sweet Potato Casserole

Pineapple Casserole

Macaroni & Cheese

Deviled Eggs

Cranberry

Carrots

Crescent Rolls

Dessert:

Apple Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake

Caramel & Almond Cheesecake

Marbled Brownies

In the words of Jameis Winston:

"We Gonna Do It, We Gonna Do It Big."

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Many blessings from our family to yours!

Mini Post: 30 weeks y'all!

Happy 30 Weeks!

We're in the F I N A L 10 Weeks.

How far along? 30 Weeks

Total weight gain: 25 pounds

Sleep: Still sleeping soundly

Best moment(s) this week: Having a cheeseburger for breakfast [Im not sorry, not one bit]

Miss anything?: Heels being comfortable for more than 5 minutes

Movement: A whole lot of it. 

Best thing about this pregnancy: And Again I say: Adding a new member to our family! 

Worst thing about this pregnancy: I want to see my baby more - Wishing we got more ultrasounds. 

Food cravings: Each week this seems to change - I get fixated on something and I want to eat only that. Pickles. Mini Dill Pickles is this weeks winner. 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks. 

Belly Button in or out? In

Last time you cried over something ridiculous: Still doing good! No tears lately. 

What I am looking forward to: THANKSGIVING IS UPON US!!! I'm so excited!! obviously.

Weekly Wisdom: Hope everyone has some stretchy pants for Thursday! ;)

Mini Post: Brewton Over The Weekend

We just got home from our weekend in Brewton.

We had a weekend full of fun....and relaxation. 

[ and lots of pictures of Caroline in my in-law's beautiful backyard ;) ]

Our reason for this trip, besides visiting with family, was a wedding.

Joseph's friends from home got married Saturday. 

It was a sweet traditional church wedding. 

We had a blast celebrating their special day.

my feet didn't though. my heels killed.

We spent time with the family, visited the homes of other members of the family, Joseph got to golf with the boys, I got a rare, but heavenly afternoon nap, and we even got to meet, just home from the hospital, newborn baby Harper.

Another beautiful baby girl to add to the family.

Caroline loved her. "Bay-Be Har-Per"

Caroline loves visiting with all her people. She knows just what she loves to do at each place she visits. She got to see a lot of her cousins while we were in town this time too - which was a sweet surprise & always a huge plus!

Fairhope Tree Lighting

We experienced our first ever 

Fairhope Tree Lighting Ceremony 

last night.

It is a definitely a N E W T R A D I T I O N that we will have every year.

I have never seen anything like it.

The streets of Downtown Fairhope were packed with people, from young to old.

Everyone was in their holiday attire.

There were photo booth areas set up with elves & reindeer.

There was a choir singing Christmas Carol's. 

Moments before the "lighting of the tree" all of the lights went out with only the stage lit up.

They made announcements about all that was taking place in our little town during the Christmas Season and then there was a countdown from 10.

When we reached 1, all of the trees that lined the streets were lit up with Christmas Lights-

and all of the wreaths that hung from light poles too.

There were beautiful Christmas lights everywhere.

And from the street lights there were snow machines that were pouring out snow flurries over all the people in the town.

It was beautiful. It definitely made its mark on me.

& on Caroline.

She A B S O L U T E L Y loved it. When it was all over, she didn't want to leave. 

So I'd say it had just as much impact on her as it did on us.

If you've never seen this -- I would highly recommend putting it on your calendar for next year!

Such a great way to start the holiday season!

Mini Post: I'm Late!

So clearly, I'm getting behind.

I'm 29 weeks pregnant as of a few days ago!

& turning 30 weeks in a few more haha oops

Let's just pretend I'm on time ;)

No really though, we've been on the move lately.

We were in Niceville when I became 29 weeks pregnant with Hadley.

So, I was late taking my pic & late tellin' y'all all about meeeee. 

B U T,

We went for some good family fun & to celebrate my B.F.F's birthday [early] because I couldn't be there for the real thing & I just HAD to see her in person for this special celebration. 

Football. Good Food. Family. & Friends that might as well be family.

OH, & we took our picture for our Christmas Card!

[you'll see those soon....already ordered & delivered]

now to address the envelopes.

Hey, hey - - guess what though?

LAST WEEK IN THE TWENTIES!!!

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain: 24 pounds

Sleep: Gettin' it - i have my "positions" that I like to sleep in lol 

Best moment(s) this week: While in Niceville, my entire family was able to SEE & FEEL baby girl kick around. It was the coolest thing. She was kicking hard too haha - it always looks so cool to just see my belly move. Glad they got to experience it too!

Miss anything?: Everyone keeps talking about this Sushi restaurant that is by our home -- I just want some yummy sushi!! waaaa.

Movement: A whole lot of it. 

Best thing about this pregnancy: And Again I say: Adding a new member to our family! 

Worst thing about this pregnancy: I'm always hot. My poor family- i think i freeze them out of the house. 

Food cravings: Fruit Loops are the bee's knees right now. & milkshakes of course. 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks. 

Belly Button in or out? In

Last time you cried over something ridiculous: Doing good this week :) 

What I am looking forward to: We'll be in Brewton for a wedding this weekend! 

Weekly Wisdom: Dresses look better when they're fitted- instead of loosey goosey. Fitted dresses compliment the bump, loose dresses make you look like a tent haha