Flashback Friday! Halloween recap time...

Halloween 2016, unlike Thanksgiving 2016, was not a success. In fact, BBL spent most of Halloween night laying with mom and dad and nursing a fever on a blow-up mattress we sat out on the living room floor. No costume, no candy, and no fun! That said, we did have fun playing dress-up with our little man prior to and after Halloween. And Reid has enjoyed sorting the leftover halloween candy and carrying it around the house (yes, this is still happening in December).

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Reid the Shark, Reid the Rastafarian, and Reid the Tiger

A sampling of how Reid and I spent our Halloween evening- at least one of us was in costume! (Thanks, Snapchat filters!)

Thanksgiving 2016

Well, I suppose I should have posted the Thanksgiving post before the Santa Claus post, but here we are. In conformance with societal norms, we did wait until after Thanksgiving to visit Santa Claus.  However, days tend to blend together of late so please forgive the tardy post. In any event, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day meal at my Aunt Suad and Uncle Mac's home this year. With the exception of last year and this year, my parents have always hosted a big Thanksgiving Day meal at the Lake Waunatta Home, and I am still not used to the change. It seems that many of my family members aren't used to the change either since less of them have shown up over the past two years. Still, my Aunt and Uncle hosted a great Thanksgiving (with the help of my Mom's cooking and Andy's homemade pumpkin pie, of course!), and it was really nice to visit with my family that was in attendance. It is also really fun to see Reid walking around among his little cousins, like Zain and Naveen.

After enjoying a late Thanksgiving lunch, we returned home (with Reid in a turkey stupor in the backseat), and Andy and I enjoyed a cold beer on our porch while Reid continued his nap. Then, we took a family walk on the golf course and watched the sun set. Overall, Thanksgiving Day 2016 was a success.

The following day, Andy and I spent the morning with Reid, Gage, Scotty, Apa, Nee Nee, Aaron, and Dom. Around Reid's naptime, we left for an overnight stay at New Smyrna Beach to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. As usual, NSB did not disappoint, and we really enjoyed the alone time and the ability to eat a fancy-ish meal (and a delicious meal at JBs) and have uninterrupted adult conversation for hours. Quiet time on the beach and the opportunity to begin a new book were also welcome distractions from our "normal" life. That said, we talked about BBL often and were anxious to return to him the following day.

On Saturday, after we returned home, we spent some quality time with Nee Nee, Apa, Scotty, and Gage. We treasure the time we get to spend with all of them, but especially sweet Gage. It is really fun to see the boys interact, and we have loved seeing Gage grow up and open up more. He is a very kind-hearted three year old that especially loves dogs, chocolate milk, Dada, Apa, swimming, super heroes, and legos- that is my take on him, anyway!

On Sunday, we took Reid to the Mall at Millenia and visited with Santa (see previous post). Later that evening, we enjoyed a belated Thanksgiving meal at my parents' home since the Clark and Rios families missed the Thanksgiving Day meal. As usual, it was heartwarming to see Reid interact with his grandparents and cousins, and the food was delicious. Reid took a late cat nap while we ate so we were able to enjoy a relaxing meal and (mostly) relaxing evening. Even though Reid spiked a fever upon our return home on Sunday (he wanted to keep us on our toes- we were too relaxed), we had a heart-filling Thanksgiving Day, anniversary trip, and weekend. Bring on Christmas!