Thankful

We have much to be thankful for this year. It's always nice to have one day set aside to give thanks (although it should be something we daily) because life keeps us all moving at a fast pace and we loose sight of what's really important. This year we spent Thanksgiving in Kansas visiting with family and friends.

After Thanksgiving dinner at Nana's house.

With Aunt Megan.

With Grandpa.

With Nana.

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On Friday we drove to Lawrence to visit with Uncle Tommy, Aunt Danielle and Vinny. They were in town celebrating the holiday weekend with Aunt Danielle's family. It was nice to spend some time with them. Vinny has gotten so big since we saw him more than 2 months ago. He's adorable and a smiler! 

After lunch - Gabriella, Daddy, Vinny, Aunt Danielle and Adriana.

Shopping! Adriana, Mommy, Gabby, Vinny and Uncle Tommy stop for a quick pic.

Cousins!

What a smile! Love him!

Later in the afternoon, we returned to Manhattan and Nana had the girls help her cover pine cone with peanut butter and bird seed. They had a lot of fun!

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Saturday morning, we met the Tadtmans at a new place in town called Varsity Donuts. It was a real treat because they have the most unique donuts (Oreo, Fruit Loops, S'mores, etc.) Very tasty!

Colten, Gabby and Aubrey enjoying their donuts.

Fruit Loops!

The newest Tadtman - Claire Patricia. She's a doll and slept the entire time. Precious!

It's like their first date! (Fast forward about 12-15 years from now.)

Before we left on Saturday, the girls made "hamburger" cookies with Aunt Megan. What a fun mess!

It's was a good weekend! We of course missed spending time with Nonna & G-Pa, but we look forward to our visit to Florida next month for Christmas!  We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have remembered to count your blessings!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

It's hard to believe the Christmas season will soon be upon us. This weekend we got into the spirit of the season. On Friday night, the girls' dance studio held their annual Christmas Recital at the Riverwalk in an outdoor amphitheater. Only the 3 year old classes and older performed, so Adriana will be part of it next year. Gabriella was in a ballet number to "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth." She did wonderfully! So impressive and we are so proud of her! Below is the video of her performance and some still shots. 

(It's a little jumpy at first, but be patient. After people around us stopped moving, David was able to focus in on Gabby.)

Before her performance.

Well done! Bravo!

There was a lighting ceremony and an opportunity to visit with Santa on Friday night as well. The girls had so much fun sitting on Santa's lap. They told him they want Barbies and make-up. Such little girls!

In deep conversation with the jolly man!

Merry Christmas!

***

Today we kept in the Christmas mood and decorated our home both inside and outside. Mommy and Daddy decorated outside while the girls napped. After they woke up, we put up our Christmas tree and set out some other decorations. We will fully decorate after Thanksgiving.

It's hard to make out what Adriana is doing. After she put her first ornament on the tree (a teddy bear holding a football), she hugged the bear. She is such a soft and gentle child and it really shines through in this photo.

Daddy helping her reach a little higher.

The last step - Angel on top!

Ta Da! Our Christmas tree in the dining room.

Over the course of the last couple years, Nonna has bought the girls their own Christmas trees. The girls decorated their trees for their bedrooms.

Adriana's tree. They are both so pretty and special!

We are looking forward to the holiday season! First up is Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for this year!

Go Golden Hurricane!

On Saturday we went to our first University of Tulsa football game. They are currently undefeated in Conference U.S.A. and on Saturday they stayed that way beating Marshall 59-17! We had a lot of fun and will be sure to do this again. The girls had a blast and didn't want to leave with only a few minutes left in the game.

Sporting their new TU shirts outside the stadium store. It was a windy day!

Enjoying lunch in our end zone seats. The girls loved the loud music behind us from the speakers and the Jumbotron!

Dancing between quarters.

Gabby with Tulsa's mascot Captain Hurricane. Adriana was napping in Mommy's arms at this time, but had she been up, we are pretty sure she would have enjoyed his presence from a distance. :)

Funny girl! 

Having so much fun! 

During the 4th quarter, we went down to the lower seats. We saw the game up close and Marshall's mascot - a bison named Marco. (Their actual mascot is The Thundering Herd.)

Gabriella's first field trip & The Great Pumpkin's Surprise!

This week Gabriella's PreK class went on a field trip to a nature center. Mommy came along to enjoy a day out in nature's beauty with Gabby and her class. Here are a few photos from the outside adventures of exploring different habitats. Gabby's class has been studying insects, animals and habitats all year long so the kids loved seeing all of nature's wonders in person.

Studying animal tracks on the dirt path. I believe this one was a deer track. 

Near a marsh with cat tails.

Studying the pond and the bugs and vegetation near it. 

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I am sure the suspense has been building this last week as to what The Great Pumpkin brought for the girls. :) Here is a guess...

It was at the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa.

Sisterly love. They wore there party outfits, which was perfect because it was a dance party for sure!

 Another guess...

This is a character from the performance. His name is Muno.

 Did you know what it is?

Yo Gabba Gabba Live! This is one of the girls' favorite TV shows. It's a great children's program that focuses on important developmental and educational topics, such as being kind, loving, and healthy. Several episodes feature celebrities. To those who don't know the show, it appears to be a bit odd, but it's really a great show that children and parents can enjoy together. Biz Markie rapped for us and shared his beat of the day. So cool!

Waiting for the show to start. So excited! 

Some popcorn to enjoy while we waited. 

Just as the show began.

So exciting!

There they are! 

Dancing! Check out the girls' barrettes - they are the Yo Gabba Gabba characters. Their souvenir. 

So much singing and dancing!

One of the show's popular songs is about hugging. Adriana turned to Daddy and gave him a big hug. It was so cute!

More dancing!

During intermission. Had some cotton candy and hugs! ;)

Gabby's great dance moves!

The crew waving good-bye... "See you next time! YO GABBA GABBA!"

 What a fun night for all of us! Great show!