I cooked a turkey!

Well, it’s official – I have now cooked my first turkey. Our group of friends from church got together tonight for a Thanksgiving dinner and I was in charge of the ham and turkey. I purchased a cooked ham from Publix but decided to tackle the turkey myself.

I defrosted the turkey yesterday and was hoping that Wesley and I would be able to cook it together after church. Evidently I didn’t share that plan with Wesley and he was gone all afternoon for work.

I put Jackson down for a nap and went to work. It wasn’t as hard to prepare the bird for the oven as I thought. My biggest concern was not cooking it all the way through so I set the oven for the max time and waited…actually, I feel asleep for a Sunday afternoon nap.

I awoke when the buzzer went off and the house smelled so good. I popped the thermometer in and it was done. The hardest part was getting the turkey from the pan to the rack to cool. I felt sure it was going to fall on the floor but it didn’t. I stole a taste and it tasted pretty good. YEAH!!

Since I needed to say I had cooked a turkey, I felt as though Wesley needed to say he had carved one. Once he got home, I put him to work. He did a great job of getting every last bite off the bird.

I believe our first turkey experience was a success!

One defrosted turkey ready to go!

I really didn't have a recipe. I figured I had seen enough Food Network Thanksgiving Specials to wing it! Good thing it worked out!

2 1/2 hours later the bird was done!

Wesley got every last bite off the turkey

Our platter of turkey

Weekend in Nashville

What a great weekend! On Thursday, my friend Kate and I packed up our boys and headed to Tennessee. Kate's husband, Ben, was out of town for the weekend and Wesley needed to paint around the house, so we decided to head to Nashville for some time with family.

On the agenda was Christmas Village. Kate had never been and I was excited for her to see this Nashville tradition. We had a great time looking at all the Christmas decorations and the adorable things out there for new little ones (Kate is expecting a boy too!)

In addition to Christmas Village, Jackson and I were able to catch up with some Nashville friends and family.

Jackson loves being in Nashville because he gets to play with his buddy, Rebekah. They are only 6 weeks apart, and love to be together. Thursday afternoon, Susan and I raked up the leaves in my parent's front yard and let them run through them. Not the smartest decision because all of us have allergies..whoops..but it was fun while it lasted!

Also, we were able to celebrate our little friend Elizabeth’s first birthday while we were in town. It was great to see Erin, Daniel, Elizabeth, and all her friends and family. Jackson and I were so glad to be invited to this celebration!

Jackson acted shy around the birthday girl - maybe he just doesn't know what to do with such a cutie around!

Daniel, Erin, and Elizabeth

Jackson made himself at home among the presents. His favorite - a giraffe pillow!

It was so good to see Erin!

Happy Birthday, Addison!

Today was Jackson's friend Addison's birthday party. I can't believe Miss Addison is already 3!! Priscilla and Todd did a great job on the party. Everything was centered around Dora...too cute!

A highlight of the party was the cupcakes. All the kids looked adorable in their purple mustaches!!

Another highlight was the piñata. Priscilla monitored the hitting while the rest of us kept the others safely behind the one with the bat!!

Right before the presents were opened, Ashley and I noticed that Tucker and Jackson were missing. We looked all around the house. Finally, we heard some noise coming from the toy box. Sure enough, those boys had pulled out all the toys and piled in!

We found you!!!

Oh, what we have ahead of us with these two!!

I had to include this picture of Jackson just chilling before the group shot was made. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a good one of the group - too close to nap time I guess!

McDonald's with Patricia

Ever since Jackson was 6 months old, we have been meeting one of my former co-workers for lunch every so often. Patricia was a graphic designer for Heavenly Ham and helped on many last minute projects.

Today, we met at McDonald's and let Jackson run around the playground while we caught up. Here are some pictures from the lunch.

Jackson and Patricia

Doesn't he look so big!

Star Wars Night at Chick-fil-a

Friday afternoon, I saw on the local Chick-fil-a billboard that Saturday was Star Wars night! Since Wesley is a Star Wars fan, we had to go check it out.

All the "Cows" were dressed up as characters from Star Wars. It was quite impressive. Jackson brought his light saber, but he wasn't the only one who dressed up for the occasion. Several adults came all decked out in very expensive Star Wars outfits. Though Wesley is a fan, he draws the line at dressing up as Darth Vader!

Here are the pictures from the night:

Heading into Chick-fil-a with his light saber.

Jackson was scared at first of the Cows...

But warmed up a little for a picture


This picture is from later that night. After Chick-fil-a, we went to a concert and then stopped at Krispy Kreme for a late night treat. This was how we found Jackson in the backseat when we pulled into the driveway. Total sugar crash!

Krispy Kreme

It really doesn't matter what time of day it is...

doesn't matter how much you have just eaten for dinner...

doesn't matter if you really don't need it...

when the HOT NOW light is on, you have to stop!

Big Boy Bed

I can't believe I am actually writing this but Jackson is now in a big boy bed!! Last night, he was tired, cranky and didn't want to go to bed. It was late so I put him in the bed crying. I stayed in his room for awhile and watched as he hiked his leg over the side in an attempt to get out. I looked at him and said "Go for it, Buddy!" He did and easily escaped!

Though he had gotten out twice before, this time was different since I actually watched him get out. He was safe this time, but next time, I could see how easily he could hit his chin on the side of the crib.

Jackson and I walked into the bedroom where Wesley was and I asked if Wesley could go ahead and take the front off his crib. Wesley looked at me like "seriously, tonight! (it was 10:00!) But after explaining what I had seen, he went in there and took off the front. We placed the crib back and Jackson jumped right in and fell asleep!!

This morning, we were greeted by his lovely face when he woke up but at least he slept until 8:00!

Nap time was much harder than last night. He was exhausted last night and easily gave in. This afternoon though he fought it and it took about an hour to convince him to stay in bed. Hopefully, this routine will become easier as we go!

I knew this day was coming as we had decided to move Jackson into a big bed so Philip could have the crib, we just didn't know it would come so soon. He looks so grown up with his head on the pillow and snuggled under the covers! Where has my baby gone?