Days 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, & 22

Wow, another week has passed in the blink of an eye!

November 17: I am thankful for charming little towns like Ocean Springs, a perfect place to take out-of-town guests.  Last Saturday morning we (Chet, Sydney, Lorelei, Didi, Papa Dave, and I)  perused the adorable little shops while enjoying the beautiful weather.  It was a really fun outing.

That same afternoon, Didi and Papa Dave watched the girls while Chet and I went to see the movie "Flight".  It was really intense, but really good!

While we were at the movie, Didi taught Sydney to do this:

November 18: I am thankful for the Small Group at church that Chet and I are a part of.  (Our church does Small Groups rather than Sunday School.)  We are surrounded by wonderful, fun people in the Small Group, and I'm so glad we found them sooner rather than later!

Sunday morning we all went to church, and after church, Didi, Lorelei, and I picked up the pictures we ordered from the family photo shoot we did in October.  I was happy to have my mom there to help me figure out where to hang them!  (I still need to take pictures of them hanging on the wall, which I'll do ASAP.)

We laid low the rest of the afternoon, and Didi and Papa Dave kept Lorelei while Chet, Sydney, and I went to Small Group that evening.

November 19: I am thankful for Keesler Air Force Base, the AFB in Biloxi where Lorelei was born, and where we often go to shop at their wonderful Commissary and Exchange.  It's much better than the Commissary and Exchange on our base (but our base is fairly small, so I guess it's forgivable).

Monday morning I took Sydney back to the doctor because she had a nasty cough again (Didi and Papa Dave stayed home with Lorelei).  Her lungs were clear, so the doctor thinks she has allergies.  She is now on allergy medication...I can't say that it's worked wonders or anything, but perhaps it is helping keep the drainage and cough at bay.

After the doctor, we all loaded up and drove over to Keesler AFB Exchange to shop.  That's always another crowd pleaser amongst out-of-town guests.

After Chet got home from work, we went to Juan Tequila's (a Mexican food restaurant) for dinner, our last dinner before Didi and Papa Dave had to head back to TX.

November 20: I am thankful I have a husband who is able and willing to watch Sydney and Lorelei while I run errands.  I desperately needed to get Thanksgiving shopping done, and did not want to do it Wednesday, so after Chet got home from work Tuesday I went to Walmart, sans children.  I think Chet and I talked on the phone twice (each of us had a random question for the other) while I was gone, and even though all I could hear were little girls screaming in the background during each phone call, I knew they were in good hands!  :-)

November 21: I am thankful for pre-holiday short work days!  Chet was home from work by noon on Wednesday, making this long holiday weekend even longer!

November 22: I am thankful for friends who open their home and cook turkeys on Thanksgiving Day, letting me get away without cooking a turkey another year!  (Chet's co-worker, Julie, invited us to her house for Thanksgiving dinner.  Her husband, her 15-month daughter, and another couple were also there.)

I got up early Thanksgiving morning to cook.  Chet's family has a tradition of eating sausage balls and monkey bread on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings, so I cooked those, in addition to a pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, and Chet's Grandma's famous jello salad.  We headed to Julie's house around 2:00 p.m., and had a wonderful time!

Before we headed to Julie's:

After the girls went to bed, Chet and I watched a cheesy Christmas movie on Lifetime, "A Nanny for Christmas".  Usually when I'm watching something cheesy, Chet will lay on the couch and play on the iPad.  But last night our Internet was down.  He kept saying, "Man, I wish the Internet was working!"  Ha!

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, and Happy Birthday to Papa Dave!