Thanksgiving Holiday 2011

This year we stayed home and enjoyed a nice, quiet, low-key Thanksgiving in Chapel Hill.  Oscar decided to add on to his outdoor Christmas decorations so he actually began putting them up on Wednesday afternoon.  Of course, Savannah thought he needed her help.  

Daddy and his little helper

On Thanksgiving morning after a rather warm run outside, we came home to finish watching the parade.  Savannah loved the parade!!  The highlight of it all was a surprise performance by the Fresh Beat Band :)  For lunch we had the wonderful buffet at the Carolina Inn.  I, for one, really like going out to eat for Thanksgiving.  I love all the traditional Thanksgiving food but I hate all the leftovers.  At least when you go out to eat, after lunch you don't have to look at another turkey til Christmas.  

family picture before lunch

at the Carolina Inn

of course Savannah had ma and cheese, chicken fingers, and melon

inspecting the Inn's decorations

Back at home, Savannah added her yearly ornament to the family tree.  This year it's a Rapunzel ornament.

On Friday afternoon we battled the Black Friday crowds at the mall then headed home to finish decorating the house while Oscar watched football.  Surprisingly the mall wasn't nearly as crazy as I expected....maybe because we didn't go at 5 am.
Saturday, we visited the paint-your-own pottery studio to make our annual Christmas dish.  I'm so excited about this years project!  I'll post a picture of it once we pick it up on Wednesday.  Savannah had a blast doing this project!  She loved painting and she especially loved cleaning the brushes.  Surprisingly, this was our fastest year yet.  I guess the extra 2 hands for once actually helped the process.

Sunday was a super busy day.  After church in the morning, we attended the Radio City Christmas Spectecular at DPAC.  What an amazing show!!!  They even had real sheep and camels for the nativity scene!!!  I've never sat so close to the stage for any show before.  We could actually tell that the Rockettes were looking at us.  And when looking up, there legs really do look 6 feet long.  

outside DPAC on tobacco row

my pretty little girl

walking the red carpet

proof that we actually sat front row center

Savannah reading the program

all ready for the show

After the show, we went to a birthday cookout for one of our friends' daughter.  What a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!!  Now we're in the midst of the Christmas season---my most favorite time of the year!!  I'll post pictures of this years decorations once I'm totally finished---I, too, am adding on a little to the inside :)