For Thanksgiving this year, my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew came to our house. I don't have any pictures really of Thanksgiving beacuse I was in the kitchen doing all the cooking. My mom has been having back problems (3 herneated disks, 1 of which is extruding) so she was on the couch or sitting the whole time. We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner around 12:30pm. Amelia and her cousin Charlie played for a while and then took a nap. After naps were over, we had pumpkin and cherry pie. My sister and her family left to another family party in Phoenix. My mom, dad, Clint, Amelia, and I drove to Mesa for Thanksgiving dinner at Clint's parent's house. We enjoyed more delicious food and great company.
Charlie and Amelia (wearing the cute turkey hat Grandma Susie had for them)
Grandma Susie with the grandkids for dinner.
Charlie and Amelia with their turkey placemats.
Amelia lounging in her red reading chair in her bedroom.
Wal-Mart was having their Black Friday sales start at midnight so Clint and I drove to Wal-Mart at 11:45pm. (Don't worry, we didn't have Amelia with us...she was asleep at home with my parents) The parking lot was full and we parked in one of the furthest spots. That night there was a freeze warning so it was VERY cold. When we walked inside the store, there was a huge line wrapped around the store with people and full shopping carts. I thought it started at midnight (which it did) but I guess people were allowed to come early (many hours early) and get stuff to put in their shopping carts. At midnight, the registers opened for people to pay for the items in the shopping carts. There was only a few items we kind of wanted but there was no way we were standing in a 5 hour line just tp pay! I found the few pj sets for Amelia that I wanted and hid them behind some pillows in the home bedding section of the store :) We walked around and laughed at people for being so crazy and standing in a line for many, many hours, to just save a few bucks. I think I would rather sleep, save my time and energy, and pay full price than waste countless hours doing what these people do on Black Friday. Clint and I left around 12:30 to go to bed. I went back to Wal-Mart around 11:30am, found my hidden pjs, did some grocery shopping, paid (there was no waiting in lines), and left. When I got home, I set up the Christmas tree in our living room on the 2nd floor.
Amelia enjoyed hiding under the Christmas tree.
This was an artifical tree that Clint and I got last year from Wal-Mart after Christmas for 75% off.
She helped Grandma Susie fluff up the branches.
Amelia with our completed Christmas tree.
Taking a ride on horsey Grandpa Dave before bedtime.
Amelia has a few different incentive charts on the wall from Chuck E. Cheese; one for brushing her teeth at night, one for not going potty in her pull-ups at nap time, and one for not going potty in her pull-ups during the night. The chart is for two weeks and every time she brushes her teeth at night or has a dry pull-up, she gets to put a sticker on her chart. I told Amelia that if one of the charts got filled with stickers by Thanksgiving, we could go to Chuck E. Cheese. You can download and print a variety of incentive charts off their website: http://www.chuckecheese.com/promotions/rewards-calendars.php
When you bring it back completed, they give the child 10 free tokens. We went to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner with my parents and had pizza and fun! I grew up going to Chuck E Cheese in San Diego so I wanted Amelia to experience the fun too. I had signed up on the email list and had discount coupons for the pizza/drinks. There were also coupons for free tokens that I got when I signed up. We had 65 tokens to use for playing games.
Amelia riding next to Chuck E. Cheese in the car.
Big cheeeeeesy smile :)
Bopping the hammerhead sharks with mommy.
Riding on the tractor with Barney and listening to Old McDonald (one of her favorite songs).
Group picture...thanks Mom/Grandma Susie!
Ray family
Clint, my dad, Amelia, and I racked up 220 tickets. We should have had more except that some of the ski ball games were taking our tokens and not letting us play, and then the ones that let us play, didn't give us tickets :( I beat Clint and my dad in the basketball shooting game :) Amelia had fun seeing all the games and bright lights. Before we left I wanted Amelia to use her tickets to get some prizes. I wanted her to feel like she accomplished something when she filled out her incentive chart with 14 stickers. She picked out a bracelet, a tinkerbell pencil, a sucker, and a pair of sunglasses. Clint wanted some pop rocks and I got a tootsie roll. Hopefully we will be able to go back soon. Amelia has been doing great not going potty in her pull-ups at nap time, and good every other night or so without going potty in her pull-ups.
