Sad Good-byes and Thanksgiving 2009

Bye-bye Poppy and Nannie - hope to see you soon! XOXO - Augustus and Raleigh

Well, today Nannie and Poppy headed back to Oz. It is always such an awfully sad time. Today the boys were still really tired from all our travels and fun adventures they have had with the Aussie family. Raleigh was ready for bed before he would even eat any lunch and after a bunch of tears and tiredness Nannie and Poppy were able to give them one last nap time routine before they headed back on their long flight home. They were out for the count for another three and a half hour nap too. We already miss the grandies, but I know when the boys wake up tomorrow it will be hard on both Gus and Raleigh and us.

Yesterday, we enjoyed a great Thanksgiving with both sets of parents and even Matt's sister was here to celebrate their first Thanksgiving. It is amazing to think of where the boys were last year. They were still infants at eight months old. Today, they are really toddlers at just 20 months old. Last year, it was the first time they tried turkey and we were so amazed at how they could chew all that meat with so few teeth. Here is a link to the blog post last year and the priceless video of them enjoying their first Thanksgiving feast.

http://augustusandraleigh.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-thanksgiving.html

Holy cow, the food was amazing at Thanksgiving. As usual, I did not cook. I had planned on doing the cranberries this year, but I was too busy getting a pedicure the day before...We had both ham and turkey, plus all the fixings. I think I overdosed on fresh mozzarella cheese as the appetizer and have been in serious pain for over 24 hours now. Oye! Auntie Peta made an amazing mashed potato with pancetta and lots of cheese that was to die for. My parents turkey was perfect, and my dad's dressing was fabulous. Nannie's ham was just as excellent as it was for Christmas Day last year. The boys have been inhaling it all day. Matthew made a pecan bourbon chocolate pie that smelled delicious, but I have been too full to try it yet! Too much food as usual!!! All the food made the boys squirrelly last night as well. Everyone had to come up at bedtime to check out the crazy boys running and jumping around Augustus' crib. They were wild. The good news is that slept like legends for over 12 hours without a peep after their little break dancing session at bedtime.

We all braved the mall this morning so the Aussies could have their first experience with Black Friday. Since we were there we decided to do their picture with Santa Claus as well. Last year's picture was taken in Australia, so it was kind of another tradition to do it with Matt's parents. We did not do too much shopping, but the boys got some really cool shoes. They each got Converse tennis shoes and police shoes that light up like police lights! So darn cool!!! Only thing better would have been fire truck shoes, but they love the "po po" too;)

Gus and Raleigh playing a bit of Aussie rules on Thanksgiving Day! We did watch the Packer game too, and were very thankful that they managed to beat the Lions:)

Wow, We've Been Busy

The Aussie visit for November 2009! Got to love the Ugg boots!!!

Seriously, it has been none stop around here for over a month. I feel like I should be 10 pounds lighter, but we've also been eating really good food, so no such luck:(

The grandies from Australia arrived along with Auntie Peta a few weeks ago. I cannot believe it is almost time for Nannie and Poppy to head back. Sigh. The boys have had a fabulous time with them and I just know this is going to be the hardest goodbye yet.

What have the boys been up to? Well, we've traveled quite a bit. New Orleans, Key West, Miami South Beach, New York City and around town here an awful lot too. The boys did not make it to NOLA or NYC, but we did manage to take them around Key West and South Beach for sun and fun. They were real troupers on the long drive to the Keys. Although, they are not really fond of getting back in the car these days. It will likely take a while before they are for another trip. NYC was a blast. We did so much, and new adventures as well considering we've been there quite a few times. My favorite part was the unexpected acoustic concert by Dave Matthews at the Museum of Natural History as he did a sound check for that night's fundraising gala. Literally no one was there until they saw me taking video and pictures with a goofy grin on my face. Then all of three people checked it out. It was amazing to see and hear. AMAZING!!!!

BTW - put up only small photos, if you want to see them bigger just click on them - enjoy!

Their language has exploded, although, it is mostly words that sound similar. For example, they can say "boat, bike, ball, boot, bop - which means Poppy, baby" and tons more "b"words. Augustus broke out "strawberry" the other morning at breakfast, and had a big smile after he said it, but then has not said it again. They also say "moon, more, mine, me" and lots of "m" words. They say "juice" and "snack" really cutely too. Finally, they can say "yeah, yeah, yeah" and shake their heads yes as well. I still love their little soft "no, no, nos" though. Raleigh has managed to say "peas" for please and has really started to say "thank you" using sign language which is a big improvement. Don't get me wrong, they will still scream at times to get what they want and are really working on being two year-olds. However, overall, I will take their "tantrums" over other kids any day!!!

Augustus has started putting his fingers back in his mouth and we have had a few "Hanibal" and "Lector" biting episodes recently. I am not sure which teeth are bothering him, but alas, we just noticed Raleigh's fingers started going in his mouth yesterday too. Bummer! I hate teething, and the boys already have 16 teeth. Ugh.

We all had a fabulous dinner out last night to celebrate Grandpa Pickles birthday. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Wow, the good food just doesn't stop this time of year, does it?!?!?! Looking forward to watching some football, and introducing the Aussies to a good old fashioned Thanksgiving Day at our house. Hoping all our family and friends have a wonderful time too. We are so thankful for all of you, and miss those of you far away!

Much love from all the Hamiltons!