Thankful in Perry

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Perry-dise at Nanna and Grandpa's house. It was a warm, beautiful day and the cotton fields were in bloom, so Henry was able to play in the "southern snow" before dinner. The "big turkey" came to visit with new toys at Nanna's house, so Henry happily spent the afternoon with Thomas, Elmo, and a bunch of rubber duckies (Thanks Aunt Dory!). He also attempted a quick swim after throwing all the balls into the pool, but I wasn't about to let that happen in his brown, suede shoes.

By the time the dinner bell rang, we had a cranky, teething toddler on our hands. He ate one bite of Nanna's green beans and a few goldfish before he was in bed by 6:30. We enjoyed a delicious dinner though (Baby Mak even went back for seconds).

A Longo Thanksgiving in Georgia

Papa, Mimi, and Zia-Zia came to visit the weekend before Thanksgiving. They did the same thing last year, and in what has become a tradition, we (Mimi and yours truly) cooked a delicious turkey dinner to enjoy. It's really just an excuse to eat Grandma Longo's stuffing. Henry skipped the stuffing and everything else, but ate his weight in edamame and raspberries.

We spent the rest of the weekend doing what we do best: lounging around in our pajamas, playing at the park, working on house projects, and going on walks. Henry got his hands on Mimi's iPad and didn't want to put it down. He also loved going for rides in his car with help from Zia-Zia. Later in the day, Papa found Henry an acorn and tried to explain that the squirrels eat them. Two seconds later, Papa was fishing that acorn out of Henry's mouth. You have to be careful when you use the word "eat" around Henry!

Mama Mak heads to Cajun Country!

I took my very first husband-less and child-less trip last weekend to visit the Whatley family in Louisiana. Just walking through the airport without a diaper bag felt like a vacation! The Whatley's live just outside Baton Rouge in the cutest, little town called St. Francisville. Their home is a true Southern dream, and the same can be said for their boy, Hayes. Hayes is exactly 8 months younger than Henry, and he's always on the move. We managed to get him to sit still for a quick photo shoot by distracting him with Meyer lemons. And would you believe he actually enjoyed snacking on them?

I enjoyed some delicious cajun cooking: crawfish etouffee by Mrs. Carly Whatley, boudin balls and blackened alligator from the world famous Chimes, and a beignet and cafe au lait just before leaving Tiger Town. Needless to say, Baby Mak ate well while visiting. I also attended my first LSU football game (in the Stadium Club, nonetheless). Thanks to the Whatley family for spoiling me during my first solo vacation!

A Baby Shower for Batman

Since I was unable to attend Aunt Stacie's baby shower in Michigan, we had a small one for her here. Everyone has cutesy nicknames for their babies on the way (Baby Mak, for example). Well, Chris and Stacie's son-to-be has been named, Batman. And just like that, a shower theme was born... with a Southern twist, of course. We enjoyed pulled pork, mac-n-cheese, sugar snap peas, and red velvet cake. Batman was given a Baby Bjorn carrier, a onesie displaying his logo, and a, well, different type of bedtime storybook. Enjoy a reading below by Mr. Samuel L. Jackson - not half as entertaining as Chris reading it, but it'll do.

It's a . . .

We are thrilled to announce that Baby Mak is a BOY! We couldn't be more excited, and can't wait for Henry to have a brother. We celebrated the news with a blue-backyard-bash! Henry might not understand everything just yet, but he was pretty excited about the "bawoons," and his first taste of candy! And I have a feeling he's going to be even happier in a couple years when he has a little brother to run around with. Gus and I couldn't be more thankful that God has blessed our family with TWO boys!