McKenna Family

So I have a lot of catching up to do in the blogging world. Several things have happened this month so I am devoting however long it may take today to get everything posted. This past weekend Abi invited 4 friends to go to the Nutcracker with her and Meili....of course Russel and I tagged along as well. We went to the matinee showing and beforehand they had a Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party that was an absolute must. All the girls dressed up in fancy dresses and we had a great time. The tea party was decorated like a little girl's dream. Pink everywhere, sparkles covering everything, gooey pink sweet dessert, and many performers from the show mingling and taking pictures. Abi is truly blessed to have such good friends and this is only just a handful of them. The girls were so cute and had a great time. During intermission, we ran across the street to the famous Bluebird Restaurant to get them chocolates and candy (wonderful suggestion from Courtney). Oh...and it was also quite a...

This year we spent Thanksgiving with my family. We started off with an awesome Jazz game the night before. J.D. went with us along with one of Russel's partners, Dr. Bell, (his sweet wife got sick), and the game was great! J.D. had so much fun and even got a big Taco Bell parachute. We then spent the night with my parents and had a wonderful day on Thursday. The kids loved the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, pumpkin cake, ice cream, and on and on....and I somewhat enjoyed my almond flour bread stuffing, mashed cauliflower, and mocked up version of apple crisp. This is the first Thanksgiving that I've been on this special diet (basically grain free, lactose free, sugar free, processed free....it would actually be easier to just list what I can eat), and everyone was so helpful. Tammie (my awesome sister-in-law) made a wonderful cranberry/apple relish dish and made me my very own without sugar. I've never even liked cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving...let me tell...

Wow!!! I can't believe my little Nick is now 9!!!! I still remember so vividly when he was just a little guy and we lived in Arizona. Russel would be working insane hours at the hospital and I always looked forward to my time with Nick. I would put the two older babes to bed and then Nick and I would just hang out, reading books, cuddling on the couch, watching movies, etc. It was such a treasured time with my little baby and I can't believe that I have blinked and he is now all grown up. Nick is a wonderful child. First off he was born at Thanksgiving time which makes him very special and on those years when his birthday falls on Thanksgiving, it's an extra special day. NIck has many wonderful attributes....really too many to mention but these are the top 5 reasons why we adore Nick the way we do. 1. He has a very funny sense of humor. When he was just little, he would say things that were so funny that it was hard to believe such a little mind could come up with...

Here are our favorites from the family photo shoot. Even though we couldn't get Meili to crack even a little smile, we think she still looks adorable and are so happy to finally have her on our wall at home! We have a wall in our entry way that has had a frame with four openings. Underneath it says "All Because Two People Fell In Love...." It has driven me crazy since being home from China that Meili is not up there in her rightful spot. After our family photos were taken, I promptly purchased a 5-opening frame and now our wall is complete and I get to look all five of their sweet faces a hundred times a day.

Russel took the girls outside for a little photo shoot a few Sundays ago. Here are some of the favorites. It's so fun to have two girls! In the past I had worried about having another girl and the age span being too large....but these two girls...even though years apart....are best friends and love each other dearly. It's obvious to anyone around. :) And not to mention, Meili has about 20 "pseudosisters" who are Abi's friends and are the sweetest girls in the world to her. Meili is definitely not lacking in the love and attention department. :) Here are our sweethearts!