We spent the week of Thanksgiving in Texas. My cousin Mark (with his family) lives in Dallas, and so Mark's sisters Ashley (and family) and Anda came down from Colorado. We look forward to seeing more of them next year when we move to Denver! Ashley and her husband Patrick are
Annabelle's godparents. On Monday, we all went to the Dallas Zoo together.
Gabi and Bella measuring themselves at penguin-height
Bella's godmother, Ashley, helps her ride the elephant statue
Bella the monkey
5-month-old Katelyn in the baby front-pack
Cousin Mark helps 16-month-old Lily slide
Gabi petting the goats
3-yr-old Joseph in the goat corral
Bella chasing goats
Gabi caught a lizard!
Giddy-up, turtle!
Gabi and Kätchen take a rest on a bench
We also enjoyed play-time with our cousins at Mark & Liz's house and at Gramma Jane's house. Over the course of the week, we saw two cousins named Katelyn (Ashley's baby is Katarina's age, and on Grampa's side of the family, Jennifer's youngest is Bella's age), a newborn friend Lily and a cousin Lily (Mark's daughter), plus cousin Lily's twin, Hannah, which sounds like Annabelle. Very popular names!
Great-granddad Leo, Gramma Jane, and baby Katarina
Cousins Bella, Katarina, Katelyn, and Gabi
We lunched with Allison and met two-month-old Garrison
Whenever Gabi says her leg hurts, we jokingly offer to cut it off, and she always protests that that would make it hurt more. It never occurred to her that someone might actually need a leg cut off. The girls were a bit unsure of what to think about Great-granddad only having one leg, especially seeing that it doesn't hurt him now. Since returning home, Bella has mentioned on a few different occasions, "Some people have one leg cut off, and some people don't." I laugh at what her teacher must think when she gets reports from the three-year-olds at school!
Great-granddad and Gabi
Of course we watched the Texas versus A&M game on Thanksgiving Day. Uncle Stephen was outnumbered as Gabi and cousin Joseph both sided with Aunt Alicia and Great-Granddad in rooting for the Aggies. Gabi excitedly declared "Look! We have more points!" no matter what was happening on the field at the moment.
Aunt Alicia taught Gabi to say, "Burnt orange?
Who would want to burn their colors? I wouldn't!"
For Bella, the most exciting part of Thanksgiving was seeing her Godmother. I think she considers her own Godmother to be just as magical as Cinderella's fairy godmother!
Bella with her Godmother, Ashley
Gabi playing dominoes
Lolo and Lola joined us in Texas for Thanksgiving Day
Uncle Brian made pizza with the girls
Kati cut her second tooth that week
Gabi reading a book to Uncle Scott and Bella
Sliding down the slide and through the hula hoop with Amy
On Saturday, we met up with my cousin (and Katarina's godmother) Jennifer (and three of her kids) at Chick-fil-A. Jonathan and Gabi were in
Stephen & Alicia's wedding two weeks before Bella was born.
Jonathan is five months older than Gabi
Katelyn is just three months older than Annabelle
Katarina with her Godmother Jennifer
Lisa loved seeing baby Katarina
Lisa and Bella on the trolley
Gabi sightseeing on the trolley
Kati petting one of the Heifer goats
Bella checking out a duck up close
Linda and Gabi at the park
Katarina and Daddy looking at the pioneer quilts
Katarina playing with old-time blocks
Bella building with Lincoln Logs
Gabi watching the Lionel train - 
Mommy helping Bella walk on stilts
Bella says, "Giddy-up, horsey!"
Gabi tries her hand at rolling the wheel with a stick
And the girls favorite activity of the day: 
