This was our year to spend Thanksgiving with Ryan's family - so we did. I did my baking and cooking a day or two before so that I'd be free to play with Ryan, Abby, and Penny on the day of. Once we got ready that morning we went to Ryan's parent's house to drop off the food and then went on a hike around the lake. We went to an area we'd never been before and it was great. You are hiking along and all of a sudden you are in the middle of a bamboo forest. It was a complete surprise and really fun. Then we ended up on the beach. Penny had a lot of fun playing in the water, and despite the fact that it made her filthy, it was a lot of fun to watch her. After we were done hiking we went back to Ryan's parent's to spend the rest of the day.
We ate a lot - first appetizers, then dinner. My friend Hannah joined us and so did one of Heather's friends and her son. The food was all really good, and so was the company. It was a great day - and we have had oh so much to be thankful for this year (and every year really - but this year I am especially grateful for my sweet Abby.)
Ryan also had Friday off work. I have a sister who is in Houston for the next 3 years. Her husband is serving as the mission president there so they can't really leave the area. So we decided to go visit them and their 7 kids. On the way down we stopped at the Blue Bell Creamery. We are big fans of Blue Bell ice cream. We had checked before we went to make sure they were open. The store was, the factory tour was not. We were disappointed with that, but we still went to the store, tasted lots of ice cream, bought a few scoops, and watched a video all about the tour. And we took fun pictures of the cutest girl in the world.
While we were in Houston we went with my sister and her family to Brazos Bend State Park. It was a lot of fun. It has lots of trails and swamps with alligators, big fields and picnic areas. They even had baby alligators in a tank. Had Abby been awake when we saw the baby out of the tank she could have touched it, but she wasn't. Oh well. Mindy's kids loved playing with Abby, and she loved them. It was a fun little trip for us.
