Sleighbells ring around the rosie

Well, we spent Thanksgiving cousin-style.Country style. Cousin style. Whatever. Any way you slice it, we hung out with the cousins on Aunt Erin and Uncle Matt's farm. Bliss, I tell you. Pure bliss.There were cows. Dogs. (Stray) cats. Swings. Grandma and Grandpa Corrigan, and a whole ton of cousins. Seventeen cousins, to be exact, and Sam and I enjoyed every minute of it. For a small sampling of the cousin chaos, click the video at the top of this post. Be sure to turn up the volume.
Minus the small bout of car sickness that ensued on the way to the farm, our road trip was fairly smooth. (Yes, a quick picture: The vomit sound, the stop in the middle of nowhere Nebraska, the realization that there are no extra plastic bags, wipes, or air fresheners ... need I continue?) Thank goodness for a calm, cool and collected Aunt Bridget, minivan DVD players, magna doodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Georgia and Dad elected to stay behind in order to enjoy a significantly quieter Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Conrad. We missed them, but I guarantee Grandma Conrad enjoyed her solo baby time, and both Grandma and Grandpa are looking forward to this weekend - as all five of us plan to grace them with our presence over an early Abbotsford Christmas celebration. Buckle up!

Georgia

Georgia's doing well these days. She's five months old, and she loves to smile (most of the time). Sit her up in her bumbo, in the midst of all the action, and she's happy as a pig in mud. Sam - well, we're pretty much besties. He cracks me up with his story tellings of "yesternight," and his shameless sweet tooth, which morphs into regular requests for "bessert." (That's "dessert" for all of you unfamiliar with toddler-speak.) We run, jump, yell, talk, eat and imagine together these days, and I am thankful for him. Sometimes I wonder what a person does without a Sam. I mean really, he listens to me, hangs out with me, encourages me, and pretends to like all the same movies that I like. He likes to keep up with my pretend. He laughs when I laugh, and he cries when I cry.

Sam

Three cheers for a pal. I tend to think that the world is made up of many different types of Sams. Who's yours? Whether it's a group of golf buddies, a few neighborhood girlfriends, a buddy since second grade, a spouse, a partner, a sibling, a newly acquired friend: I believe everyone needs someone who believes in them. Someone with whom to run, jump, yell, eat, talk and imagine. Everyone needs a Sam, and this Thanksgiving, I'm especially grateful for mine. Happy Thanksgiving!
Until next time,
Ken