Thanksgiving Weekend

Lincoln's first Thanksgiving was also Emily's first year of hosting Thanksgiving dinner! Emily, Mom and Jenn did a fantastic job of preparing the wonderful meal, and it was a special time to spend this time of Thanks with those closest to us.
The first challenge of the visit was simply getting out of Ohio. We averaged 35mph between Akron and Columbus, and didn't improve much until we had left Columbus pretty far behind. What ought to have been an 8 or 9 hour drive became about 11 hours. Lincoln didn't do too well with all the stop and go. Once we reached a constant speed of greater than 45mph, somewhere around Washington Courthouse, he slept well.
We started getting ready for the big dinner around 8:30 in the morning. Cole and I snapped green beans, Jenn took care of most of the sides, Dad kept up with the dishes, Emily and Mom made sure the bird was moving in the right direction, and while all of this was going on, Lincoln napped as he's never napped before, and Mom and Dad made the place cards with Grace and Cole, a pleasant little Thanksgiving craft. This consisted of little pieces and hot glue guns. You can imagine how "into" this project Dad was! The place cards held up just long enough for people to find their places. Once the kids started playing with them, though, they bit the dust.

Jeremy has been sick lately, but he was our runner, making trips to the grocery store, finding things in the attic that we needed, and making a pit stop at Starbucks for needed caffine. After craft time, Grandpa Doug and Cole kept Lincoln occupied while the cooking progressed. Cole is a GREAT preoccupier and Lincoln loved watching his cousin bounce around! Just give Lincoln a blanket, a spatula, a rattle, and an energetic Cole, and Lincoln can have quality awake time.

The extended Hopwood family joined us in the afternoon and we had a neat time together, with Jeremy's family and Emily's family sharing a good Thanksgiving day and making special Thanksgiving memories.
Riley has pretty much been a bump on a log during our stay. I'd share a picture of Lucy, but she hasn't held still long enough for the shutter speed!

We're going to visit a photographer shortly, and this will be Lincoln's next challenge. He's already shown us that yesterday's napping schedule will not be a pattern, but since we're having some of our photos taken outside, things ought to go well. As you can see by reviewing our blog, Lincoln enjoys his time outdoors.