Happy Thanksgiving on the Farm

We hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving last week.  William left for Memaw and Pawpaw's the Saturday before Thanksgiving so he could have some extended time on the farm.  One of the most exciting things that happened was when Memaw and Pawpaw went and purchased a new riding helmet for William and some new cowboy boots. He was so thrilled with his new boots! His cousin Neil came over for a slumber party one night and they had a blast.  The weather wasn't cooperating as much as we had hoped, but he still had a great time.

Love that the tags are still on :)

Mommy and Daddy arrived at the farm late Tuesday night and we spent most of Wednesday preparing for Thanksgiving.  We made a total of 3 pumpkin pies, green been casserole, a pan of bread dressing, and some homemade cranberry sauce to take to Aunt Brenda and Uncle RT's.  We also cut much of the pieces for the turkey hats and made the Thankful Tree.  One of the pies had an unfortunate accident on the way to Thanksgiving dinner...something involving the roof of the car and a drive down some country roads.....and became a pumpkin crumble instead of pie. 

"Miracle Pie" of 2011

 There were a total of 6 kids at Thanksgiving 4 boys and 2 girls all 5 and under.  We had crafts and fun things for the kids to do during the day, and they all did a great job playing and sharing with one another. We all enjoyed a wonderful dinner and catching up with all of Colby's family. The majority of the 20 people who attended went on a nature walk after our big meal, and the kids loved it. We also started a Thankful tree this year.  Everyone wrote something they were thankful for on a paper leaf and hung it from the tree. Dani (the oldest of the kiddos) was able to read them all out loud as we ended our evening together.  What a fun tradition that we hope to continue.

Having Thanksgiving Dinner

6 Little Turkeys

No Thanksgiving would be complete without the annual Lone Star Shoot-Out between Texas A&M and the University of Texas.  This was the last game for awhile since A&M will be moving divisions this summer.  Colby's brother-in-law is a Texas graduate and of course Sara is a TAMU graduate so we had a fantastic time watching the game together.  Unfortunately for Sara the Aggies lost :(  It's okay though....there will be another game at some point :)

A Couch Divided :)

Adding ornaments to the farm tree

Friday and Saturday were cold and windy days for the farm, and we spent most of it watching college football.  WOO HOO!!  On Saturday we helped Memaw and Pawpaw decorate their Christmas tree and William was able to do a little bit of riding on his favorite horse, Tess.  We had a great visit to the farm and most importantly We were all able to get a little bit of R&R.

Still working :)

Going for a ride

Such a good Tess

Our solo rider

 On Sunday we headed back to Houston, but were able to have lunch with Sara's dear friend Amy.  Sara and Amy have known each other since 1990.  Amy has a son named Justin who is an amazing young man, and he is always so good to William.  We had a great lunch, which wasn't long enough, and then headed back to Houston. We hope to see the Pirk family again soon!

Sara and Amy

 We feel like we have SO very much to be thankful for this year, and had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Our house is looking more like Christmas every day, and we will post some pictures soon!

The Tates 2011

Hugs to all!
The Tates :)