Happy Turkey Day!!

I made a promise and I broke it. I promised to take pictures with my real camera today and I completely forgot! So - I guess I'm a bad mommy...

Today was a pretty laid back day. Brad cooked breakfast this morning (bacon, sausage, biscuits and eggs!) for the 3 of us. Allie - the little vegetarian wanna-be that she is - decided to eat Cheerios. She looked at the sausage and crinkled her nose. It's really odd at what Allie decides she does NOT want to try these days. She used to eat EVERYTHING! But now, she often has to look at what you're about to shove in her mouth to make sure it looks acceptable.

We met up with some co-workers for Thanksgiving at the Golden Corral. A buffet, you may ask? Yes - and it's actually a family tradition as you can read about in last years post. Last year, Brad and I headed to Ryan's and I must say that this years was much better.

We met Gina, Eric and Lauren at the Golden Corral around 2:00 today and my goodness - it was super crowded! I was a bit shocked at how crowded it was today...at all the open restaurants. Allie was such a great baby today during lunch that I just couldn't ask for a better behaved child.

She had a little of everything (except any meat products) - and especially loved the chocolate chip cookies we let her have. I think that might have been her first real cookie that we've let her feed herself with!! She was so stuffed that by the time we left, she was already passed out before we got out of the parking lot!

One thing happened today, albeit small, that has truly been bothering me and I'm wondering if it's a sign of how she will be as she gets older.

Allie was drinking out of a straw when she kept jamming it down her throat. Everyone at the table was staring at her and giggling, when I saw how far she had it in her mouth and suddenly took the straw and the drink away from her. She sat there for a moment looking at everyone - as everyone looked at her....her eyes starting welling up and her bottom lip starting quivering - almost as if she was embarrassed and her feelings were hurt. There was no scream or even sound of a whimper, but only a face of a small baby that looked like she was trying to suppress tears of humiliation. I laughed it off as cuteness while we were at the restaurant, but afterward, when I was able to really reflect on what happened - it actually rocked me to the core. How can a 1 year old really be able to feel that type of emotion? Is she going to be a sensitive child? I had these horrible childhood memories flash before my eyes - kids on the playground making fun of me, asking me what I "was" and calling me Japanese, dirty knees, look at these. I even found a book in my elementary school library that I had checked out - where someone had written beside an asian character in a book, "John Wagoner's (my older brother) little sister." I don't ever remember crying over people making fun of me, but it did cause me a lot of pain and I had to work a lot at rebuilding that confidence once I got to college.

Am I being an overly worried mother? Yeah - probably so, but I don't want Allie to have to grow up with kids that act that way. It's inevitable and part of what growing up is all about - but it just makes me sad.

So what am I thankful for this year?

My mom

My job

My friends (old and new)

My dog

My roommate, Chris

Having my family with me

Watching my beautiful baby girl grow up and make her momma proud

Watching my beautiful baby girl make her daddy and mammaw proud

My husband's family (the Gideon and Boling side)

My brother and Michelle

My nephew

The new church I've found that has made me excited to learn more about God and truly live through his word

......and last......

but.....not least......

A husband that looks Amish.....