Appears we have a severe case of grandparent hangover...

Well hello!

So nice to see you!

Did you miss me?

Wait. Don't answer that. Let's just assume yes.

Because I cannot take any more failures right now.

Yes, work is rough. So sweet of you to notice!

Anyway.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Ours was so amazing. There is really no way I can explain how fantastic it is to see our family loving on our precious daughter. I could never get enough of it. Kisses galore. Hugs overflowing. Giggling fiercely. Just awesome.

Pumpkin was such a trooper for our drive home. She slept really well and we were all fired up to drive until midnight to get home. Until we hit a road block in the form of a multi-car pile up on the interstate. We had two choices: Have Mr. T (our GPS) reroute us to avoid the wreck or stop for the night and have several hours further to drive the next day.

We went with sleep. That's always a safe choice. Besides, I didn't really want to listen to Mr. T call me a Fool for hours on end.

By the time we pulled into Birmingham the next day, Pumpkin was done.

D. O. N. E.

We stopped by Nana and Puddin's to see everyone including my ridiculously adorable nephews. We only got to stay about an hour before we needed to head over to Meme and Buddy's. Let's just say Pumpkin voted against getting back in the car.

Loudly.

Chris and I resorted to singing Beatles songs to calm her down. I think we went through "Long and Winding Road", "Let It Be", "Yesterday" and "Strawberry Fields". The last one was not a hit. Lesson learned.

Thursday we spent the day with Chris' side of the family. Aubrey Kate got to wear her Baby's First Thanksgiving onesie. It's been hanging in her closet since about this time last year. Unbelievable really.

Friday was a full day with my side. Eight adults, two babies, a toddler and a large, hairy dog. Really, does life get better than that?

Yes. When your football team comes back from a 24 point deficit to beat your instate rival. I so wish I had a video of my mom pacing a trench in the floor going one direction while Chris was doing the same thing on the other side of the room. All the while, two babies are in the middle of it all likely thinking they'd been born into the craziest family.

Saturday was a lazy day of watching college football, eating some PF Chang's (awesome gluten-free menu there!) and then a nap while Nana and Puddin' watched Pumpkin. The drive home Saturday night and Sunday morning was not really entertaining except for the fact that we got pretty much zippo sleep.

We will have to rethink our drive strategy for Christmas.

Since we have been home, we have noticed that Pumpkin seems to be a little bit more needy. Doesn't want to be alone. Wants to be held. Or wants us sitting right with her on the floor playing.

The Grandparent Hangover.

I had heard of this nasty hangover before but let me assure you, it is beyond frustrating. We keep looking at each other wondering what happened to our sweet little baby who giggles at us while she plays on the floor with her box and we get dinner ready in the kitchen. We miss her.

Let's just say we are already assuming that by the time we get over our hangover, we'll have approximately 2 1/2 days before she is back in Alabama.

January should be a blast.

Now I'm feeling a little like Mr. T might be right. Turn around Fool!

The joke's on him though because he doesn't get to see her smile. I'll take a grandparent hangover any day as long as Aubrey Kate keeps right on smiling at me.