A Very Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, we did our Thanksgiving celebration a little different.  We had a huge gathering over at the Dasher Lake House.  It was so many different families combined - it was awesome!  Daddy's Hampton crew + guests, Mama's Dasher side, Beth's mom, Chip's girlfriend and her family, Uncle Grady from California, Clint's family (plus his brother-in-law from Wales), my Russian crowd including Bill & Lyuba, Dima & Alona plus her Mom from Ukraine, and Sara Jackson and her four kids even came over!  It was a huge melting pot of people and it was so, so, so fun.  We had 51 people over there!

      Uncle Mike grilling his yummy chicken & shrimp.  Beth is assisting.  :-)

Uncle Jim carving all the meat.  We had turkies, ham, chicken, shrimp, and barbeque.  Funny, I didn't eat any meat though!  Haha!

        

Uncle Earl frying some sweet potatoes!  YUM!

Aunt Judy preparing food

Nanny & Lyuba inside making blini!

Can you tell that my job was taking pictures?  :-)

Look at all that food...and this is just the "sides" table.  Not even including meat, dessert, or drinks!

 And the food line begins!

Isn't my Nanny so pretty?

We had kids everywhere!  This is my little cousin Harrison.  He's enjoying some turkey here I think. 

Lori had to be on her toes b/c he wanted to dive into the lake the whole time he was there!          

Where are your vegetables Uncle Mike?

Some of the Hampton/Carnine crowd

It was a perfectly beautiful day!  Just a tad bit warmer than this time last year when Misha and I were saying our vows.  :-)

Having fun outdoors!



The Kisten family even joined us!  Pictured here is Dima, Alona, Baby Julia, and Luda (Alona's mom). 

You know Lyuba was going to get a hold of that baby.  Lyuba has {grand} baby fever.  :-)

 Susan and Aunt Judy doing a little Tai Chi.  Work off that turkey (well, vegetables) girls!

Mama and Susan made these turkey cupcakes.  Aren't they ADORABLE?

Sidney Katya especially loved them!

Yum Yum!



Is she not the cutest little girl?

Some of the adults looked like this too while eating lunch.  Haha!



And that's our Thanksgiving Day in a nutshell!

We enjoyed cooking, eating food, playing volleyball, fishing, listening to guitar, and  spending time with everyone.  We are truly blessed and thankful to have all these people in our lives.                            

I love Fall!

It's my favorite time of year!  The weather is clear, crisp and beautiful.  The colors are amazing.  It's the kick-off to a festive season:  Halloween - Thanksgiving - Christmas - New Year's - and you can also through in Russian Christmas and Russian Old New Year's for us!  So basically we are celebrating from Beginning of November until mid-January!  The New Year's (whether it's the old or new) marks a fun time on our calendar - we always get together with friends and go snowboarding!

 The 2008 trip was in Vermont

 

Here's a look at our cabin we had in Vermont.  Oh it was sooooo charming!  

It was a winter wonderland!

 

 Vermont is where Dima & Alona got engaged!  Right after the clock turned to midnight and we welcomed in the 2009 new year.  :-)

We did the snowboarding trip last year right after our honeymoon to Jackson Hole/Grand Tetons.  Oh it was fabulous.  Misha and I stayed in Jackson Hole for four days and then met friends in the Grand Teton Mountain Range for some awesome snowboarding. Those pictures are on Misha's laptop...come to think of it, I need to get those!  :-)

Oh they are so awesome...what great memories!  This year is no different!  Next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our families in Georgia, celebrate our one year anniversary on November 28th, maybe visit Dima & Alona and Julia (their new 3-month old baby girl!) and then we'll be ready for Christmastime and our snowboarding trip in January!  This year we will be going to Utah.  I'm excited!  In my opinion, it can go back to being spring/summertime after our winter trip in January, but I don't know if Mother Nature agrees with me though.  :-)

Look what Misha got for me!

Flowers!  He's so good.  Normally, I take a late lunch around 1:00 and eat at my desk.  Well, this particular day I went home to grab some lunch early b/c I had a webinar to attend at 1:00.  I came back to my office and found flowers & sushi on my desk!  We had just missed each other.  Isn't he sweet though?  A surprise visit!  Too bad I wasn't there!  :-( 

 

Also, this wasn't on the same day as the flowers & sushi or else I would be very suspicious!  Haha!  Misha did buy these boots with the fur for me though b/c it got so cold up here a few weeks ago.  Home girl is from South GA and is used to warm weather.  This is a new reason to go shopping - I need some legit winter clothes!  

Isn't the hubby sweet?  :-)

Baby Shower #3

It's so cool that all of our friends are pregnant around the same time!  We're just in that phase of life and it's truly amazing.  I have been around people who've had kids and I've been there - seen their pregnant tummies grow and then one day, there's a new little human.  It's totally different when it's some of your closest friends though.  It's truly witnessing a miracle.  You know this couple - these two human beings that actually come together and a life is created.  God breathes life into that being.  How amazing!  I can't even imagine how it will be when we have our own children. 

Anyway, here are some pictures from Anastasia's baby shower on October 30th.  Misha and I were able to drive to Gainesville for the weekend (YaY - we love any excuse to go to Gainesville!).  The shower was a joint effort of us girls and it was at Zoya's new house.  It was a fabulous shower!

 

Looking at the 4D ultrasound pics!  Aren't they SO GOOD?  Keep in mind that this is a picture of a picture (of another picture in the case of the iphone one!)

My girls!  

 Alona and I went in on the cutest gift!  It was a pink "clawfoot" whirlpool tub for a baby girl.  So it was the tub + towels and washcloths + Johnson's baby wash.  Really cute!

 We played so many fun games and this game was where we had magazines and had to "make a baby".  This crazy monkey baby was made with love by Susan, Alona, and myself.  :-)

 

 Group shot!  YaY for baby showers!  I think this is the last one (that I know of) until Lindsay has one for her and Willis' baby girl!  :-)

Oh yes!  After the shower, we hung out over at Dima & Alona's.  It was Susan's first time meeting baby Julia.  Julia LOVED Susan!  She would just look at her and smile.  Doesn't the baby look so comfortable in Susan's arms?  I think they bonded.  :-)

YaY for babies!!!

Special Night

September 25th

Oh just look at that beautiful sunset over the bluff.  A wonderful start to a wonderful evening.  

I wore the dress that Misha bought for me when we first started dating.  

 

 I love this man!

I just couldn't decide which one!  :-)

Dinner at Bottega which is a super-nice restaurant here in Birmingham.  Sea scallops + Lamb = YUM!  We also enjoyed a bottle of champagne and each others' company.  It really was a beautiful evening.  

September 25th is a very special day for us.  I love you, Misha!