Thankful!

For Thanksgiving, Joey, Jackson, Buddy, and I were joined by my parents for a rather low-key holiday. While we certainly wish we could spend every holiday with every family member, we were so glad Dad was finally able to make the trip to Texas. Originally we thought he and mom would both be here back in May/June when Baby Shoup was due to arrive, but his cancer diagnosis around that same time meant no travel for him. We've only managed to make 1 trip to Kansas so this was only Dad's 2nd time with Jackson. He's still not back to full strength, but since he's done with the heavy chemo for now (though he is still doing "maintenance chemo"), he's getting more back to normal strength. Maybe we'd have wished he did 3 helpings of healthier food, but the fact that his appetite had him wanting a third piece of pumpkin pie is a good sign and hopefully he'll put some weight back on.

Here's dad having some conversation with Jackson.


My how much has changed since the last time they "talked"


As for Jackson's relationship with Mom...well, he's definitely a ladies man! It seems he only gives his version of kisses to ladies. When he first did it, I thought he was trying to tell us he's hungry, but even after a full meal, he'll still go straight for my chin and showed Mom the same kind of love. I believe he's going to be as affectionate as Joey and is just getting started on the learning to kiss.

She really enjoyed the kisses, but the first time, I almost thought I was going to have to grab him to keep her from dropping him she was laughing so hard! :)


One last kiss before they left.


We had a great visit with Mom and I even getting to see The Nutcracker on Friday afternoon while the guys hung out at home. Saturday arrived and they headed back to Kansas to make sure mom was well-rested for work on Monday and Dad for his thyroplasty (the implant surgery around his vocal chords to get his voice back to normal) on Tuesday...but I made sure to snap some pictures of the 3 of them before Mom and Dad hit the road.

Jackson seemed less than thrilled, but I'll choose to believe he was just disappointed to see them leaving. :)


We have so much to be thankful for this year and are looking forward to Jackson's first Christmas in a few weeks when my Mom and Dad will be back along with my brother, Joey's mom and hopefully Joey's sister too!

...Til next time, Keep Shuffling!