A Parkes Family Thanksgiving

Uncle Richard helps Adelaida and Elizabeth play with legos

We had a very special Thanksgiving last year (yes, over two months ago!), with a house full of several special visitors for the holiday. Adelaida's Mamaw, Uncle Richard, Aunt Laura, cousin Elizabeth, and cousin Sarah all stayed with us for a long Thanksgiving weekend. As always, we took lots of pictures and I wanted to share some with you here.

Sarah shakes Adelaida's maraca

We spent a lot of time just sitting around the house, letting the girls play with each other and playing with them. Both Sarah and Elizabeth enjoyed shaking Adelaida's maraca!

the three cousins play with legos together

Dale shows Adelaida the giraffes at the zoo

The weather was beautiful, so in addition to the normal Thanksgiving activities -- cooking, eating, and making turkey leftovers -- we also took a walk around the loop and went to the zoo for an afternoon.

Elizabeth loved pushing Adelaida's stroller through the zoo. She took it from each exhibit to the next, while Dale carried Adelaida

I'm not sure who enjoyed the zoo more, the kids or the adults. We saw an adorable baby orangutan, some surprisingly active rhinoceroses, a seal that swam directly into an underwater wall (ouch!), a very young Asian elephant, and a playful baby chimpanzee.

Uncle Richard, Sarah, and Mamaw look at the animals

The chimpanzee was the most fun, and we spent half an hour just watching the chimpanzee jump off a barrel, swing on a rope, and try to land on her parent's back. She fell so much, but was so fun to watch!

Aunt Laura helps Elizabeth look at the animals

The best part about the zoo was that it was almost empty. Very few people were there, so we had almost every exhibit to ourselves.

the men and the girls pose for a photo at the zoo

back at home, Mamaw and Adelaida play with the stacked rings

We had a great visit with the Parkes family and look forward to future Thanksgivings with them!