Thanksgiving 2013, part 2

Friday: we slept in. Glorious. While I've spent many Black Friday mornings shopping in the past, it was really nice to not be out there this year! It was one of those magically beautiful fall days. There were leaves falling off the trees like it was snowing, but the sun was nice and warm and we had so much fun outside. Tyler got to do some shooting with Jeff, which was fun for him. Andrew put together a fun obstacle course for the kids and Grandpa took us all for a tractor ride. We took family pictures in the afternoon, which ended hilariously. It just isn't a family photo session without tears, right? Ben and Charlotte came with their kids after that and the party grew! We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire outside for dinner and had fun singing and telling stories. And then, of course, playing 4 on a couch after the kids went to bed. Lots of pictures from Friday.

Nice targets!

Grandpa looked pretty darn happy, pulling his posterity in his blue tractor

Popping the lid off a waterbottle while waiting for pics

Aaaand stealing the photographer's props

My job during photos was to make babies/kids smile, and to snap my own pictures of course.

My favorite picture of the session 

Millie loooooves Tyler!

Watching these 3 play is my favorite

Saturday: Slept in again after a late night. Monka and the girl grandkids (plus the couple of boys who were jealous) painted each other's nails. Grandpa and the boys started a big fire at the edge of their property to burn some really old documents, and the boys had lots of fun with that. We all went out at different points to observe and admire. At one point Tyler (big Tyler, my Tyler, you get it) came in and said very calmly, "Um, the fire is spreading." The "fire boys" went out and took care of it, stopping a sure disaster. After lunch (and dinner prep for me, since Saturday was our night in charge of dinner) we packed up and went home! We were sad to leave, but exhausted and ready to rest at home. We took the rest of the day reeeeeal easy.

The kids loved gathering sticks to throw in

Goodbye hugs

The fire boys

I know. I take a picture of her sleeping a lot. But she was just really cute with her hand under her head like that! 

So really, it was a great Thanksgiving week. I felt so thankful for so many things, especially family and the chance I have to be with them forever.

My awesome sister-in-law Kerri made an awesome video of the week! You can see it HERE. 

Thanksgiving 2013, part 1

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! Tyler had most of the week off of work so we went to Lufkin on Tuesday morning and stayed until Saturday afternoon. All but 3 members of my family were there, and it was quite a party! We had a great week.

Tuesday: arrived around lunch time and met everyone at Chik-Fil-A. Had a fun afternoon playing inside, since it was raining like crazy. The kids played Wii, the boys played pool, and the girls talked. Made s'mores in the fireplace for dessert, which Millie took approximately 3 bites out of. I guess she's not much of a marshmallow girl- she kept picking the chocolate off! Can't say I blame her.

Hashtags were a running joke throughout the week, and even the kids picked up on it

Millie loved baby Jane

Millie bonded with Tyler pretty quickly- he is such a sweet cousin

Wednesday: games at the church since it was still raining. Laura and Tom led everyone in a workout and the adults played volleyball while the kids ran around the gym. Kim won the planking contest, even though she is pregnant. Everyone else was very embarrassed! We brought pizza to the church and then went home for naps. Some went to see "Freebirds" while others stayed behind. We celebrated Dad's birthday, which was a few days before. The kids made a big banner for him and we had his favorite dessert- strawberry cheesecake. The adults played Bananagrams after the kids went to bed- I love playing games with my family!

Kelsey is quite the cuddler and loved Uncle Tyler

The family that sweats together, stays together 

Matching jammies

 Thursday: there was a temporary misplacing of the key to the church, so we did not go back for games. Instead we braved the cold and played outside! The kids loved playing in the leaves. There was lots of cooking and baking going on of course. In the afternoon we performed a little Thanksgiving program at Dad's facility. I had a pretty embarrassing moment, messing up a word in one of the solos and being unable to control my laughter! I blame it on my pregnancy brain. After singing we came home to put the finishing touches on dinner. When we got to baking the rolls, the oven shut down!! I guess some grease or gravy had spilled down into the range and it went into a safety mode. The boys attempted to bake them over the fire, which worked, except for the extremely smokey taste. We ended up slicing french bread to go with Thanksgiving dinner! The evening ended with pie and ice cream outside by a fire and sharing what we're thankful for. Once the kids were down for the night, we adults played a new (to us) game- 4 on a couch. It was perfect for such a large group and we had a great time!

A kickball game with the kids

The cup song, of course

Part 2 to come soon!

Things to remember right now

-The way Millie loves to talk and sing in the mirror

-How she loves to dance, and learns all her best moves from her dad

-Our waking up routine: I walk in and give her a hug, ask how her nap was, then sit on the rocking chair and watch her bounce for a few minutes. It usually takes asking her if she's ready to get out a few times before she says yes.

-How Millie says "Baby Gees" and "Joes" for Baby Jesus and Joseph. Everything is just cute coming out of her mouth

-The way these two laugh together, and make even the lamest things (like waiting for the doctor) fun

-The other day, Millie saw Tyler and I kiss before we started to eat dinner. She laughed and said, "again!" to which we did not say no. It somehow turned into this game, where she now says, "nuhwun kiiiiiiss!"(another one kiss) in this super-cute voice, and then we kiss. Sometimes she even throws herself in the mix, saying "Millie kiiiiiss" and leaning in. 

There are just some times when I feel like my heart is going to burst with happiness! I love my little family and our little life.