Thanksgiving Weekend

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Sometimes I pretend I have 4 girls. Last week I thought I’d surprise my kids by covering the playroom in sheets and Christmas lights. I filled the floor with nearly every pillow and cushion in the house. I had visions of us sipping hot chocolate, watching a movie, laughing and cuddling in all that softness…we would lay under the lights and talk…the little girls in The Holiday did it. However, I do not have sweet little girls filling my house. Under our lights we did a lot of laughing and a lot of body slams onto the pillows. Oh wait, there were some wrestling matches and popcorn throwing too. I think I need to invite the daughters of my friends over for a movie night under twinkle lights.

Photo tip: I didn’t want to use my flash so I bumped my ISO all the way up to 1600, the shutter is slow 1/100 (hence the blurry action) and my aperture was f/2.8. I used Totally Rad Actions Pool Party & SX-70 in the processing.

Don’t they look like they wanted to lay down, cuddle and talk with me? Doesn’t it look like a peaceful, quiet evening?

We’ve enjoyed warmer weather too. We’ve also enjoyed our neighbor’s soccer field.

Yes, she is barefoot Thanksgiving week in a jacket. Yes, I was too. That is how we roll. We fight off winter as long as possible. We also don’t have soft feet. On a different note…check out her hairline, it just keeps getting stronger. Poor girl has no hope for bangs.

Good thing she wasn’t born in the 80s.

I like having babies & toddlers, but it is crazy how much fun it is when toddlers become kids. I’m really excited about a house full of teenage boys. Thanksgiving football games will probably become the highlight of the holiday for me. I have no problem taking one of my sons to the ground.

When I was pregnant with this little guy we didn’t know if he was a boy or girl until he was born. I remember a lot of well meaning comments from people hoping I’d ‘finally get my girl’. Well I sure am thankful their hopes didn’t come true and I got my boy. He is pretty rad.

I didn’t take too many pictures from Thanksgiving dinner. It is a family event full of cooking all day in grandma’s kitchen. Everything is made from scratch and is DELICIOUS. At the end of the day I told Chris that I think I will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner more in a few years when our kids aren’t so dependent on me for things. It will be an amazing experience to sit down for the meal and not take care of anyone else…just eat and eat and eat. However, right now I don’t pay attention to calories because chasing 3 boys and their sister burns more than I can consume. So maybe when they aren’t so dependent Thanksgiving dinner won’t be as enjoyable because I’ll have to care a little more about calorie consumption. Or not.

My 2 year old (pictured above) snuck a bit of butter. Why do kids like butter so much?

Sweet P & FireCracker showed up for dinner in the same outfit (unplanned).

FireCracker & Sweet P…fitting nicknames.

At the Christmas Gathering it was mentioned a new Halloween tradition is to make a booty print of a baby, draw a stem & leaf…and call it a “Crack-0-Lantern”. Well, back in 1979 my parent’s made a butterfly print out of my booty. Under it is written “The End.” It has hung in my grandparent’s dining room over Grandpa’s chair all my life. And just because the photo was also in the dining room…here is me at 4.

So that was a bit of our weekend. I’m grateful for so many things…too many to begin listing. I saw this video yesterday…and thought “yep, that pretty much says it all.”