Cheesy Thanksgiving Post #2

One of my new year’s resolutions this year was to focus more on relationships.  By nature, I am a task-driven introvert; thus, even though I value the relationships in my life, I don’t always prioritize them like I should.  I wanted to change that this year, and though I’m still not perfect, I think I have gotten better, and also, I’ve learned so much.  I will probably write a post about it all at the end of the year, but for now, I will just say that one of the things I understood more deeply this year is that I have two really wonderful families, and I don’t want to take them for granted. 

Thus, after a great Thanksgiving with my side of the family, I was excited to see Greg’s:

We got there Thursday evening, ate a late dinner, and let the kids play a little while before bedtime.  Gigi read them all an interactive story where she cut out a pumpkin as she read through the book:

Then the kids read some together before bed:

The next morning, Greg and I took a walk around the neighborhood and then came home, rounded up the oldest four kids, and headed to the playground:

They had a good time horsing around…

…and then we walked partly down a trail called Fisherman’s Loop to find a geocache:

As is the case with most of our geocaching, the kids liked playing in the surrounding area more than finding the cache itself:

We got back in time to eat a quick lunch and then head out to see one last movie at The Henn.  We were hoping that they would have Big Hero 6 so we could all go, but it was Mockingjay.  Chris, Jill, Greg, and I had all seen it, but we saw it again just to go to The Henn one more time:

Afterward, we did a little shopping downtown, which for Greg and me included getting some coffee from The Daily Grind:

That evening, we went to the kids’ favorite place to eat in Murphy:  Downtown Pizza Company:

I think the kids all ended up with $5 each instead of their usual $2, which led to many more tickets:

They were so excited about all their riches, and then promptly cashed them all in for swords and whoopie cushions.  Of course.

On Saturday morning, Gigi, Jill, and I went shopping and then to Starbucks to get coffee.  We came home in time for lunch, and then after Hudson went down for a nap, we began our yearly hike up the mountain.  Here is our “before” picture:

The hike is always a highlight of our Thanksgiving visit.

Having Anna for a daughter has made me more attuned to the beauty of little things:

The view of all the mountains at the top is so pretty.  It doesn’t show up well in pictures, but it’s amazing to stand and look at.

Papa drove up to the top of the mountain to pick up the kids, leaving the adults to walk home.  I love hiking with the children, but I have to say, it’s much easier with just the four of us!

Once home, we spent the rest of the evening hanging out.  That, of course, included iPad playing:

But also, cookie baking:

The next morning, both Anna and Tatum wore Christmas attire:

Their family had to hit the road for a long drive back to Indiana, but we stayed and went to church with Gigi and Papa one last time.  Before our cousins left, though, we got a picture of Gigi and Papa with the grandkids:

I love that you can see the packing boxes in the background.  It was a house in transition, for sure.  It’s funny—I think the full force of Gigi and Papa moving from Murphy hit Anna Sunday morning.  While she was searching for all her stuffed animals, she made the remark that “they probably don’t want to leave Gigi and Papa’s house just like we don’t want to leave.”  And also, “If anyone else lives in this house, I want it to be ME.”  Maybe that sentimentality partially explains why she burst into tears when she realized she had left her littlest stuffed dog on top of the mountain the day before.  Or maybe it was just because she loves her stuffed animals, or was really tired from three late nights.  Regardless, her sorrow prompted Greg to go back to the mountaintop (driving this time, thankfully) and get the dog while the rest of us were at Bible class.  He was happy to report that his mission was a success:

Meanwhile, at church, Luke and Anna made Christmas song studies in Sunday school, and Anna discovered and signed the guest book in the foyer:

She was thrilled to learn that Greg had rescued Pipsqueak from the mountain.

After church, we went out to eat at Monte Alban, a local Mexican restaurant.  Then, it was time to head home.  Before we left, Anna gave kisses to Gigi and spankings to Papa:

Poor Papa:).  He also got hugs and kisses too, before we left.

Now we are home and setting up Christmas.  We are so excited that Gigi and Papa will be joining us in Nashville in a few weeks but also thankful to get to spend one last holiday with them in Murphy!

Cheesy Thanksgiving Post #1

It’s Thanksgiving afternoon.  We’ve been at my parents’ house for two days now, and we ate Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, mainly because my parents wanted us to have an extra day to eat leftovers.  Later this afternoon, we are headed to see Greg’s family and spend one last Thanksgiving holiday in his hometown before they move to Nashville.  For now, though, I just want to take a second and blog about this great visit to Macon because it highlighted just how much we have to be thankful for.

For instance, this is what was on the table when we first arrived:

Chocolate cake, sugar cookies, a pumpkin cake, and…bacon-wrapped crackers???  We had never had them before, but they were delicious.  We had a late lunch of honey-baked ham sandwiches on Hawaiian bread and then tried some of these wonderful desserts.  I think I’ve gained five pounds since I arrived!

And of course, Gaga had a couple of gifts for the kids.  Gift giving is her love language, and she’s a big proponent of “practicing” unwrapping gifts before Christmas:).

One of the highlights of Tuesday afternoon was Anna and my dad playing a duet.  I haven’t heard him play the guitar in forever, and it brought back so many wonderful memories.

As did walking around and seeing all of my mom’s Christmas decorations, such as this picture with Mike:

(Also, Greg looks about twelve years old!)

Anna liked Gaga’s décor, as well, particularly her matryoshka dolls that the Noes brought back from Russia:

As always, the decorations were beautiful.

That evening, Greg and I went to see Mockingjay (LOVED IT), then out to eat at Cheddars, and then to walk around at Barnes and Noble (I’m obsessed, I can’t help it).  I also couldn’t help picking up Luke and Anna each a book.

We spent Wednesday at home, just hanging out.  We made bead necklaces…

…read Luke’s awesome new book, and worked puzzles:

I went for a run and ended up sitting by the lake for awhile:

There was also chess playing…

…and movie-watching…

…and snuggles…and Thanksgiving dinner (ordered from S&S—genius!) and dessert:

But mainly, it was just a time to spend with our family, and realize how lucky we were to have each other.

(I love Uncle Mike’s tree.  Every time I see it, I am overwhelmed by the love shown to my family.  All of those redbirds were gifts that “flew” in literally from around the world.  They let us know that Uncle Mike was loved by so many.)

After lunch, my mom, the kids, and I took a golf cart ride:

We spent most of the time belting out songs like, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and laughing so much that anyone watching probably thought we were drunk:

It was a chilly ride, but SO much fun!

Next came a game of croquet…

…while I finished up our puzzle:

That evening, we gave Granddad his birthday present.  To be honest, giving gifts to my dad is usually a farce, where I pretend to know what he wants, and he pretends to like it.  He always tells me not to get gifts, but I can’t help it:  he’s my dad.  This year, however, I scored big time:

We got dad a wireless speaker for his iPhone and signed them up for Spotify.  After we explained that the whole world of music was now available at their fingertips, I asked what he wanted me to look up, thinking it would be bluegrass or something.  He paused and said, “Bread.”  “Bread?  Like the food?  Um, okay…” 

And thus began a trip down memory lane that had me dying laughing:

(My mom is going to kill me for posing these pics, but they are priceless.  They make me so happy.)

There was lots of dancing and laughter this evening, and though dad never got down like mom did, he clearly enjoyed his gift, later taking it back with him to his lair.

Once he retired to search through music in private, mom and Luke resumed their LEGO building mission:

This morning was similarly low-key.  One of the highlights was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

I had realized earlier this month that the kids didn’t know what that was, so I was glad that dad called them in to see some of the floats.  They loved the Hello Kitty and Spider Man floats, among others, but what really got Luke was Hiccup, from How To Train Your Dragon.  I just wish there had been a Hobbit one.  He would have died!

After the parade, the LEGO building resumed.

It’s been a great Thanksgiving, and such a good reminder of how much I love my family.  They are priceless, and I’m so thankful to spend this time with them.  I also can’t wait to see Greg’s side of the family later today.  How lucky are we???