Every year I say, once Halloween comes, I might as well say hello to the New Year. And, here we are again. Halloween has come, and gone. Thanksgiving has come, and gone. Now I'm on my birthday, then Christmas, countdown. Every day seems to go faster, and the pressure of the holidays is piling up. How will I have enough time to get everything done? Decorated. People shopped for. Presents bought. Wrapped. Cooked. Packed. You know that feeling, right? Why do we put this much pressure on ourselves? This is supposed to be a fun time with our families and friends, RIGHT? So, I'm going to make an effort to slow down and enjoy every Christmas light I see, every song I hear, and even those (loud) little voices in the back of my car for an hour each day. 'Tis the season...let's enjoy, spread joy to those who are in need, and take the time to spend with our loved ones. Stress-free.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, Brian and I were able to get out and enjoy a couple adult-only evenings. We needed it! We went to see a band we both really like (Seven Handle Circus) and I went out with some friends to see Leisure McCorkle and Whitney Bridges sing. It was great catching up with old friends!!
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| Drinks at Vivace with my honey |
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| My prom picture with Shawn, the lead singer/guitar player for Seven Handle Circus...I may have a tiny crush on him, lol! |
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| Friends from both high school and ASU...Gary, Big Mike, Celeste, and Tommy. Tommy was our wedding photographer! |
The kids had a birthday party that weekend also. Milani, our neighbor, turned 2. Her birthday party was at Sports Connection, and the kids were able to play games and jump in multiple jumpy houses.
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| Lachelle and her birthday princess, Milani |
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| Ciel and Griffin enjoying some pizza |
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| The crown she picked to "buy" with all her tickets (which her brother broke quickly) |
And as always, we beat the holiday rush to see Santa. Here's how our visit went...(an improvement from last year!)
The kids each learned about and had Thanksgiving feasts at their pre-school. Payton's teacher sent me these...
And here the kids are trying to help Granby with some baking....well, kind of, anyway.
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| Making out with a pilgrim. |
Thanksgiving morning, although REALLY cold, we stuck with our tradition of running the Turkey Trot. Payton ran the one mile fun run with Granby pushing Griffin in the stroller, along with Kerry, Kate, Julia, and Thomas. I ran the 8K with my neighbor, Nick. That way, we can all feel a little better about stuffing the stuffing in our bellies later in the day.
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| Thomas, Julia, Kate, and Payton |
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| Her friends offering much encouragement! |
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| YAY! They did it! |
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| After Nick and my 8K run...TURKEY TIME! |
After showers, lunch, and naps, we headed over to the Garman's house, for food, drinks, and always, much fun. We had a great time, ate way too much (but aren't you supposed to?), and watched some football. I think that sums up a perfect Thanksgiving! Thank you to the Garmans for braving 4 small children in their house. I think mostly everything was left in tact, lol.
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| This was the result of me telling them to pretend they were having a tea party...Kerry and Troy, what are you teaching them up in Asheville? Sorry-had to post. Hilarious! |
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| Kerry and Me...literally friends for life. |
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| Seriously. How does she stay this skinny? She's a mom of FOUR!?!?! |
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| Me and Daddio... |
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| Watching "Monsters U" |
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| That sneaky Uncle JP! |
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| Kerry and Katy...beautiful ladies! |
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| Katy and Jake (aka-Wally Jones)...our hosts |
Friday morning, we headed to Radford, VA, to visit Nana and Granddude, and some of their friends. They had a Thanksgiving gathering that evening, filled with food, wine, and friends. We had a great time!
Saturday morning, we drove into what felt like the middle of nowhere, to choose, and cut our tree. There were a few snowflakes on the ground, which upon exiting the car, Payton immediately tried to pick up and eat. It was cold, but everyone was bundled tight and we picked out our trees. Callie had a blast running around and smelling everything.
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| Last Year...2012 |
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| 2013 |
Nothing says you're a kid like running and jumping in the leaves. I think this could have been the highlight of the weekend, for the kids, and adults alike! Payton and Griffin were hilarious, with their face-planting into the leaves, time and time again. And if you'll look closely, Griffin has a car in each hand. I think he managed only to lose one, which Granddude found later...so.much.fun.
Check out the video of the kids faceplanting in the leaves HERE!
That afternoon, after much needed naps, we headed to a nearby park and got the wiggles out, before dinner.
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| Happy Puppy! |
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| P helping wash dishes :-) |
On December 2nd, Callie turned 5. The kids had fun playing with her, and she got a little extra yummies in her dinner.
And lastly, Elfie made his debut...the kids love finding him each morning. I just wished he would make them behave a little better in the evenings! Santa is watching!!!!!!
Well, the tree is up, decorated, and some presents are wrapped and under the tree. The kids enjoy taking down a number from the Christmas countdown calendar each day. They know it's one day closer to that magic number "25." I think this Christmas is going to be the best yet!!
**A short update on Grumps...since they've taken him off his infusion meds, he has been doing much better. He's now halfway through his chemo, and we are starting to see a dim light at the end of the long tunnel. Keep the prayers coming, and he'll keep fighting!
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