Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and it was great to see everyone!  We started out the festivities at Ray-Ray and So-So's.  Tommy and Ashley were there with baby Madeline who I got to snuggle with briefly, and the kid's Uncle Matthew was in town to visit with too!  Katie and Matthew concocted a plan to eat Thanksgiving Dinner (including a turkey fried by Lance and Matthew) outside, and Katie was having a ball decorating the table.  She even drew a picture of everyone who would be at the table and wrote their names with help from Matthew.  She was so proud, and this picture was taken even before the addition of Christmas lights and the complete set of "portraits" were hung!

We then went to Birmingham to spend time with my dad and his family and my uncles and aunt.  Thanksgiving dinner was delicious there, too and the kids had a blast playing with my dad's two little girls.  We went on to my grandmother's house the next morning and had our last Thanksgiving meal.  It was super yummy, and the kids always love going to "GG's" house because they get to go to the park right across the street and of course see my mom's side of the family.  Tyler has heard me say it is "Christmastime" now that Thanksgiving is over and he knows that we are going to Niffa and Bill's for Christmas so he keeps asking me when we are going to Uncle Bill's.  He took some time to warm up to people when we were visiting at both places this time and by the time he started opening up a bit to Bill he forgot to tell him and show him some things that he definitely wants to remember when we go to his house!

We got the tree up on Sunday and the kids really enjoyed that this year, and were actually able to help!  We were looking at pictures of each year of the kids with Santa and unfortunately realized that we never made it to get pictures with Santa last year and I can't find the one from their first year although I vividly remember having it made because it was one of my first solo outings!

This was their first Christmas, but obviously not the Santa pic.  

I do have this from last year taken at the Y, but it is obviously not a great Santa photo.  

This year, however, in fact this Saturday - we will be getting Santa photos for 2012!  I have to decide which package to get today and give them my credit card number in advance (these Santa visits are serious these days - the slots are coveted and they don't want any cancellations), but I definitely know that I will at least have one picture of the kids and Santa this year!!!  Here is our annual kids in front of the tree picture (will probably try to take another one that isn't as blurry and when they are dressed a little more festively).  We haven't gotten lights on the house yet, but this is actually early for us to have anything so I am excited!  This should be a fun year around our house since the kids are at a great age for Christmas festivities, although at Thanksgiving Tyler said he was "thankful for Santa Claus" so he might have expectations that are a bit too high :).  The good thing is that the two things he says he wants Santa to bring, cars and a marble maze, have already been told to Santa so hopefully those will still be the top two wishes by Christmas morning!