Thanksgiving and Beyond

 The last two years, I have done some Thanksgiving crafts with the kids on Thanksgiving morning. They enjoy it and it makes me feel like a crafty Mom.

  
They were pretty pleased with their turkeys and owls.

Bella

Selah and Elijah

 We had a pretty quiet Thanksgiving dinner at home with just two extra people. After hosting a cast party and baby shower the week before, it was nice to have it all low pressure. 

Normally, we head out early, early the next morning for Black Friday shopping. Since most sales start on Thanksgiving now and I'm not going out shopping on Thursday, there didn't seem to be enough left to be worth the trip "to town". I did, however, order several Christmas presents online. Since I really had not started Christmas shopping for my dozen until today and I love online shopping, the UPS man is going to be at our house EVERY day from now until Christmas!

Since I was home for the first time in many, many years on Black Friday, we went ahead and put up the Christmas tree; it's early for us, but since we are traveling before Christmas, we needed to get it done early to make it worth our while.

Tori's wearing the goofy  hat is because she was mid hair-do.

Always Joy

I have to agree that I think the greatest pain and the greatest joy are both experienced in parenting. We are working through some rough roads with one of our children. While the burden is heavy there, in enters little Elijah who constantly tells me that "I'm the bestest mommy in the world." Sunday he bought me flowers (with his daddy's help) and told me that we could take turns holding them. 

Please no one tell him that bestest isn't a word - it sounds so much more impressive than just best!