Apparently I've been keeping myself too busy eating turkey and all the other deliciousness that accompanies it to blog. Thanksgiving was a big success here. Michael took a few days away from his dissertation to hang out with my family.
His help is so appreciated - having him around full time makes me realize how chaotic things can be without him. That extra set of hands is invaluable, like when he helped to dress the baby. We may do things a bit differently, but no one said it's wrong to button your baby's onesie on the outside of his pants... that bit of 80's aerobics flare that it adds is enjoyable for everyone.
On Thursday, we headed up to my mom's house for a feast. Thomas was a champion through the entire day, and enjoyed showing off his new crawling skills. Let me tell you, that baby can shimmy along with the best of them. He relished the larger crowd, beaming his toothless grin at everyone he wiggled past.
When dinner time came, we feasted. And feasted. And feasted. But I'm a nursing mom, so I need those extra calories, right? Who cares if my seventh month old baby is already twenty-two pounds and is in no way hurting for extra nourishment. What can I say, I sacrifice for my kids, and if that includes stuffing large portions of stuffing, I will do whatever it takes.
Looking for pictures of William? The poor guy missed the first Thankgiving he would have actually been able to enjoy the food at. With all the extra excitement and company, he got so burned out that at eleven in the morning he begged to take a nap and slept for three and a half hours. He got some leftovers when he woke up.
Friday morning we skipped the shopping and went back to my mom's for some Christmas decorating. Neither of us are typically day after Thanksgiving decorators, but we were both in the mood, so we went with it.
William liked the gingerbread man, but refused to take a picture with him. William likes to be the man behind the camera. What he often ends up as is the man at his momma's feet begging for the camera.
We came across this little guy while trimming the tree. At first I thought it was the ugliest ornament I had ever seen, but he's grown on me since. By the time the tree has to come down I'm sure I'll be sad to see him go.
So with our trees up and ready, I'm set for the beginning of Advent tomorrow. My hope is to get the "work" of the season out of the way so I my mind can be free of all those details and I can just be still in waiting to celebrate the birth of Our Lord. To be a Mary and not a Martha is my daily struggle, and one I hope to work on this Advent.
But as an early Christmas present for all of YOU, I'm announcing my first giveaway! My brother Jonathan over at BidBlink has been so, so, SO generous in donating 500 free bids that I get to give away to a reader, which is a $200 value! Leave a comment in this thread one of them will be randomly selected for the prize. Winner will be selected and announced Tuesday, November 30th.
In addition, all of you can use code FERRYFTW to receive 100% more bonus bids on your first bidpack purchase. This is a great way to stock up on gift cards for gifts or holiday shopping. You can score some incredible deals.
If you're not familiar with BidBlink, here's a blurb from their website about how it works:
On BidBlink, you can win brand new products and gift cards for up to 99% off retail prices. Like a traditional auction, the last bidder that bids before time runs out, wins. But on BidBlink, each bid lowers the price of the item. To offer this discount, we charge a small fee per bid, for each bid placed.
So check them out, leave me a comment, and have a Blessed Advent.
Will still grabs your attention even when he's asleep. Great collection of photos with this post.
ReplyDeleteEghad?! It's Advent tomorrow? The countdown begins to the greatest event of the year.
Beautiful pictures and writing. I am getting to know the wonderful little kids.
ReplyDeleteLove the 80's outfit, Kevin thought it looked pretty good too. I don't doubt that someday my kids will be rocking that look.
ReplyDeleteLove those boys!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your blog. Watching these kids grow day by day is really wonderful and your journal is interesting, too. THANKS to you for taking the precious time and thanks to the person who alerted me to it.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of BidBlink before...but hey, I'd love to give it a $200 try!!! Glad I got a comment in before Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteAlso - your photography and commentary continues to be inspiring. I just love reading your blog!!
Wow! You were busy yesterday! Bring your mini hats/boots and mittens with you next week-we have LOTS of pine cones.....ummmm bring your recipe for coconut curry chicken too-it looks wonderful. And no the pecan recipe is not a family recipe-I found it in Parade magazine several years ago. Love, Amma elf
ReplyDeleteAfter staring at that ornament for awhile it grew on me too. Kinda too creepy not to be cute :) Love all the pics!
ReplyDeleteGlad you all had a great Thanksgiving-and that spread at your mom's looks soooo yummy! I would've had seconds and taken left-overs for a midnight snack =)
ReplyDeleteSo how many times can I post in a day : > )
ReplyDeleteWow, I got pretty hungry reading the later post. Plus, I never thought I would be thankful for the plethora of coniferous trees in my local habitat, but christmas ornaments will bring out surprising revelations. See you soon!
ReplyDeleteKevin