Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving 2014 is in the books.  So much food!  We ate 5 Thanksgiving meals total.   Not all in the same day, thankfully, but I'm scared to step on the scale.  It was worth it, though.  We had a very nice holiday spent with our friends and family, counting our blessings.  

I didn't take many pictures, but here's a rundown of our many Thanksgivings, if you're interested!

1.  Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family.  This was held last Sunday at my parents' house.  We usually have this get-together at Granny's house, but we've outgrown her home!  All of us 4 cousins are either married of have a significant other, and 3 of us have kids.  So we upgraded to mom's house.  My contribution?  I went in with my sister and purchased the ham.

2.  Thanksgiving lunch at Chris' work on the Tuesday before Turkey Day.  A very nice time and lots of good conversation with our church family.  I was a little nerve-wracked at the idea of my kids eating in the office-  no one spilled anything on the carpet, though.  Ha!  And I had the best turkey I've ever eaten.  It was cooked in a crock pot.  I must get the recipe.  We brought cheesy mashed potatoes!

3.  Thanksgiving Day with The Shadburns at Chris' Granny's.  Again, a very nice time.  The kids all played with their cousins and we adults caught up with our family that we hadn't seen in awhile.  There's always lots of craziness going on over there.  The good kind, of course!

Goofy cousins.  Ha!

Violet finally warmed up to Cousin Terry.  She was scared of him but finally allowed him to hold her!  And Shaun is now the proud owner of that hairy hat.  Don't ask!

I'm thankful for him!

Oh, and I brought some chocolate pecan brownies to this meal.  Store-bought but still a big hit!

4.  Thanksgiving night with my mom's family. This was held at my "baby" cousin Lindsey's new home.  She was so gracious to open it up to our brood!  We spent lots of time admiring, laughing, catching up, and of course, eating.  I love my cousins!  I made mac and cheese in the crock pot.  My first time making this recipe and I just winged it.  It was good!  

5.  Friendsgiving at Elia's house.  My friend Elia decided to start a new tradition this year, and I'm so glad she did.  I had never heard of Friendsgiving before but it's a great idea!  Chris wasn't feeling well on Friday so he and Shaun stayed home.  Jordan, Violet, and I had a great time.  After we ate, the adults talked and the kids played.  Very relaxing and low key.

Jordan and Halle.  I hope they're friends forever!

For this last Thanksgiving meal, I brought fruit and a veggie tray.  

As I type this up, it hits me just how blessed we really are!

Christmas Tree 2014

Today, for the first time ever, we decorated our tree before Thanksgiving!

I know, I know.

I am a huge boycotter of all things Christmas before Thanksgiving.  But today, it just seemed right.  Chris was off.  We didn't have church.  So we just did it.  It was even my idea.  And I listened to Christmas music in the car.  What can I say?  I'm just feeling especially Christmassy this year.  

Even though we didn't get to go to a tree farm this year, I still took pictures!

I'm sure the employees at Lowe's thought we were the biggest dorks.  Ha!

These pictures remind me of The Brady Bunch... some of us are dressed for winter and some look like it's summer time outside. 

Chris remembered that we needed some new lights and a few more ornaments this year, so we went shopping first.  We each picked out a new ornament.  Violet picked a pretty pink purse.

She really liked it.  I thought we were going to have trouble actually getting it up on the tree, but we didn't.

We still need to get a new topper and a tree skirt.  I'll post a picture once the tree is completed.  In the meantime, just be assured that it's very pretty.  

I think we might have started a Smith Family Tradition this year.  

Halloween 2014

Better late than never, right?

Here are Jordan and Violet at our church's Fall Festival.

The fact that Violet is in this pig outfit is a Halloween miracle.  Ha!  She was so scared of it that she wouldn't even try it on.  My mom bought it for her weeks before Halloween and Violet loved it.  Then, all of a sudden, she was afraid of it.  I think she made an adorable pig.  Jordan wanted to be a football player.  Again.  

Here are all of the cousins before we went Trick-or-Treating.

Shaun wrestled back and forth about whether or not he was too old for Halloween.  He came through in the end, though.  And he even ran into some of his friends while we were out.  Jordan decided (about ten minutes before we left the house) that he didn't want to be a football player.  He constructed his own costume.  "J Man".  He's also wearing a cape and a jet pack that our talented friend Ginger made.  

We went with my sister and her kids to a nearby subdivision.  It was COLD!  But this subdivision was perfect for Trick-or-Treating.  No big crowds and lots of houses participated.  The police also kept the traffic very orderly.  

We will definitely go back next year!

We were all worried that Violet would be terrified of all the scary costumes, but after she caught on to the idea that she got candy at each house, she hardly noticed anything else.  

It was a nice night. 

Bedtime

Oh, I promised myself that I would blog more and I'm failing!

Since it's on my mind, I'm going to write about Violet's bedtime routine today.  

First of all, Vi loves animals.  She has a menagerie that she carries around with her.  Her favorites are:  Bun (The Velveteen Rabit), Monkey (a Build-A-Bear the boys made for her before she was even born), and Bear (I don't even really know where Bear came from).  There are more, but these three are her favorites.  

Violet is usually pretty good about going to sleep.  She's starting to give a little attitude, though.  Last night, for instance, it was time for bed and I asked if she was ready.  Her reply?  "No thanks.  I'm fine.)  I swear.  Sometimes she sounds like she's already a teenager.  

She doesn't usually put up a fuss.  We tell her it's time and she says, "My animals!" and begins to gather them up.  Last night, Shaun was nice enough to go out to the car and retrieve Bun for her.  Then, when all animals are accounted for, we kiss them all goodnight.  Yes, you read correctly.  I cannot really believe it myself.  I never thought I'd see the day when I would kiss stuffed animals goodnight.  I'm not the only one... the boys also participate.  So does Chris!  Like I said, I never thought I'd see the day.  

So, we all kiss whatever animals Vi is sleeping with and then I carry her to her room.  She still sleeps in a crib.  She's never tried to climb out.  If you've ever been around my daughter, you'll agree that this is a small miracle!  She lays down on her pillow that my Aunt Nancy made out of my Mamaw's old nightgowns, flanked on both sides by her buddies.  Then comes the covers.  Her favorite pink blanket comes first.  This used to be the only cover, but a few weeks ago Violet stated that she wanted two blankets, and more recently she needs three.  (I do go in and remove some of them after she falls asleep.)

I kiss everyone goodnight one more time.  Usually I'll say something like, "See you guys in the morning".  Don't judge!  And usually Violet and her friends go right to sleep.  

I took this picture a few weeks ago.  So sweet.

  

As you can see, only Bun and Monkey made the cut.  

I am just so glad she's mine.