Thanksgiving 2012

In the morning, Dylan and Isaac added more leaves to their Thankful Tree while we sang "Count Your Many Blessings" to the music from my phone (love that app). 

 (This post is NOT chronological, or logical at all, but it's all Thanksgiving week stuff.)
I finished up my Small Business Saturday ad while steven prepared his Thanksgiving side dishes. Then we went to the park for a bit. Isaac made two friends there.

 On Monday, we had gone to the cornucopia. Sadly, it had been decorated with Christmas lights. Isn't that so wrong? Not only is THE thanksgiving monument decorated for a different holiday, it was before it's own holiday had even happened!

On Thanksgiving, we went to my mom's at 4:30. 

Attendees: My mom, Don, Grandma Rebeck, my family of 5, Stephen, Stepheni, and their new baby Ephraim, Selene, Juliane, Brent, Gabrielle, Coby, Diane (Brent's mom), Muneca, Antonio, and Teri from church came.  

We mostly fit at the main dining room table, but some sat watching football and the kids sat at their own table. Although they were only all there at once b/c I made them for this picture. They're fast eaters!

 Cute Ephraim!

 Cute Tyler!

 Cute cousins!

 The next day, Black Friday, I took my kids to my friend's house while I cleaned. My friend came to help me clean after we went for a run. We cleared the kitchen counters - and I mean cleared! That's my Christmas gift to Steven b/c he's been complaining about it forever. He was going to do it so he was worried. I expected the complaining/worriedness to thankful ratio to be heavier on the worried side. I was right. But I cleared a drawer and devoted it to his papers so I think he'll be more thankful as it grows on him. I'm SO thankful for my friend though!! I couldn't have done it w/o her. We threw 3 trash bags full of stuff out AND gave a bunch of things away to Goodwill. We also took recycling to be recycled. While working, we had a list going for things I needed to buy. So we went and bought them too! I'm telling you, I have lists all the time, but I don't actually go to Goodwill, I just have piles and to do lists. She pushed me to really do it! We also bought CD books so we could replace all of the DVD cases and just put the movies in the binders. I had Steven and the kids do that the next day. As payment to my friend, I got her the "Elf on the Shelf" book and elf. I got one for myself too. We were doing a happy dance in the store b/c we were finally going to really do it!  We planned on having our kids help name the elves and reading the book to them that night. I've wanted to do it for a couple of years and know that Steven thought the idea of it was sad initially. I thought I had remembered being in another group of people w/ him where we talked about it and his eyes were opened to the fun potential of it. I guess I was wrong. He said no to it. So I'll be returning it. I still got to use a $5 gift card that I got for buying it.
So after the productive morning, we went to my mom's house. We hung out and ate left overs.

On Wednesday, after I worked 'til 1, I picked the kids up from Yvonne's house and took them to Lake Seminole Park. Dylan's church friend Jake and his brothers and mom met us there. Tyler played in the dirt then rubbed his face. He's FILTHY!

 On Wednesday evening, we had the perfect Thanksgiving week cook out at Uncle Andre and Aunt Barbie's back yard oasis. 

 Tyler started saying "hot!" His 3rd word I think. The next day, he started saying "mom" and "this."

 He also blows on hot things.

Ana was in town, she should move here. Look at the blazing fire!!