thankFULL

How was your Thanksgiving?

I hope it was wonderful.  I hope that you were surrounded by people you love.  I hope that you ate candied yams. I hope that you too feel like you've gained 10 pounds- I'm not the only one, right?  Right?

This was the scene around here this week-

Haircuts by Aunt Molly!  Something about a fresh trim can make you feel like a million bucks...  unless you are Max....

Max's haircut was a traumatizing experience for us all.  He wiggled and hit and cried and screamed, all while Molly did her best to not cut off her own finger or Max's ear.  But in the end he looked so much better- maybe not like a million bucks.  Maybe half a million. :)

Us ladies went out for lunch.  Doesn't that sounds like something that we should just get to do anytime we want?  It sounds like a common event, "I had lunch with my mom and my sister today..."  Yep, just as I suspected- it feels natural to say it.

But it had been 5 whole months since I'd seen my mom and my sister, which is the longest stretch we've ever gone without a visit!  I have missed them, and a lunch with them at The Cheesecake Factory didn't feel like a common everyday occurrence.  It felt special.

And my dad arrived a couple days later.  He got to our house after the kids' bedtime, but I let them stay up late to see him, and, of course, he arrived hyper, and suddenly a game of indoor football was happening in our family room.  Good grief, he is a big kid!  And Joe, Lucy and Max love him dearly.

The weather was very stormy, which was perfect for staying inside and doing a whole lot of nothing. (I stole some of these pics from my mom's camera- such a difference in quality!).

And on Thanksgiving Day, we did more hangin' out indoors.

The football-watchers were outnumbered by the parade-watchers, so they were banished to the guest room and the small TV.

Lucy got a special up-do from Molly.

This year marks the most I've ever contributed to a Thanksgiving meal.  The kitchen isn't really my "comfort zone", but I'll admit that it was pretty fun making a huge mess, using every inch of counter top space, rotating the dishes in and out of the oven, and ultimately having it all come together for a traditional turkey dinner.  And I got to do it with my homegirls. :)

And when we'd finally digested our food enough to move from the sofa, we ate dessert and played a fiercely competitive game of cards.

And in case you were wondering, yes, Max feels strongly that clothing is optional, and, yes, Lucy changed her outfit at least 5 times on Thursday. 

And my heart was full.  My cup of gratitude overflowed.  And my stomach couldn't hold even one more bit of pumpkin pie.

It was a great holiday for us, and I hope it was for you too.