11/25/10 - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! It seems that every year we have more and more to be thankful for; and that is such an amazing feeling! We’ve always had a great family and some really great friend. We are very lucky to have good, stable jobs that we enjoy. We don’t have a perfect relationship, but we sure love each other and are so lucky to have each other. We have the most amazing little girls, and are lucky enough to be celebrating a “first Thanksgiving” two years in a row. We have a beautiful roof over our heads…an expensive one that steals most of our money, but it’s there! We have two working cars, which get us from point A to point B, even though one steals the rest of our money and one is not very reliable! In the end, even though we could find a ton of stuff to complain about and have plenty of “woe is me” moments, we are truly blessed and have far more to be grateful for.

I was up bright and early and in the kitchen to make the Thanksgiving pies (apple and pumpkin, yum!) and some cinnamon rolls. Once she woke up, Christian took Amelia over to his parent’s house so we could focus on cleaning up the house and getting everything done. Olivia woke up just in time to enjoy some cinnamon rolls and watch the parade with me! She wasn’t TOO into it this year, but it caught her attention here and there. We started getting some of the prep work done (chopping, peeling, cutting, etc.) and finally were able to shower and get ready for company. My mom came over around 12:30 to hang out and help us, and his parents came over around 1:30. Christian and his dad had to brave the FREEZING cold and wind while they deep-fried the turkey (this was the coldest Thanksgiving since 1985!). My mom, my mother in law and I rotated between preparing, cooking and watching the girls. I finally got Amelia down for her nap, and she slept long enough for us to finish cooking and eat! After dinner, we all cleaned up and were exhausted and way too full…we were like zombies glued to the couches! My mom headed out, followed by his parents shortly after. We were able to just relax and spend a little time together before it was time for bed. Amelia did NOT want to do down for me tonight, which never happens. And, I had to get ready for black “Friday” shopping, so Christian took over and got her down.

Shortly after 9:00 our friends Nate and Gini came over. Nate and Christian hung out watching some TV and catching up while Gini and I braved the Toys R Us crowd. Now, I knew it was going to be a madhouse, but OMG I never imagined what we were in for! We pulled off the highway and could see the line wrapped around the shopping complex. It was CRAZY. We considered throwing in the towel, but decided to just go for it. We stood in line outside (in the freezing cold) for about 30 minutes. Once in the store, it was pure chaos. Lines ever where, people everywhere, madness! We split up…she found the tea trolley and got in line, I found the Mickey Train and met up with her. The thing we really wanted, a Graco doll nursery set, was nowhere to be found, and I was very sad. We ended up in line to pay for over an hour! I could not believe it. As soon as we got to the front of the line, I spotted the nursery set up by the door and one of the employees grabbed one for us. I wanted to pass out I was so excited! We finally checked out, made the long, cold trek back to the car, got home, and were exhausted! I got home just in time for Amelia to wake up hungry, Nate and Gini headed home and we all passed out. It was a looooong day! And, with Amelia’s current sleeping habits, I think it’s going to be a looooong day tomorrow too!

Here are some of our pics from today. Of course Olivia is on a new kick of refusing to cooperate for pictures, so I couldn’t get a good one of the girls together. Boo!