Happy Thanksgiving!

Whew!  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year, and as usual, this one was a whirlwind.  The Hubs got up early to go hunting, and I was up bright at early with the kiddos to put the turkey in the oven.  One of my most favorite things in the whole world is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and from the looks of things this year, B has joined me in my love of the parade.  I look forward to watching the parade while smelling the turkey roasting every year, and this year did not disappoint.  The kids and I especially enjoyed seeing Gru and the Minions from our beloved Despicable Me movies.  And the Buzz Lightyear balloon was thrilling as well.

With the Hubs's brother and sister living out of the state and my brother typically going to Virginia to see his wife's family, we usually host a small Thanksgiving at our house with my parents and the Hubs's parents.  We do things potluck style, so I took care of the turkey, made squash casserole, two pecan pies and a Chocolate Derby Pie (a scrumptious Paula Deen creation that is to do for).  My mom made mac and cheese (much to C's delight), corn, dressing, and the most amazing homemade yeast rolls.  My in-laws brought mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies (which is a favorite of the Hubs and the kids as you can see from the pictures).

After lunch and putting the kids down for a nap, the Hubs and I did something we had never done before.  That's right, people--we went to Toys R Us.  When it opened.  For Black Friday Shopping.  I will honest, I was a little nervous and was seriously questioning my sanity.  But the lure of $40 LeapPads for the kids was just too tempting.  When I first noticed the sale ad that peaked my interested, I also saw that there was a one per person limit, and I wanted one for each kid.  I mentioned it to the Hubs thinking he might have a suggestion of who could go with me, but said, "I'll go."  I was so shocked I almost fell out on the floor, but I had to stifle the shock before he realized just how insane the mission was that he was signing up for.  So we left both sets of grandparents at the house with sleeping kids and headed out in the cold to get in line.  To make a long story short, it was not nearly as crazy as I thought it was going to be.  All of the shoppers were courteous and respectful, and we got all of our shopping done for the kids.

We got home just in time to visit for a few minutes with a missionary from our church that we had invited over for Thanksgiving lunch since he was in the country without his family.  He wasn't able to come for lunch, but came later in the afternoon and spent some time with our parents while we were shopping.  We ate left overs for dinner, hugged the grandparents goodbye, and took the kids to see the Christmas lights in our neighborhood.

It was a wonderful day spent with family (and a friend), and it is always nice to stop and take a moment to express how thankful you are for the blessings in your life.  I am thankful everyday for my sweet family and for the One for blessed me with them.  I thank the Lord for them everyday.