It's never too late to be thankful...

For deep Thanksgiving talks with Pappy Ray, and for the opportunity and blessing it is to have four generations together around the Thanksgiving table. We don't take for granted how lucky we are to be able to do that. My mom and dad worked tirelessly in the kitchen to prepare an incredible feast.....incredible!

For the three blessings we hold in our laps. And for my sister, who I love and value more every passing year, it seems. She's a great mommy, a great aunt, and a great friend to me. And for the opportunity we have to love our children (and each other's) the way we do.

For the newest blessing to our family, who slept all the way through her very first Thanksgiving dinner. I have a picture of Joshua from his first Turkey Day that is identical. I'll post them side by side for your comparison.

For the love of cousins. These two...

...and these two. It was one of the highlights of my holiday to have a chance to meet and snuggle with Ridge. I cannot get over the size difference of these two babies. And guess who's older? The little runt in Shannon's arms is a week and a half older than Ridge, but he's got her by a MILE!


For moments like these on a quiet Black Friday morning. Joshua and Nana baking some cookies. Just like a Nana to make sure Joshua had some special treats that were safe for him to snack on, and involving him was all the better.

And, for the occasional squabble between our precious munchkins who are learning how to play together. They both think the toys at Nana's are theirs, and neither is too interested in sharing with the other. But we're getting there.

I know it's late...and most people have been long done with their "thankful" thoughts for the year. But it was such a blessing to NOT have the opportunity to post these pictures until now. It was so great to be out of the house and not be at my office or the grocery store, the two places I seem to go to be able to "get out".

Our trip to Lewistown was wonderful. I joked that I felt like I sat on my parents' couch for the entirety of our visit feeding Lauren, but to be able to be there with the hustle and bustle of the holiday going on around me was a gift. We were able to see lots of family, and really appreciated everyone stopping by to meet Lauren. We ate too much and laughed a lot...just the way it's supposed to be.

We headed home on Saturday morning and worked on getting unloaded and unpacked. Laundry is still in the works, which I don't quite understand since Mom was helping me to wash the kids' clothes as they wore them. But there's a multiplying factor to laundry that continues to boggle my mind. We then set out to get the Christmas decorations out for the inside of the house, and our halls were appropriately decked by supper time. We're enjoying twinkle lights on our tree as we speak (or type).

I have a few funny Joshua stories that I'll save for tomorrow that are definitely "bloggable". For now, I'm rushing this morning to get Lauren fed, the car packed up again, and get to the office for a day of finance work and then her two month doctor's appointment this afternoon. She has no idea what she's in for...and I'm already dreading the shots. But I can't wait to have some updated stats on our little girl to share. More on all of that.

Even though I was a little late with my post, I do firmly believe that it's never too late to be thankful, or to share our thanks for the blessings we've been given. And so, for our families who love us unconditionally and unfailingly, for our own little family here that continues to fill this house with love and laughter, for our friends and our home, our jobs and our faith, we give thanks to the One who gave it all to us. And now, our thoughts are directed toward this magical season we're entering into. And as Pastor Jamie's message yesterday highlighted, it's never too early to start preparing for something really big, like Christmas. We are...expectantly waiting and appreciating the spirit of Christmas.