we're thankful

I feel like a bit of a slacker having let so much time lapse since the last time I posted. Until I consider that we didn't return home from KC until almost midnight Sunday. Yesterday was spent keeping my head above the ever increasing mounds of laundry just long enough to look in the fridge and realize that unless we plan on living on a diet of Ranch dressing and chicken broth, I've got to get to the store. Plus we have four semi-big youth events to plan, diapers to change, Christmas cards to send, gifts to buy...

Did December happen to blindside anyone else?

We had a good trip. Reese did incredibly well in the car. I hesitate using the words break or vacation because neither are an accurate description of the weekend.

Most of it was spent driving from one family to the next. Please hear me, we are incredibly grateful for each person in our family. Not only are they all still with us, but they all long to see us and bend over backwards to make it happen. Reese will know of love because of them. She has seven grandparents who are crazy about her and we thank God for every single one of them.

Still, it's always hard to load up the car and leave dinner early in order to make it to the next location. I can't help but feel a twinge of guilt and sadness. I feel like everyone gets a little jipped in the process. I teased Dan that for Christmas we should just hire a taxi service to drive Reese from one place to the next while we go to a hotel. :)

I took a ton of pictures, but I only have time to upload a few, due to all that laundry, food, baby, job stuff I mentioned earlier.

Miss Thang's post. She manned it well. And she'd like to thank the makers of pacifiers and Mum-Mum crackers for making it possible.



She's thankful for her Great-Grandma Nadine (or "Adine" as I use to say).


Celebrity baby.


Somebody's going to have to break it to her that the world does not revolve around her, and I'm afraid it's gonna have to be me.


She was unable to participate in the annual Turkey Bowl. Next year, she should be good to go. And the first-born team needs all the help it can get. They got worked this year by the middle children for the fourth year straight!


Lining up for a family picture.