Happy Thanksgiving

Today was a spectacular Thanksgiving Day. It started off in what I would say is pretty typical fashion for a family holiday - Ben and I arguing over the cooking and cleaning, the girls choosing ridiculous or inappropriate outfits and then getting bent out of ship when their choices were vetoed, lots of shouting and crying as we rushed to get out the door on time. I mean, what's a family holiday without wanting to wring each others' necks?

the least ridiculous of the wardrobe wars: Molly wearing Ava's cowgirl boots, so big she can barely walk, but she was MAD when I took them off

Once we were out of the house, it was all good. Our first stop was the house of our friends the Carlsons. It was a quick stop over to visit a very special guest - Santa Claus! The Carlsons are friends with a gentleman who works as Santa at one of the local malls, and Katy had suggested we bring the girls over to see him as their Thanksgiving guest for some one-on-one time with Santa. I didn't tell the girls before we got there who we were going to see, only that they had a special visitor. When we walked in and Jocelyn saw Santa, she clutched the top of her head with her hands and squealed as she ran to hug him. It was such an incredible experience. He sat with them, showed them jingle bells from a reindeer's harness, and read The Night Before Christmas to them. Each girl's reaction was fun to watch: Ava had fun but is now older and therefore more reserved; Molly didn't freak out but wasn't comfortable enough to sit on Santa's lap either; Jocelyn is at that perfect age, and was completely captivated by Santa, hanging on his every word. The girls told him what they wanted for Christmas, and he ended our visit by giving each child a business card-type paper that has a Naughty and Nice check box that we leave for Santa with a single cookie (Mrs. Claus has him on a diet these days) on Christmas Eve. It was such a special memory for the girls, and I very much hope this can be a tradition for many years to come.

storytime

Jocelyn was in awe of Santa

Then we headed to our friends the Foleys for a true Thanksgiving feast. There were 8 adults and 9 children ranging from 6 years to 18 months. It was loud, chaotic, and an absolute blast. We were 4 families that came together as 1 to celebrate the holiday. It was the epitome of the phrase "Friends can become the family we choose for ourselves." On a day when we focus on all we are grateful for, my cup overflows. I have been blessed with a husband who loves, supports, and tolerates me; 3 daughters who light up my life; parents, siblings, and extended family who have raised me and molded me into the woman I have become; in-laws who have accepted me into their family and treated me as their own; and so many friends who have become my chosen family. I was so happy to spend this day with my family and friends. They are who get me up in the morning, drive me through the day, and who I thank God for, this Thanksgiving and every day of my life.