Happy Giving!

A little late but we had a pretty busy weekend. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Colby wishes you all a "Happy Giving" as he says.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving. I am amazed at how different I now view each holiday. I always love getting together with family and friends at holidays. But now I can experience each holiday anew through the eyes of my 2 year old. The Thanksgiving Day Parade wasn't the same old thing that I watch to pass time in the morning before we leave for dinner. The prayer of thanks truly this year I had reason to give thanks. Watching the kids play together was a whole new experience. Now I watched my own. What a blessing it is to see these ordinary things turned extraordinary through the eyes of a child.

We spent the morning watching the parade and waiting to see Santa. Mickey Mouse, Kermit, and the drums in the bands were all huge hits, as was the singers. Colby still loves his music. After the parade, we left for my parents' house. This was our first Thanksgiving without Mamie, and that was difficult. Although we have the joy of having Colby with us, knowing Mamie is not here gave the day a slight bittersweet taste. Usually we have dinner with all my mom's family at Mamie's house but each family decided to have their own this year. It made for a somewhat smaller dinner, we all fit at two tables now, but I did miss the fun of seeing everyone. Also, my sister Kristin, Steve, and my nephew Teddy were not there and we did miss them. But, the rest of the family was there. I loved watching Colby play with his cousins Max, Alex, and Keith. They had a blast playing with the toy train and the blocks.

Max reading a Christmas story to Colby.

Grandma and Uncle Chris playing backgammon, with a little help from Keith and Colby.

We left my parents' house to go to Mike's Aunt Karin's house for dessert. Mike's Dad's whole family still get together for each holiday and that meant seeing about 30 or so more people. Colby took a short nap on the ride there and was soon revved up to go play with his cousins. He has a cousin Logan who is just 4 months younger than him and they played the piano together for everyone. I had a wonderful conversation with Christine. She is Mike's cousin Timmy's fiance. They will get married this coming June. Hopefully we will get together soon.

After a long day, Colby was definitely tired. He simply crashed when we put him to bed. So a wonderful first Thanksgiving together. So much to be thankful for this year. And now on to Christmas. Colby is already going crazy over that. We decorated the house yesterday and Mike and I went shopping on Saturday while Colby visited with Mike's parents. We plan to get our Christmas tree this Saturday. And I can't wait. I am always excited about Christmas. It was my Poppy's favorite holiday and mine. This year I am even more excited as I now have the opportunity to teach my son the meaning behind Christmas and the joy of giving.