is this so wrong??

the weather here has been amazing.  

it seemed so strange to be putting up a christmas tree and wearing shorts.  but, you better believe i've been loving it! 

our kids were playing with the hose yesterday and both ended up soaked.  they wanted to take their wet pants off and keep playing. 

classy, right??

oh, and a little shout out for all my howden family -- the day before thanksgiving, lily said, "mama, isn't about time we started singing for health and food and loving friends?"  

yes, it is girl! :)

::traditions::

there are few traditions i hold more dearly from childhood than those surrounding the christmas season...

going to my grandma's house on christmas-eve-eve to have a family dinner.

waiting on the landing with mugs of steaming hot chocolate with excited anticipation of what waited for us downstairs.

the big family christmas party at our house every christmas afternoon.

as our family has grown and our kids are getting a bit older, we have been excited to create some traditions of our own.  however, there are some from childhood that are too wonderful not to be passed on.

my grandfather, poppy, used to read twas the night before christmas for us every christmas eve.  i remember such a giddy excitement growing within me as he read.  i would feel so safe, so tucked in, so loved,  and so eager for santa's arrival.  

my parents recorded that story for our kids in a book and we got it out yesterday as we decorated.  finn has carried the book everywhere with him and hearing my parents' voices read that familiar story from all corners of our house has made me so happy.  we will most certainly enjoy it in the days to come and especially on christmas eve.

and every holiday season, we would make ornaments as a family from a salt and flour dough.  they are truly some of my favorite ornaments and my dad's enormous and beautiful santa still tops our family tree proudly.  looking back at the handmade ornaments tells such a story and reminds me so much of growing up.

so, this year, we mixed up the dough and set to work.  lily and finn loved it and i love our new additions to the tree.  i am sure in years to come we will reminisce about these ornaments and our last christmas in this home.  and it will bring such wonderful memories...

::so much to be thankful for::

happy thanksgiving!

we hope you all have had a wonderful day today.   we are sending our love from c'ville!

we had a restful and relaxing day and i am overwhelmed by all we have to be thankful for this year.

we missed our family dearly and wish we could have seen everyone today.  but, we did have a sweet day celebrating just the 5 of us.

crosby's first turkey trot and first thanksgiving!  

(he didn't seem to mind the trot at all!)

a thanksgiving-eve viewing of a charlie brown thanksgiving.  the kids were in heaven snuggled with us and eating popcorn.  

the kids were so excited for the feast that they waited at the table for about 30 minutes prior to us eating.  they were especially excited for the "treat pie!"  they couldn't wait to choose between pumpkin and apple...in the end, they of course chose both! :)

we are so thankful for all of you!  much love!

and on a sweet note of thankfulness, tonight we went around the table telling what we were thankful for.  after we had gone around once, lily said, "i am thankful for God."

and then finn said, "in my crib today i prayed to God and told him i loved Him."

oh my heart about melted.  sweet boy of ours...

::my little lumberjacks::

and yes, finn is this much of a ham.

::we have arrived::

i can officially say that crosby is sleeping through the night.  hallelujah!!

i prematurely thought we were there a while ago (oops!) but can now truly say we are sleeping all night.

after 10 1/2 months, it feels like heaven.  i think it will take us a few weeks to truly catch up, but i am so happy with the forward progress!

good work, big guy!!

::thankful::

i am so thankful.  

ryan had a conference this past weekend in las vegas.  he was provided with the funding to go and my parents SO very generously offered to come watch our kids so that i could accompany him.

it was an amazing getaway together.  

i was so caught up being carefree that i neglected to take any pictures.  but, maybe it is better that way.  

vegas was pretty crazy and not exactly what i had pictured.  but, the cherished uninterrupted time ryan and i had together was exactly what i had dreamed of.

thank you SO much, mom and dad!  we love you!!!