A lot to be thankful for!

This has been a pretty dang amazing year for me. I got to marry my best friend Kevin. I got a whole other family as part of the deal who I love and feel to close to and apart of their family. Two beautiful new nephews to join an amazing older nephew who couldn't be more loving. A new healthy body thanks to a lot of hard work, encouragement, and just plain old feeling good about myself. A family who loves me and that I love through thick and thin. A husband who supports me in all of my crazy endeavors and desire for new adventures. I feel so lucky to have such a great family that just gets better all the time! I am thankful for each and every one of you!

This was a momentous Thanksgiving for me, in that it was my first time having Thanksgiving with Kevin in all of our 8 years together, and also my first Thanksgiving not at my parents house! It was a big deal for me, but it was really fun and I am so glad that I have in-laws who I feel so much like part of the family! We of course visited my family throughout the weekend, but the bulk of it was with Kevin's folks, and Adam, Erin, Corbin, and Neal. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, lots of games, took a walk with Adam and Erin's fancy new Chariot stroller, Susan, Erin, and I made Christmas wreaths, ate a lot of food, and enjoyed seeing some of Corbin's new skills and ever expanding curiosity about the world around him!

Corbin and I get some loving in

Thanksgiving was deemed Corbin eats solid food day! He got to try out a little rice cereal mixed with breast milk, and he had a pretty good time with it! It was fun that he got to eat something new for Thanksgiving, and also really awesome that Kevin and I got to be there to see his first shot at it!

Yum!

A pro his first time out, giving feeding himself a try! Also, spoons are his favorite toy.

Uncle Kevin is told to shut his trap!

Our pensive guy

Neal and Mark prepare the delicious turkey for carving!

Kevin and I made mashed potatoes, one batch out of heirloom snowflake potatoes that were quite decadent!

Neal presents....dinner!

A good looking spread!

Neal clearly didn't eat enough if he can handle a baby sitting on him!

But we fixed that with FIVE pies! Wooooweeee! Apple, apple ginger, raspberry almond tart, and two pumpkin! My favorite!

Kevin and I headed to my parents house after dessert, just in time for the end of their dinner. We sadly could not bear the idea of eating anymore, so we just got some love in with the handsome Jackson!

His newest thing is yelling "AAAAAH!" with no aspiration. It's really cute, and VERY loud. He has learned quickly how loud you have to be in my family to get heard!

What a beautiful grin! He has also figured out how to scoot himself backwards on his tummy, so he should be figuring out crawling pretty quick here!

Friday, Corbin and I decided to go retro. He is wearing his Dad's superman shirt from when he was a baby! Pretty cool that Susan kept it!

Uncle Neal gets a great big grin out of the little man!

On Saturday, we girls took off to make wreaths, a tradition Susan and Erin have had for a number of years, and I have done once before. It was really fun to see how different all of them turned out! We clipped boughs from Susan and Mark's house and went to town!

Erin and Susan contemplate the optimal foliage placement.

Halfway through my first wreath, I also made one for my mom. This one is now hanging on our front porch.

My finished wreaths, a little blurry.

Erin's finished wreath, lovely!

Susan's got a bow added to it later, and looks gorgeous!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!