MID HOLIDAY UPDATE

I guess I better get my Thanksgiving pictures out into the world before the holidays are over or at least before Christmas.

We decorated our two Christmas trees the weekend before Thanksgiving. We usually wait until the Sunday after Thanksgiving and do it as a family, but our weekends this year are full and my two older girls have work schedules to work around. 

We were into the holiday spirit early this year.

Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, some of Art's family came and had dinner with us. 

Lola really tied one on that night! 

On Thanksgiving Day we went to my father's house and had dinner with my family. 

(I sure do miss my mom.)

My little family officially celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday. 

The biggest thing I have learned with my children growing up, working and no longer living at home is that the date on the calendar is just a number.

Their professions do not have typical nine to five hours...

nurses and flight attendants usually work on holidays.

We celebrate when we can.

That being said, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Both Brittany and Brooke had the weekend after Thanksgiving off.

Mr. E came with Brooke from DC and they spent the weekend here in Raleigh. 

(Mr. E is Brooke's boyfriend.)

Brittany's boyfriend, BF1, also was able to come and eat with us too. 

(He lives here in Raleigh.)

My aunt (mom's sister) also came. 

I have roasted a lot of turkeys, but this one was the largest and by far the bet one yet. 

After dinner we attempted to get the perfect Christmas card picture, but that ended up being a major FAIL!

Christmas cards will go out l.a.t.e this year and I am not so sure how they are going to turn out. 

bummer

The next day we took Mr. E to Homewood Nursery to look at all of the poinsettias.

They have greenhouses full of them.

It is the place to go to get into the Christmas spirit. 

The pups were exhausted after the two older girls left and Barrett went back to school on Monday.

Literally, I don't think they moved!

We struggled to get back into a routine.

Barrett has been so busy at school.  

She is exempt from all of her exams for the semester so she doesn't have to go in next week and 

today was her last day of school! 

Unfortunately, she was bombarded with tests all this week. 

Bubbles and I sat on her bathroom floor and called out AP European History terms while she took a shower. 

It is called multitasking.

What will I do with my evenings when she goes to college next year? 

Am I going to miss this? 

Art, my wonderful husband, packed up a few shirts and a pair of khakis and went to Las Vegas for five days for a vacation conference.

The day he got home, someone at work gave him a very large cooler of fresh oysters. 

With it just being the three of us here at home.....we roasted and ate oysters three nights in a row.  

They were delicious!

The house is all decorated and I have put a good dent in my wrapping. 

Bubbles always loves sleeping under the tree, and this year he plants himself under the two cat ornaments to nap.

Charlie... 

is just hanging around waiting on Santa.......

or another piece of turkey..... and will be happy with which ever comes first.