23 days and counting

Geesh ! Where did November go? Seriously, I just barely got my Halloween post up ( and yep, totally never posted from our Halloween trip to the Children's Museum). and then we just blurred past Thanksgiving. and now just 3 weeks left until Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and totally indulged in all things fattening. We spent the day with my dad's side of the family at my grandma's farm. Lots of good down home cookin' which unfortunately I was trying so hard 'not' to over eat.. that I hardly ate, and then 5 hours later I was starving.. and really wanting a thanksgiving meal.. and well.. we didn't have any leftovers! We had a great time with aunts and uncles , cousins and little ones.(mine). I LOVE the fact that my grandma gets to interact with my kids. She LOVEs them soo much. Beckham even took his nap in a bassinet that all her kids slept in. So its about 63 years old! she cleaned it up, and got a new Carter's blue blanket for it. She was so happy to have Beck (try) to sleep in it . I took pics, b/c I am so going to scrap this.

(and so I plan on creating our own turkey day meal with all the fixings this weekend). I can't Wait!!

I had a busy weekend of photo sessions. We are not big Black Friday shoppers.. ( I really like my sleep) and so after we met my college room mate and her family for lunch at our downtown candy store.. we headed to Target. I was so surprised but at 2pm, it was not busy, at all. We did stop by a few other stores in town, and had the same experience.. easy to find parking spots.. no lines in the stores... it was so great since we were at the kids' nap times.

It was so fun to see my friend Stephanie and her family. Since she moved to OH, we have not seen each other in about 2 years! The kids all got along great and had so much fun(with the added sugar we dumped into them)laughing and playing.

So I am also in the home stretch of the big Christmas party for my church that I have been heading up.. lots of final details to complete, but it is this Sunday and I know it is going to be tons of fun, and we will bless these kids sooo much!

I have also been busy editing, and filling orders. Totally thought I was done.. (in fact I had publicly announced that I was done) just b/c I knew December was going to busy, and I didn't want to miss out on things with my family.

however, I got 3 calls yesterday and one today for last minute sessions before Christmas. So , what do you think I am doing?

trying to figure out how I can plan sessions around the activities we already have on the calendar.

I may be crazy.. but actually I thrive with a busy schedule. I really feel like I am at my best when I am running around with my head cut off.. (for a while...)

(and then I crash and burn).. but that will be in January.. lol

We got the holiday decor up and we'll go out and get the tree this weekend. I have my lists made of what we want for each of the kids and (for myself) and Andrew.. the grandparents are always hard.... I am hoping that we'll have a date night this Friday and be able to get a lot of our shopping finished.(and of course a peppermint mocha will be a must)

my santa baby... he's bringing sexy back, don't ya think?

(somebody is ready for his first Christmas)... he has no idea what we are going to do to him...lol

So as we enter into the greatest month of them all... I am hoping that in the midst of all the hussle and bussle, that we can find time to do some of these things. I love keeping with traditions.. and some of these are. And I love making new traditions and I hope that we are able to.

Leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite tradition is with your family at Christmas time.. and if you need to, you can totally steal something from this list =)

1. Make a holiday craft


2. Watch Elf


3. Assemble/address holiday cards with music and cocoa


4. Wrap gifts by the tree


5. Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas


6. Have lunch with Santa


7. Bake/decorate cookies


8. Make pinecone elves


9. Take a drive and look at holiday lights


10. Donate toys to a family in need


11. Cut out paper snowflakes


12. Go ice skating


13. Deliver baked goods to friends


14. Make breakfast for dinner and eat in our pajamas


15. Take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage


16. Write down the 10 best memories from the past year


17. Attend a holiday concert


18. Take a family photo


19. Watch the snow fall


20. Share your favorite holiday memories with your kids


21. Go sledding


22. Have a candlelit dinner


23. Leave cookies/milk for Santa


24. Enjoy giving as much as receiving