Random Update

Thanksgiving this year was spent with my side of the family at my parents' house. There were 33 of us all squeezed together but it worked out fine. This picture is just a smattering of those in attendance. I didn't get a picture of the table with what I called the stinky boys (those ages 8-18) but you can see there were plenty of us there. Drew was a great helper in my kitchen and practically made the pumpkin rolls by herself.




Grandpa's buttermilk pancakes the morning after Thanksgiving was the feast for my kids. They can't get enough of these and I don't blame them. My kids don't really appreciate all the turkey, potatoes, and pies for some reason. I, on the other hand, love a cold turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce the day after Thanksgiving. YUM!

We waited a week longer than ususal to get our Christmas tree this year. I wasn't sure how Darcy would react to it and I didn't want to battle with her for an extra 7 days. Thankfully she doesn't have much interest in it. She puts her hands behind her back and strolls around the tree, poking her nose in an ornament every once in a while, but she has kept her hands off for the most part. The tree this year is only 8 feet tall, scrawny by our usual standards but still a nice tree.













This is our attempt at a family picture for the Christmas card. As you can see it didn't turn out very well. Kids were out of control, my hormones were out of control, and the camera was out of batteries! This whole process ended in me screaming at everyone and slamming the door to my bedroom, where I hid for a good hour to get myself back together. This being 7+ months pregnant during the holidays is extremely tough. I just wish we could pass them by this year and focus on the impending addition to our family instead. Usually by this time I would have my hospital bag packed, the baby's bed set up, blankets washed and folded, diapers all in a neat little pile, etc. But this time I haven't done any of that. I am afraid January 2nd I will wake up and realize I only have a couple weeks to get my house in order and I know I will be freaking out. Hopefully Paul and the kids can stand living with me for the next 7 weeks!