thanksgiving and other merry making

Our Thanksgiving holiday always involves time with my dad and siblings. For the past four or five years, they have traveled to be with us at our place and we share a huge feast, play games, visit some sort of local spot of interest like the City Museum, Magic House, Powder Valley, or a local park depending on the weather. This year, we mainly focused on spending time together at the house or at the hotel where Dad, Cimi and the kids stayed. Simon and Ella stuck very close to my little sister Keely who is nearly 11. She entertains them and makes life extremely fun for the few days they are here. Every year, I feel like our time together gets more enjoyable and it's always sad when they all go back home.

This year we embarked on a new undertaking that I secretly hope will become a tradition. I had an itch to hang Christmas lights (which I have only done once and I believe it was during some serious nesting impulses). My older brother Josh seemed very receptive to the idea of helping me. One encouraging word was all I needed to move forward! He worked very hard to hang the lights and climbed all over the porch like a lemur (descriptive comparison drawn by Bryan.) Once Dad and my stepmom, Cimi arrived with the kids, they helped out by running to Big Lots for an extra extension cord. They were so excited to contribute to the merriment, they returned with a couple of lawn ornaments. I have never owned a lawn ornament before. The decorating began to take on a life of it's own, but I have to say, I am drawn into the cheer of it all! I'm very excited to drive up to our house and see the lights glimmering in the dark from down the street.

Let the holiday merriment ensue!