So much to be thankful for!

And these past few weeks are just the beginning...



We kicked of our holiday celebration the same way we have the past 3 years. As Illsley residents, we are the recipients of a gift given to seven area neighborhoods on the Broadway coridoor, just a few blocks south and west of downtown. While we are not big fans of the local attorney who gives the gift, we accept it graciously anyways and will gladly partake in his annual holiday hulibaloo. LOL!
This year, we hosted the King and Spitler families for pizza, salad, breadsticks and Sara's delicious pumpkin bread and enjoyed dinner and drinks ourselves before heading down to the festivites. (Perhaps this was the first step to my gaining 4 lbs in the last 2 weeks.) Then, we bundled up the kids- all 6 of them ranging in age from 4 to 4 months- and headed down to the lighting on foot. There was live music, a Santa and Mrs. Clause, a live reindeer, and of course, the holiday train. We walked the kids in their strollers and as we were coming up on the gathering, we heard the countdown and watched them turn on the tree. It was perfect timing with perfect company on a perfect night!







We had a wonderful day at the Roberts' family Thanksgiving. Can you say stuffed? OMG- the food. In true Roberts-style, we had a smorgusboard of variety, and the desserts were amazing, including my brother Collin's birthday cake! The kids had a great time and loved loving all the attention, not to mention several hours of playing with Aunt Tori and Uncle Collin!








After 5 days of boxes in and out of the attic and basement, we finally have the house decorated and ready for Christmas. Kevin and I love - fake trees and all- decorating for the holidays. It's amazing how much holiday stuff we have accumulated in our 7 years of marriage. We've got snowflakes, wreaths, garland, lights, two trees, and now stuff in the kids room, not to mention all the accessories that are put out- the problem is just having enough space to store it all. I am embarrassed to say- I swear we need a storage unit, but that's a topic for another time. Another fun thing has been our elf, from the Elf on a Shelf book. Parents with young kids- you must have one- it's been such a fun thing to do and a tradition our family will enjoy for years! We named him Edward and he's been a very effective - um - behavior encouragement tool. I have to get better at hiding him, though- Preston usually finds him within about 30 seconds. :)


This has proven to be another busy weekend as we are loading up the kids and headed downtown tonight for dinner and then to see the giant santa, wreath, and tree. Tomorrow, it's up to Elcona for Brunch with Santa himself- more pics to come!