The Whites: Thanksgiving Weekend

Whew! This was a looong, productive, and relaxing weekend for me!

I have been off work since Wednesday, and have gotten to spend 5 days with the kids. My biggest concern going into this long weekend was that I would spend the entire time reprimanding them (sounds much better than yelling 'til I'm hoarse). The weekend ended up being good; I definitely did my share of "reprimanding." The favorite activity seemed to be running laps around our first floor, Ben pursuing Lauren, in a high speed chase over toys, food, blankets, etc. After many reminders, falls, "time-outs," and swats on the butt...the kids are still running laps around the house. Ahhh, children. One humbling experience after another!

For the last seven years (except the year I gave birth to Lauren), Mark and I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house. It begins with prep night on Wednesday night. My parents and sister come over to help prepare the turkey, peel & cut potatoes, set up tables & chairs, etc. We listen to Christmas music and spend some time catching up with each other. It's one of my favorite things about having Thanksgiving dinner at my house! Unfortunately, Heather couldn't make it this year, but we still had a good time.

The first year we hosted Thanksgiving dinner, we had 24 people; this year we had 17. Although we couldn't play our traditional flag football game due to the weather, we had a great time eating, laughing, and being thankful for all the blessings in our lives. We know that every blessing we have is a gift from God, and for this we give thanks!

The "Old Folks" Table - LOL!

The Haggard Parents Table (notice all the wine?)

The Kids Table

Once the Thanksgiving festivities were over, it was time to get the house decorated for Christmas! The kids were really excited for it this year, which makes it even more fun. I put up the decorations on Friday night and the tree went up on Saturday.

Mooky was a big help, as usual

Best toy in the world-empty box!

hanging the ornaments

All finished!

After being home for 4 days and nights, the kids were going stir-crazy! We decided to go to Sharon Woods Holiday in Lights to let them play, see Santa Claus, and see some Christmas lights. It turned out to be a great idea!