Thanksgiving

Like every year, we had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Life hasn't gone exactly how we'd expected it to, but God keeps reminding us how blessed we are. One of our biggest blessings is our family. I was reminded of this on Thanksgiving as we gathered with the Fox clan.

We had a great time playing with the kids, catching up with each other and eating WAY too much. Once the feast was over, we relaxed at Greg and Stacie's. The guys watched football and us girls looked over the Black Friday deals. I had never gone Black Friday shopping before, so I asked the Fox girls to go with me. Our husbands weren't too excited about that plan from the get-go, and their disapproval worsened with the weather. It rained steadily that evening and the dropping temps would make the roads icy by morning. But we were stubborn, and insisted on getting a least a little shopping in before things got bad.

So, that evening, we headed to Wichita despite the trickling rain. We were going to start the night out at Toys 'R' Us, but there was a LONG line outside. The rain had picked up and the last thing we wanted to do was be out in it, so we changed directions and headed for the mall. Not much was open yet, except JCPenny, so that's where we went. We were there for much longer than we expected, and we found some great deals! We stopped for a bite to eat after that and then continued to several other stores. When it was time for us to leave, our arms were full of stuff. That made getting to the car in the POURING rain an adventure! We gave Toys 'R' Us another shot and got even more stuff there. It was so much fun shopping for the kids. After we checked out, half of us decided to call it quits so we could get home before the roads got icy.

It really was a fun night. We haven't been able to do anything like that in a really long time. We all appreciated getting to spend time together, even if our clothes were soaked by the end of the night. The holidays can be stressful with large families. It's hard to coordinate schedules and keep everyone happy, but it's so nice when everything works out and you can just enjoy the time you have with one another. Shopping may not become our Thanksgiving tradition, but it certainly is a fun memory to look back on.

Even though the weather turned crummy on Thanksgiving, it had been a nice week leading up to it. It was so nice, in fact, that Kyle agreed to put the Christmas lights up. We usually never do that before Thanksgiving.

Oliver was bummed that he couldn't be on the roof with us, so he sat in his chair and whined up at us.

Stacie sent us this picture the night before. Miss Ella looks like quite the sous chef!

Kyle was not on board with our Thanksgiving Day family selfie. What a stick in the mud! 

We were among the first to arrive, so we got some extra time with Ella and Henry. Kyle just loves wrestling around with them. 

Sweet girl!

Ella and Oliver have a special bond. She LOVES watching him and is always eager to pet him whenever he finally calms down. 

Mother and daughter

The guys played a few video games, just like old times. 

And the little boys entertained themselves in the play room like they always do. With trucks!

Uncle Brad and Ella got in on the fun, too. 

Kyle had to work the next day, so he left early.  Much to our disappointment.

But Aunt Tasha seems to be Henry's favorite these days, so he wasn't crushed. I believe they are watching monster truck videos here. Henry kept telling us how excited he was to see monster trucks after Christmas. 

Henry isn't the only one who loves Aunt Tasha. Ella wants to be just like her! 

Nana got some snuggles in with Ella. 

While Henry wore Papa out. 

The hungry shoppers. 

We finished out Thanksgiving weekend by going to the OSU vs. OU game. It wasn't as freezing as we thought it would be, but it was another disappointment for the Cowboys. Oh well, there's always next year!