Tree Triming 2013

 I don't know about you, but trimming the tree is one of my favorite things to do for the Holidays!   Mark actually tells me it is not called trimming the tree if it is artificial, but decorating it.  However, I find something so rustic about saying "trimming" so that is what we're gonna say.  Seriously though, there is something so magical about cranking up some Christmas music and reminiscing over ornaments you haven't seen in a year.  I love the family togetherness and I can't wait to see how it evolves as our kids grow older. I hope to make this one of the most special memories of home they have.  Until then, back to the present day.  Reid has really enjoyed Christmas this year, and though he is still working on grasping the big concept, all of the fun things are great.

Here are a few iPhone pictures snapped.  We were on our way to head to a family pre-thanksgiving meal this day.  Though we are normally die hard "no tree up until after Thanksgiving" people, we knew we would be gone from Thursday to Sunday to celebrate in Tyler, so up it went.

Seriously couldn't you just eat him up?

This is one of my favorite ornaments.  It was my great great grandmothers.  Her arms are tucked behind her back btw.

Proof that the parents actually do exist!

Sweet Owen on his first tree trimming!

My heart is full

I love this sweet boy!

Reid got the job of putting the star on the top! 

Too. Much. Cuteness!

Here you get an instagram video of Reid singing Frosty the Snowman!  Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2013 and our Blessing Tree

Thanksgiving is quite possibly my very favorite holiday.  You get the togetherness of family, the good food, the awesome desserts, all without the stress of gift giving!  I love being able to see family and spend quality time with the people I love.  The further along I get into mine and Mark's marriage the more I feel his family is now mine as well.  This year (number 5) it really felt no different being at his house than it would if I were at my own.  For this I am truly grateful.  I don't know if it is the maturity that came with being older now, or what, but I am just glad it happened.

Several things happened over the Thanksgiving holiday, one being we were able to see Blake, Mark's twin, and his new wife Whitney for the first time since their wedding! It was so good to see them as a newly wed couple and just catch up with life and how everything was going.  Of course we were also able to see the other couples as well, and we talked about how awesome it was a that everyone was married finally!  I was also able to get a new phone with Black Friday deals, a Samasung Galaxy S4, for FREE!  I was a little pumped.  Being an apple girl, I was nervous about the switch, but I absolutely love the android operating system.  It took some getting used to, but we are rocking and rolling now.  After I got mine on Friday at midnight, 2 of  my sisters-in-law went to get the same deal!  You just can't beat it!  All of the pictures I took from that weekend are taken with my galaxy, so bear with me.

My two guys sitting down to Thanksgiving lunch!

A full table!  Finally!

These plates are what my MIL asks for for Christmas! They are beautiful!

Playing with Daddy and Uncle Blake 

While the girls clean up dinner!

Owen loves his Aunt "Whit".  I got him chilling out with her more times than one!

We were able to help my MIL put up her Christmas tree!

She also sewed me a tree skirt to match the stockings she made for me!

Isn't it beautiful!

In line with my sisters at best buy waiting to get a phone!

Every year at Thanksgiving Mark's high school friends get together to play games!  It is a great time had by all!

Lastly his next picture, I have to say this was one of my favorite things to do in November.  I had the idea to make a "Blessing Tree" and put our blessings on leaves every night at bible time!  It was the neatest thing to watch our leaves fill out the tree as we went on.  I wrote down everyone's blessings they thought of this year, and planning on doing this every year!