Turkey Day

I love this day.

I love turkey and family and stores being closed and movies and pie and taking a nap on the couch.

I love that although we’ve pretty much forgotten the humble origin of the holiday, we’ve managed to keep the spirit of gratitude and sharing and realizing just how blessed we are, alive.

For whatever reason though, the Thanksgiving Day nostalgia hit me pretty hard this year. And while I love where I’m at and who I am with, I can’t help remembering the old days.

So, for all my extended family out there, I hope today you have a platter full of olives, a few too many pies on your table, more than one type of sweet potatoes, a never ending pitcher of sweet tea, and a game of scrabble to enjoy when the food is gone and the dishes are clean.

And maybe one day, we can all enjoy a Thanksgiving brisket together again.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Love you and miss you- Jeannie- Squirt- Mean Jean.

Bursting at the Seams

This weekend my father in law cut a giant hole in the side of his house. A broken window needed replacing and he decided to install a considerably larger one, hence the need to actually remove a section of the interior and exterior wall.

The event convinced me of three things: 1- I never want to replace my own windows, 2- the men in my husband’s family are capable of pretty much anything, and 3- I love big families.

Three children may not have been considered a big family fifty years ago, but today I think it lands on the higher side of average. I seriously (unless God has a wicked sense of humor) doubt that Matt and I will have three or more children (even two is still up for debate) but this weekend reminded me why I love the idea so much.

As Matt and his brothers came home for their dad’s birthday and the unknown window installation project, I imagined what it must be like to have children coming and going all the time. It’s not the free physical labor (which is nice) as much as the full house and the conversations that are so appealing to me. It’s the idea of having everyone gathered around a dinner table and not having enough beds to accommodate them all.

It’s about watching so many different people walk through the door (or hold up a window) and instead of seeing individuals, having a family appear before your eyes.

Together Again

The four kiddos were finally reunited this morning. Abby absolutely loved seeing her cousins and hasn’t stopped talking about them since. She wasn’t happy about leaving them today as she still doesn’t believe that they live in Dallas instead of Oregon. I don’t blame her, I barely believe the news myself!

Here’s what they looked like the last time they were in the same room (March 2008):

And today (August 2009):

They are all simply bigger and more beautiful than they were a year and a half ago.

I’m pretty certain the four of them will gang up on us soon. But it’ll be worth it.

The Graduate

I went to Oregon for a very specific reason- to watch my brother graduate from law school.

It’s no secret that I look up to Dean. I’m an almost 30 year old wife and mother and I’m still in awe of my big brother. When I was little I thought he could do anything… and 36 years later he still hasn’t proven me wrong.

He and Amanda are one of the most perfectly matched couples I’ve met. I love watching them together.

Other than seeing Dean walk the stage, I spent a lot of my time snuggling with the little ones that I hadn’t seen in a year. I can not wait to see Abby play with these three- they all have such unique, fun personalities. And I’m pretty certain we only have about 6 years before Georgia, Abby, and Autumn join together and give us all a run for our money!

Ashe ran a jog-a-thon while I was there. Basically, he ran 4.25 miles in 1 hour. That’s pretty dang far for an almost 3rd grader!

This is his “I’m a serious runner” face:

And this is his “Why am I the only one still running?” look:

And this is his “I’m just as serious when on a scooter” face:

Georgia, being a 5 year old girl, is much less serious.

Gum seems to be an easy way to make her happy.

And Baby Autumn is not much of a baby these days.

Her curls are completely natural and I’m jealous.

I love watching my brother and his girls. Especially when they all manage to look so serious. (And that’s the rear end of Autumn’s toy rat on Dean’s shoulder.)