Bleary-eyed but grateful

I feel like Thanksgiving of 2012 will go down in my mind as the one spent in a fog. With a 3-week-old baby, post-pregnancy hormones raging and five children under the age of 6 at my parents house for a week, it was fun but... a little chaotic. After several days of wrangling children my sister and I realized we'd barely had any time to sit and visit with each other. I guess our current stage of life has put the days of slipping off for some sister shopping and lunches out on hold for a little while. Most of our meetings were in the middle of the night when we were both up feeding our babies. Good thing we love these little guys to pieces.

Blake and Connor -- cousins just 9 months apart.

Derek, Lydia, Connor and I actually celebrated the holiday twice. Once on actual Thanksgiving with Derek's family in Pine Valley. Delicious food. Great company. Cozy cabin atmosphere. We really appreciated the invite from his aunt and uncle to join with everyone for turkey dinner.

Then on Friday the Grady clan celebrated Thanksgiving. Once again the food was amazing, and the company was great. 

Lydia had a blast playing with her cousins. She and Dylan, the one closest to her in age, were the best of buds, then crying/fighting enemies, then best buddies again.

My mom was amazing. She'd planned all these little activities for the kids. Making homemade donuts, craft projects, picnics at the park, putting up Christmas lights, making turkey cookies, shoe shopping and more. It exhausted me to watch it all go down. Perhaps I'll have my mother's amazing stamina one day. But probably not while I have a newborn :) 

Lydia loves the monkey bars.

Lydia loved following Kate around. She wants to do everything Kate does.

Yum! Dinner in Pine Valley.

This how Connor spent the Thanksgiving meal in Pine Valley...

... and the meal in Cedar City.

It's so fun to have kid's table

Look closely. With Connor in the background this is as close to a family photo as we have from the holiday.