Thanksgiving before Christmas, right?

I didn't post on our Thanksgiving, and I thought I might do that before I post on Christmas (in the very near future).

We had some very special friends over that day, and it was just a sweet time to reflect on all that we're thankful for. Our table was and generally is full of way too much good food. We have family and friends that we love dearly, heat in our home, and beautiful sunsets over Pikes Peak. In June, the Lord provided a buyer for our house in a ridiculous market, and we're 100% debt-free and amazingly healthy (the majority of the time!). We were able to do extensive traveling this past summer, from Colorado to Alabama/Florida to New York to Minnesota. Our van just went over 200,000 miles, and it's still going. We have learned to do more with less, and we're enjoying it! We're able to disciple our children at home and work on life and character issues all the time (I don't mean just theirs). God is good.

This little baby is so sweet and adorable. Adam just grabbed hold of Rachel's plate and chomped down on it. It was too cute!

Elise thinks that getting Adam to laugh is the greatest thing! Isn't it funny to watch people with babies?

Daniel (seen here in his pajamas) and the other children took turns running down the hallway, dropping to their knees, and seeing how far they could slide. I think it was Josh or David that went head first into the bedroom door you see at the end there behind Daniel!

We were on a mission! Mandie brought all the newspaper ads for Black Friday, and we went through them in the late evening. As much as I was ready for the shopping, I just couldn't find anything worth heading out for either at midnight or 4:00 AM. Mandie and Jessica wanted to head out at midnight, but anyone who knows me knows that I am completely non-functional at that time. I can do 4:00 AM, but midnight was not an option! We waited till normal morning hours and made trips with the kids to just a couple stores, including Target. It was still fun, but of course the doorbusters were gone. It just wasn't that critical this year.