turkey day survivors

For a variety of reasons Thanksgiving weekend is a solid mix of crazy for our family.  We go hard all weekend long.  This year I was well prepared for the insanity... and really able to enjoy it all.  I'm so thankful (some years weren't quite as pretty, ahem).

So many highlights and I still haven't downloaded pics from the good camera so this one will be missing a few.  

We loaded up and headed out of town late Wednesday afternoon.  It felt wonderfully holiday-ish to load the car with sleeping bags, children, and food and hit the highway.  I spent many a holiday visiting family and I'm glad to do it with my children.  

This little man is dropping his nap.  It seems plenty early (he's not even 3!!) but it's also no surprise since Luke has always been the child who could survive on remarkably little sleep.  The good news is that his nights are getting longer now that he's not sleeping in the afternoon.  He's also good positive peer pressure for John Paul (who is a big fan of the day time snooze).  Regardless, both of them are car nappers these days.  This pic reminds me of the many HOURS of his life Luke spent screaming in the car seat.  We've come a long way baby :)  

We loved our time Thanksgiving day (pics coming) and headed back late that evening so we could be ready bright and early Friday morning :) 

Saturday had plenty of highlights too.  Matt played in yet another Turkey Bowl football game.  The crowd isn't getting younger but these men play hard and well.  Such fun to do these things with good good friends.  

We are ready to throw in the towel on our annual search for a "real" Christmas tree.  After more than a decade of scavenging tree markets for something green and conical and able to hold ornaments we are ready for a new challenge.  This year we decided to give it one last shot. 

We found plenty of fun, but no appropriate tree, so we are jumping ship.  It's fake trees for us from now on.  (sigh)  

[Please note John Paul's pants in the above picture and be appropriately concerned for my laundry situation.]

And this last one is too fun to not share.  Isaac is living in his UND hockey jersey for the second year in a row.  Lucky him, no one cares if he wears the same thing nearly every day.  And honestly, most of us should probably spend more of life in our favorite shirt.  

I spotted these three from behind and rushed around to snap their picture before the moment passed.  They just happen to perfectly mirror their fathers' football picture from earlier in the day.  

We are slowing down now that it's Sunday afternoon,  Matt will have the day off tomorrow and it'll be Christmas decorating galore :)