thanks, so many thanks

yesterday, we spent the holiday with family, which is really the only requirement, as far as holidays go. and true to holiday tradition, we ate until we all slowed waaaaayyy down. and all of the sudden it was five o'clock and we had an hour drive ahead of us. so we bundled up the babe, stuffed the car with all of the toys, high chair, bottles of wine, and left-overs we were sent away with, and tried our hardest to keep our eyes pried open for the drive home. henry and i were both in bed before seven o'clock and we woke up this morning to find that the day of thanks was officially over.

but the thing about thanksgiving is that the warmth of the holiday sort of spills over into the days that follow, the same way the holiday turkey spills from our refrigerator until the final left-over scrap has been licked up. and in the spirit of letting the holiday linger, along with the leftovers, it's fun to share the special things that i am grateful for this year, in case you want to read:

i'm grateful for my husband. a true, ever-present saint, who never fails to amaze me with his patience, love, and dedication. my baby boy, huck, the joy in my days, the reason that i sleep h.a.r.d at night, because being his mama means playing h.a.r.d all day. i'm grateful that joey and i both have stable jobs that provide for our family, that challenge us all day long, and that are just annoying enough to make us r.e.a.l.l.y excited to come home to our family each night ;)  i'm ever grateful for the wonderful women who spend all day caring for and loving h as if he were their own. we couldn't have found a better, more loving place to bring henry each day! i'm grateful for those crazy folks who thought air transportation could be a real thing, because it is and i need it! thank you sioux falls regional airport and all of the airlines that graciously fly us straight home when the need to see our families gets to be too great - only 3 more weeks until our next flight home! i'm grateful for kitchen pans and utensils that keep us busy throughout our black friday at home alone together, without our car - because joey accidentally took the keys to work with him. so instead of spending the day braving the looooong lines and crossing off items on our christmas list, we're making big, glorious messes and giggling at one another as christmas carols chime in the background.

this life is crazy and messy and sometimes it makes me really sad, but it is the greatest blessing in all the world to have this life with my little family in this little place on this earth. i hope your holiday season is filled with twinkling lights, big, hearty laughs, and warm, cozy time together with family.

take it out, henry.