Thankful

We have had such a wonderful November! We have been blessed beyond belief! This may be kind of a long post, but I have soooo much to share. Soccer season came to a close a few weeks ago. Maggie was asked to play in a tournament though, so we were able to participate in weekend soccer tournament in Conyers!

The girls placed 2nd, but they had a great time. The first day of the tournament, Carter and Jada stayed with Mema and Papa. We had to leave our house at 5:45 am to get there on time and we did not want all the kids to have to get up that early. Carter went hunting with his Papa that morning, and Jada had a girls day out with Mema shopping. I got a text message around 7:30 in the morning on the way to the soccer fields. I knew exactly what it was before I even looked down at my phone. I picked up my phone and looked down. "New Message from Daddy". I was excited and mad all at the same time! I knew Carter had killed a deer. And I knew I wasn't there! I tapped on the message to open it, and got a major surprise.

I was so proud of him! Not many 11 year olds can say they bagged a 10 pointer. I was a little sad and disappointed that I wasn't here to celebrate with him though. And yes, we will be mounting this one...

After the tournament on Sunday, we decided to spend the afternoon in Atlanta. We took the kids to Underground for the first time. They really enjoyed the scenery and the experience! We walked around, explored and ate lunch at one of our favorite Atlanta joints "Johnny Rockets" (there are juke boxes on every table, and the waiters randomly dance to the music, it's like an old 50's style diner).

 The kids are on a year round school schedule, so they are off all week from school. We have had a rather calm and quiet week. We enjoyed hanging out, watching movies and resting. And of course cooking! There has been lots of cooking here! We celebrated Kevin's 34th birthday too! Me and the girls made him a UNC birthday cake and I grilled steak for dinner!

We actually had quite a different Thanksgiving this year. There were so many different things about it this year. This was my first Thanksgiving without my Nana, ever. This was the first Thanksgiving without my Dad's side of the family, ever. This was the first year I helped cook a big portion of the Thanksgiving lunch, ever. As you can see... it was a very unique Thanksgiving this year. It was a year of firsts, and new traditions.  I have never in my 31 years, had a Thanksgiving without my Nana. I have never in 31 years had a Thanksgiving without all my Aunts, Uncles, cousins and Grandmother. It was kind of sad for me this year. I wasn't quite ready to give up the big Thanksgiving with all my family. We had a wonderful time though! We ate lunch with my parents and my sister's family. There was a total of 13 of us. A rather small Thanksgiving (compared to the 40+ I'm used to.) I cooked collard greens, fresh green beans with new potatoes, deviled eggs and cheesecake. We also had sweet potato souffle, homemade mac and  cheese, macaroni salad, apple salad, turkey, dressing, apple pie, pumpkin pie and pound cake! Since this is the only Thanksgiving dinner for us (my parents as well), I am very glad that we had such a variety of food!

Backyard football.

Everyone staring at the turkey, hoping it's done!

Our delicious food!

Thanksgiving night, we always put up our tree. The girls could hardly stand it! They were soo excited! We managed to get everything decorated before Kennedy woke up from her nap. Her eyes lit up when she woke from her nap to see the beautiful tree, full of glowing lights and ornaments! It was the sweetest thing. There is nothing like the excitement in a child's eye at Christmas!

Black Friday came a little earlier this year. It seems to come a little earlier every year. It seems that it had turned into Black Thursday for Walmart! So, I did what any Mom would do, and I arrived at Walmart at 6:45 Thanksgiving night to score the deals. And I did! I got all the things I came for. Maggie went with me this year to help. She was a little scared at first, but really enjoyed our night out.

With all the shopping done, we decided to celebrate Black Friday in our own way... at Callaway Gardens! We spent the day enjoying the warm, sunny weather biking! It was beautiful! The trees were turning and leaves were falling. It's truly one the most beautiful places in Georgia. We biked over 8 miles, and stopped and picnicked along the way. We really enjoyed ourselves and the gorgeous day!

With so much to be thankful for, I feel like my list could go on and on.... but here are my 22 days of thankfulness:
1-The Lord, who made me and sent his Son to die for me, that I might live with Him! This, above all else, is the most important thing to me. For Him, all my blessings flow!
2-My husband. For 12 years, he has been with me through good times and bad. I can't begin to express how much I love him. He is my soul mate. He is the most wonderful provider, father, and friend!
3-Carter. My oldest child. My only son. He was such a surprise! But, he holds such a special place in my heart. I was so young when he was born, I worried whether or not I was a good Mom to him. But, I can tell from what a wonderful young man he is... that we must have done okay.
4-Maggie Grace. My second born. My smart, beautiful, sneaky little mini-me! She is so bright, and so talented! I know she will do amazing things as she gets older!
5-Jada. My sweet little Jada Tada. She is the spitting image, inside and out of my sister! She is the peanut butter to my jelly, the salt to my pepper... she just makes things feel right! She has such a sweet spirit and is so beautiful! She truly makes our family complete!
6-Kennedy. Oh my little Kennedy. How thankful I am for her! She keeps me on my toes, all day long! She has such a determined, strong will! I was so concerned she wouldn't even make it into this world, now I'm scared she won't be here long! She is a daredevil, a fighter, and I love her to pieces!
7- My Sister. She is my best friend. She is my partner. I could never get through this life without her. She is always there when I need her. She picks me up if I'm down, or wallows with me in my sorrow if I would rather her do that! I love her!
8-My Mother. She is always there for me. She loves me no matter what. She is a great friend! She loves, and gives, and she is the best mother in this world!
9-Banana's- The group of women that God put in my life to help me. There are 9 wonderful women I chat with almost EVERY day about EVERY thing! I have no idea how I ever survived without them!
10-My Phone. This sounds a little silly written out, but it keeps me connected. It keeps me in touch. I can be all over the USA from the comfort of my home. I can share my kids, and life with family and friends across the country!
11-Showers. There is nothing I love more than a long, steamy, hot shower!
12-Reality TV. There are no words to describe how much I love reality television!
13-Running. I started running about 7 months ago. It keeps me feeling healthy both mentally and physically. It gives me something to look forward to. It also helps me teach my kids good exercise habits!
14-Cooking. I have only recently began to enjoy cooking. The woman in my family have always loved it, and I am so happy now that I have begin picking it up!
15-Sleep. There is nothing I love more than getting good sleep.
16-The Beach. This is by far my most favorite place in the world! I look forward to retiring there one day!
17-Football. I was never really a huge football fan, but I sure am now. Over the years, my husband and son have suckered me into the wide world of sports... And now I can honestly say I love it!
18-My Dad. I just realized I left him out at the top! He was always such a great role model, and provider. He sacrificed everything for me. I still call on him all the time to help me out. He is always there in heartbeat to help me with my car, or a leaky pipe, or a financial question. I love him so much!
19-The sunshine. Nothing makes me feel happier than laying around all day soaking up the sun!
20-Birthday cake. Not matter how sad or depressed or happy I am, nothing can brighten my day up anymore than a piece of icing covered birthday cake!
21-My nephews. Since they stepped into my life 4 years ago, I have loved, laughed, cried and had my heart melted hundreds of times! They are the most precious, little devious, handsome three stooges and I can not even remember what life was like before them!!
22-Music. It's been said that music can soothe a soul, and I fully believe it. It can lighten my mood, boost my energy, or pull out the tears in my heart. I don't think I could ever live without my music!