Thanksgiving 2014

This thanksgiving, we made the long drive to Ohio to spend the holiday with Ed’s extended family in the Columbus area.  We hadn’t seen then in 2.5 to 4 years, so this trip was long overdue (they hadn’t even met Emerson before and she just turned 2!).  The week was really eventful, to say the least, and I think it would take 5 blog posts to cover it all, but here were a few highlights:

1.  A day full of laughs (and some crying) – On our first day there, one of their dogs managed to have diarrhea all over the rug before we had even woken up, the other dog vomited in their basement, a gust of wind blew their trampoline across their lawn, a neighboring field, and over a barb-wire fence before we realized it and were able to tie it down to stop it, and Emerson cut herself on their girl’s razor to the point it took it a day to stop bleeding.  Yes, that was just the first day.

2.  It snowed!  It didn’t snow enough that the girls could play in it or that we could ride the snowmobile, but it snowed regardless and since leaving Kentucky and transplanting back to North Carolina, that excites us.

3.  We visited the Columbus Zoo at night and got to see everything lit up.  It was absolutely gorgeous (and cold!).  We picked the night before Thanksgiving to go, and the place was nearly empty which gave us a chance to take our time, see some animals, ride the train (probably one of the girls’ favorite things of the night), and really enjoy it.  Really, really fun!

4.  Black Friday shopping – Yes, if you know me, you know that this would make the highlights. We had Thanksgiving dinner late Thursday evening, so we went out to a few stores after we were done.  Then, we took a break for the night, and got up really early the next morning to hit it again.  I got some amazing deals, like a $9 humongous pet bed for Bruno that he adores, a 9 cube storage organizer and fabric bins for Blake’s room for $30, and some great bargains on Christmas presents.  We went to a store I had never heard of before called Menards first thing on Friday morning and since they waited to open until then, it was packed – like beyond packed – like we were sardines and couldn’t move.  I also went into labor trying to carry a storage organizer around to find a cart, but it was so worth it.  And I am in love with that store – amazing deals, organized, and they have everything!  In one day, my Christmas shopping was done – now thats what I call Black Friday shopping!

5.  Visiting family – We love Ed’s extended family and wish we could see them way more often than we do.  Its not common to stay with people for many, many days, spend a lot of time together, and still really enjoy each other at the end.  Ed even got to visit his grandmother, which was a real treat for him.  We got to see the farm his cousins just bought and the girls loved getting the chickens’ eggs and riding the four wheeler (a first for them!).  For this momma who feels like holidays are about families, it made my heart happy.

PS – Check out this sweet Thanksgiving placement Kinsley made me at preschool (and no, my child only gets one sip of my coffee when I have some, but apparently, she thinks its a big deal)!

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