It's Officially Christmas Season...

It is officailly that time of year. The Christmas season. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Belle watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which will clearly and easily remain a tradition with her. She had a cinnamon bun for breakfast. And had a ball playing at grandma and grandpa's house with my cousins. We had great food and house full of love and laughter. It's never quiet when were all together.

Banks are open today so I am working. But I plan on spending the evening cleaning the house so on Saturday before The Hubs has to go to work I can pull up all the Christmas decorations and get decorating. I am hoping to get the outside done too. It should have been done last weekend when it was nice out but we were sick.

And if I can be a proud mommy for a minute. Tuesday morning Belle took her first steps and she is continuing to do great. She is working on it and toddles around the living room. It is so cute to watch her and I am so proud of her!

And some pictures from our Thanksgiving,

Belle eating breakfast.

Belle watching the parade. My living room isn't really a disaster. Just all of Belle's toys in one area, and the swing needs to come down.

Belle already to go.

Gobble Gobble

My brother and cousin.

The table.

Belle playing with her new booster seat. Her new favorite toy.

My cousin with her Turkey cookie.

My cousin again with whip cream all over.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Let the Christmas festivities begin! We have our first Christmas party next weekend!

Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving was the same every year when I was growing up. We would wake up in the morning to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Rockettes were a big deal to me (still are). The morning was pretty boring. After the parade we did our own thing and slowly got ready to head over to my grandparents house for dinner.

My two Uncles and aunts and my cousins were all there. Including my family and my grandparents. My grandmother would forget and burn the rolls every year. After dinner the adults played cards and the kids started on their Christmas lists. My grandmother would pull out all the toy catalogs and we would pick everything out of the catalogs and put it on our lists. Santa always made a pit stop at Grandma and Grandpa's house and was always very very generous.

A couple years after my grandmother passed away my parents started having Thanksgiving at their house. Thanksgiving has been at my parents house every year since. The Hubs and I never tried to form our own traditions for Thanksgiving. He just kinda feel into my families. We get up every year to watch the parade and head over to my parents house for dinner. My aunt and uncles and cousins all still come over. While we may not make our huge Christmas lists anymore and my youngest cousins were to young to remember the catalog Christmas lists my immediate family still makes our lists that night.

This year I am helping my mom again and making some of the casseroles and pies. We will all squeeze into my parents kitchen and eat good food. We will all talk over each other and my parents house will be filled with loud voices (were Greek) and laughter. But definitely we will all be feeling something a little different this year and all be thankful a little more this year.

I truly hope that our tradition continues through out the years and Belle has the same memories of Thanksgiving that I have.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Enjoy this day with your family and friends....and good food!

Belle's first Thanksgiving 2009

Wordless Wednesday Thanksgiving Edition!

What I am Thankful For...

I can not tell you how many times I have written and deleted this post. I just can not find the words to say. Trust me I have plenty to be thankful for this year but this has been a difficult post to write.

I am thankful for the most amazing husband in the world. My rock, my other half, my soulmate. I can not imagine going through life with out him. I am thankful for him and everything that he is.

I am thankful for my daughter. The most beautiful little girl in the world. For eveything that she has taught me in a year. I am blessed that she chose me to be her mommy. She is my whole world.

And here is where I lose all my words. I am thankful for my family. I just have no words, I am thankful but also at a complete loss of words. Just a few weeks ago my family found out that my father is out of options. There are no longer any treatments left for him to try. The cancer has won and it pains and kills me to say that. I wanted nothing more then for him to beat this. I am thankful for my father. He is the strongest man I know. I am thankful for the time that he has with Belle. I am so so thankful that he was able to watch her for 7 months when I went back to work. I know he will never forget the time he had with her. I am thankful for all the memories that I have and will have with my father.

And one more tiny little thankful, for our wedding photographers that at basically last minute said that they can do family portaits for us. All of us. My small family, my parents, and my brother and nephew. I am so so thankful to have this opportunity and memories.

What are you thankful for this year?



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Wordless Wednesday - Belle's Turkey!