Thanksgiving, Christmas Trees and Black Friday - Yes, I said Black Friday!

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving?  We did!  Cam cooked our Yummy Turkey, and I made the rest.  Since it's just 4 of us we don't make a lot.  One of our favorite dishes to make is a sweet potato and stuffing casserole-ish dish.  We make it often, but not often enough we can't have it on Thanksgiving too!  Then just some other basics that you can't have Thanksgiving without - green bean casserole, cresent rolls, and apple pie!  MMM, MMM!!  I also got a Pumpkin Cheesecake from my friend Emily.  She make some for the MOPS bake sale and then took orders for Thanksgiving as an additional fundraiser.  Apparently it was a big hit, she had 20 cheesecakes to make for Thanksgiving this year!!!  Anyways, here's some pictures from Jayce's First Thanksgiving!!

We also went to cut down our Christmas Tree.  We went to Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch to do it this year.  Let's just say it's nice to have an alternative to the limited dates of the Forest Service . . . but I think they will our first choice.  Beaver Meadows was just lacking in tree selection.  It's been picked over pretty clean, and it's a small cutting area, so it didn't take long to grab one and go!  I will say that's a plus though.  I think we had the thing picked out, dragged back and on top the car in a little over an hour!  That may be a record!  It's also the smallest one we have ever chosen!  We were going for a smaller tree this year.  With Jayce walking now and grabby hands all over the place, we thought it best to stick with around 8-10 ft tall.  I think we got one a little over 8 feet.  It's perfect though!  Nice and full and round.  I love it!  And so does Riley!  After we got it put up and decorated he kept saying "I love my new Christmas Tree!"  (of course everything is "new" now - "I love my new pillow pet" (that he got last year for Christmas), "I love my new bed" (after I change and wash his sheets), I love my new Fill In The Blank!")  Although it was hilarious the next morning when I came downstairs and he looked at me with the most pitiful face and said in the saddest voice "There's no presents under the tree!"  It was so hard not to laugh while trying to explain to him that it's not Christmas YET.  Guess I should have started the Advent Calendar before putting up the Christmas Tree!!

Oh yeah, one more thing I wanted to tell you about.  I love my boys.  I want them to have the best Christmas, but I also want to save some money.  So...I did it.  I went out Black Friday Shopping.  AND I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN!!!  I worked retail for 5 years and HATED working black friday. So I swore I would never go out and be one of those psychos on the other side of the counter!  Well, like I said, I love my boys . . . so much that I caved . . . and went out.  Not only that, but I went to TOYS R US!!!  I have to be NUTS!!  They opened at 9 pm Thursday night.  So I put the boys in bed and headed out.  Got there a little before 9 and walked to the store to find a line at the entrance.  Expected.  So I went searching for the end of the line.  And I walked, and walked, and walked, and walked.  The line went all the way to Target (four stores over) and then crossed into the parking lot, went all the way to the back of the lot and then turned back west towards the Toys R Us!  It was NUTS!  So I waited.  This part wasn't so bad.  It was a little after 9:30 when I made it in the store.  Not too shabby.  (I was expecting that part)  So I went searching for the things on my list (1 in particular) which they didn't have.  Dag-nab-it!!  So I FINALLY found the other items I had scouted out and got in line to pay (at the back of the store).  It is now 10:00.  And I waited, and waited and waited and waited.  And then . . . waited some more!!  It was about 10 minutes to MIDNIGHT before I finally made it to the front of the line!!  It was Ridiculous!! (thankfully I had my trusty Twilight Books app on my phone to keep me entertained!!)  So all that waiting in line, to save $40 and change on toys (since I didn't get the big item I was shooting for).  Oh well.  Like I said, I love my boys.  I just hope they love me too!!!  ;)

Cameron scored big though.  My Christmas present this year (and probably fir the next 5 years) is a new camera!!  And with our trip coming up he gave it to me early!!!  I'm so excited to play with it on the plane!  I got a new camera, 2 lenses, and a polarized filter (so that the sun, sand, and water in Hawaii doesn't glare too much in the photos!!)   Thanks Cam!  I love you!  I promise to take beautiful pictures for you!

Speaking of pictures . . . we got some taken of the boys last week.  Some of Jayce for his birthday, and some Christmas ones of the boys in their matching Christmas sweaters.  The lady was really sweet, and she took a LOT of shots.  You can see all that she took HERE.  You can even order them right off the website . . . sorry we aren't sending any out of these - our deal on the photoshoot doesn't include enough copies.  So enjoy looking at them, oh yeah, the password is Nov232011.

Well, that's all for now!  G & G Louie get here this week, and then Cam and I are off to HAWAII!!  So my next update will be about that trip when we get back.  Also coming up, Jayce's Birthday!!!  Look for lots more to come!!