a prescottonian thanksgiving

Oh man I love the holidays.  Every year, my heart just feels a little happier during the holiday season.  And this year has been no different. [Except that this year, I didn't have to study my butt off right after Thanksgiving dinner was done, and that was high on my list of things to be thankful for.]

Last year, for the first time in my whole life, I spent Thanksgiving away from my family.  Except that I didn't really.  I just spent it with some new family.  Approximately forty new family members, as a matter of fact.  Thanksgiving with the Devey family was definitely something I was not used to, but it was incredible!  The amount of food in the kitchen probably could have fed a small army.  [And it did!]

This year, Tim and I drove up to Prescott to spend Thanksgiving with my side of the family.  It was a smaller group, to be sure, but oh, how I loved seeing my family.  I don't think I've laughed that hard in a while.  My brothers and dad kept telling me how fat I'm getting, and my mom told me that if I kept gaining weight like this, I might end up in the hospital in a few months.  I would just laugh and roll my eyes, secretly pleased that my family loves to tease me that much.

And this year, my friends, was the year I truly became a grown-up where Thanksgiving is concerned.  I finally contributed to the feast!  I made candied yams, cheesy potatoes, and stuffing.  And they turned out pretty dang good!  [Even if I do say so myself.]  Of course, I may have had to call my grandma to ask her advice more than once, and I may have also made my mom tell me incessantly that I was doing everything right.  But hopefully that just means that next year will be that much easier. :)

And, of course, my mom my the table look cute, as always:

And my little brother decided that Thanksgiving was to be no exception where his odd picture-faces are concerned:

[He is actually really cute when he wants to be, I promise.]

And my parents looked lovely, as always:

My only wish is that I had enough leftovers to last us the next two weeks.  Or two months.  I'm not picky.

On Friday, everyone but my mom all piled in the car to go on a hike by Granite Mountain.  It was perfect weather, and it was so fun, but let me tell you - hiking is getting harder every time I go these days.  I feel like I'm carrying 13 extra pounds, or something.  Sheesh.

Tim decided he'd had enough holiday fun and woke up with tonsillitis on Saturday morning.  He then decided he'd rather spend two hours in Urgent Care to get some antibiotics than make the daily soda run to Circle K with my family.  Such a spoil sport, I tell ya.  [And he wouldn't even let me come to Urgent Care with him!  Some lame excuse about pregnant ladies and sickness...]

All sarcasm aside, I am so grateful for a husband who is so considerate of me, even when he feels terrible.  And I am grateful for him for a million other reasons, too.  He's pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to me.

My Thankful List is actually about a mile long [at the very top of which is our unborn baby girl], but I won't bore you with all of it.  Just know that I spent a lot of time being grateful this last week.

And now I can't wait to put up all of our Christmas decorations!