Wow, y’all. I feel like I’m coming back from a bizarre leave of absence that feels both oddly unsettling and invigorating. Though I’m a tried and true lover of routine, it felt really great to breakaway for 10 days and spend so much time with family. The trip was exciting (Hailey may sleep for a week) and I’m spending today settling back in, restocking the fridge and attempting to accomplish my mile long to do list (that does not include taking advantage of cyber Monday deals, though let’s be honest here…). Luckily my littlest helped me get a jump start on the day with a 4:45am wake up.
However, I wanted to stop by and share some snapshots of where I’ve been…
Georgia, Georgia… the whole day the whole day through…
who I’ve been hanging with
and what I’ve been eating (naturally).
I truly love Thanksgiving at my Nannie’s house. The people, the food, the tradition, which always includes a hayride at the Christmas tree farm.
and saying hello to old friends.
Koda was especially taken with the donkey.
Friday afternoon we packed up from my mom and dad’s place to head into Atlanta, where we got to spend the weekend with David’s bro and his family.
Mema hooked the cousins up with matching outfits and I’m fairly certain it doesn’t get much cuter!
We watched a lot of football and I can confirm that losing a nail biter with a house full of Georgia Tech fans isn’t the most fun way to spend an afternoon. I’m kidding- the game was actually one of the most exciting I’ve seen in forever, but the loss was painful. And I know you aren’t here for football commentary but I just have to throw it out there that I am NOT on the ‘fire Richt’ bandwagon. Love my dawgs.
Ok, back to other sorts of roughhousing…
and just because it’s so true to her character…
a picture of Hailey following David around and brushing all the grass off his shirt. “You clean now daddy.”
Not to be outdone by her big sister, here’s a peek into Kaitlyn’s everyday existence of being carried around like a sack of potatoes.
#secondchildproblems
We left Sunday morning and took a pit stop for lunch in South Carolina to check out Mema and Grandpa’s house building progress, then spent the rest of the trip weaving through country back roads to escape the terrible traffic on i85. It worked great, but after a crying baby, hours of listening to the hot dog song and ending with this little cherry on top…
PSA: yes, you really should keep those little license plate stickers up to date…
I was overwhelmed with joy when we pulled into out driveway around 6pm.
Though tired and hungry, the spirit of the Christmas season did not escape us.
If you look closely, you’ll see our little friend from the North Pole beat us home and had already got to work on decorating.
Hailey about lost it with excitement, shouting ELLLLFFFFFF as she jumped up and down.
And with that, let the holiday season officially commence!
Did you do anything holiday-ish over the weekend?
Know of any great cyber Monday deals? Please share them!
Joanna @Makingmine says
That cousin picture is too cute! Hope you have a great day getting settled back in – stocking the fridge is always a major task 🙂
John J. Stathas says
Great pics and commentary about your “non routine” time away. So glad that some of that time was spent with us bringing your usual good cheer and awesome kids! And David, too!
Liv @ Healthy Liv says
We started decorating for Christmas!! Woohoo! I haven’t started looking for Cyber Monday deals yet, but I did get an email from Adidas about their big discount using the code “cyber.” $15 off if you spend $75, $20 off if you spend $100, etc. I’m ordering a new pair of running shoes!
Christina says
Great pictures – thanks for sharing some of your Thanksgiving with us! I did some cleaning and organizing this weekend, and found $100 (!!!) in unused gift cards from Ann Taylor Loft, so I plan to do some shopping at their 50% off Cyber Monday sale!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Great pics! We spent Thanksgiving in Destin, FL with my family. I know how it feels to be in a house with rivalry team members. My crazy uncle taught my son to say “roll tide” behind my back (we are AUBURN fans). Poor confused baby! We had to set him straight.
Heather says
Looks like so much fun! Aside from Christmas decorating, we were trapped in the house this weekend as we were potty training our toddler. A few accidents (mostly while sleeping), but I’m feeling pretty good about it and looking into some cyber Monday deals as well. I always hit up Amazon first…
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
I had a good little chuckle when I saw that photo of Hailey dusting the grass off of your husband’s shirt and Kaitlyn being “held like a sack of potatoes”. Too funny! So glad you guys had a great Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends! I was definitely out of my usual routine the last several days too, and while it felt good and was necessary, I feel you when you say it feels both unsettling and invigorating. Lastly, what a cute idea to kick things off with your Elf on the Shelf! We have one, but I won’t start it until next year with Hunter. It seems like so much fun!
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
Isn’t that a great feeling to unplug from the regular routine now and again? I think that is one of the top reasons I love the holidays. Everyone stopping what they’re doing and coming together for what life is really about. I’m trying to avoid the Cyber Monday sales, so I don’t have any tips!
Lauren says
Modcloth.com is 25% off if you use the code CYBERMONDAY! I just scored four more Christmas gifts!
Danica @ It's Progression says
We went to Napa Valley over the weekend, which was especially fun because the whole town of Napa and the winery we visited were completely decked out with Christmas trees, decor, and lights 🙂
Glad you had a great time with family!
Alex @ get big, go to work says
Looks like a fantastic 10 days filled with a lot of family time, smiles and laughs. No Christmas decorating here this weekend. We also had a long drive yesterday but luckily our license plate stickers are updated! You are a saint for making that drive! I can’t wait to start decorating for the holidays in the coming days.
Matt says
Glad you had a great Thanksgiving!
Sherry says
Loved seeing the pictures! The kids look so darn cute in their matching outfits. And I loved hearing Hailey’s reaction when she saw the elf. Too bad you had the blue bubble thrown in there but it does make for a good story! So much fun having y’all around!
Jen says
Loved the sack of potatoes photo! Sounds like a great trip!