Thankful

Tradition.

I crave it every time this year. It's ain't Thanksgiving without certain foods or without starting our day snuggled in our jammies watching the Macy's Day parade. Our king sized bed is running out of room. And I love that our family is so big... means big family events when they're older. Don't worry I think their spouses will think it's too weird if we carry on this tradition after they're out of the house.

I don't know what it is about kids in jammies, but seriously, footed jammies??? Forget about it. I just want to snuggle them to pieces and apparently my boys have inherited this trait from me because they were given some serious lovin' to their sister.

And after a bunch of Landry lovin' we hit the kitchen to make some lovin' from the oven with some sweet potato casserole. Nolan loved helping.

Could Campbell's hair be any more ridiculous? Project growing hair out = disaster. Don't worry, a haircut followed a few days later.

Nolan's art projects from school made from some super cute photography props. I love these blue-eyed boys so much I can't stand it. Thankful doesn't even come close.

Nolan is my poser if you can't tell. I take out a camera and he works that thing like he's a runway model. Campbell? No way, he's either pouting (see above), eating a snack (see above), laughing (see below), or if I want a good shot I have to get a candid shot. Never fails.

I'm curious to see if Landry will have a love/hate relationship with the camera. So far, she's working that camera pretty darn well.

One last shot that happens every year....our family pic in front of our sweet gum tree that normally is the perfect shade of red but not so much this year. Actually this week, it's beautiful...maybe we can fake Thanksgiving and do a do-over.

Next up, we headed to my parents. It wasn't hard to find, we just used our noses and followed the scent. This year we were all in the kitchen lending a hand.

I leave the turkey to the professionals but can help with any side dish. Man, you know you're really a grown up when you have to cook the turkey. Until then, I'll enjoy being a kid and mooching some turkey.

Justin was a natural at carving and I, of course, am a natural at devouring it. My boys seemed to take after me...

My parents know how to set a table. I love everything about Thanksgiving. The food, the love, the traditions but most of all I'm thankful for who's sitting around the table.

These two special ladies mean so much to me. My sister, Tonya, who is battling for her life with Stage 4 breast cancer. It's been another rough year finding out that her cancer has spread to her brain. Chemo, radiation, chemo again, triple steriods, ER visit after ER visit...it's been one hell of a year.

We found out that Tonya's cancer spread just a week after Landry was born. Talk about emotional rollercoaster. Extreme joy, extreme sorrow were experienced daily with no warning of when each emotion would be felt.

There's nothing that has taught me more life lessons than my sister's cancer or having children. I'm thankful for the gratitude it's given me to be thankful for each and every day.

So this Thanksgiving, I'm more aware than ever of what and who I'm most grateful for. I still hate cancer and everything it's taken from her and our family, but cancer you can't take away love and you can't take away the lessons I've learned.