Gobble Gobble

"Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, let these gifts to us be blessed."

That is the blessing that my Grandpa said from the head of the table at every family meal we ever shared together. This was our first Thanksgiving without him and Grandma, and although it was bittersweet, I am still reminded that we have so much to be thankful for. 

Despite the loss of two family members, we were also graced with the addition of both Kiley and Kinley this year. And as we each experienced and processed our grief, we were reminded by an outpouring of support and love that we remain surrounded by a vast community of family and friends.

I have also learned that the close relationship I had with my grandparents was incredibly rare and special. And although that made the subsequent heartbreak of their loss almost unbearable, I am so thankful that I had so many wonderful years with them.

We spent Thanksgiving this year at my parents' new house, where my grandparents lived for more than 50 years. It was wonderful to come back there again and spend the holiday together as a family. I think it would have made Grandpa and Grandma very happy. 

My sister Erin volunteered to be in charge of the menu and cooking this year, and she did a fantastic job!

I was in charge of desserts, which included Grandma's classic — jello with marshmallows. 

I also made a heroic attempt at her famous blueberry pie... but unfortunately it didn't really turn out. I'll keep practicing!

Getchman ladies in the kitchen. It's changed a bit, but it's still the same space where Grandma prepared us so many delicious meals.

Ryder also starred in a pretty fantastic preschool Thanksgiving program... What a cute little turkey!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with food, family, and friends, and that the coming year brings joy and laughter for all.

An Alway Family Thanksgiving

We have many things to be thankful for this year, but I must say that I am most grateful for my (so far) easy, breezy pregnancy! Now I just have to hope that Baby Sister will be just as calm and easygoing after she's born... 

Like most years, we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Alway Family. 

I love how they stick to classic Thanksgiving traditions like football, beer, and a delicious turkey feast with all the trimmings. And this time Ryder was a year older and extremely well-behaved, unlike last year, when I spent the entire day chasing him around to make sure he didn't eat kitty litter, fall down the stairs, or break precious family heirlooms (next year will clearly be another story with Baby Sis...)

 We had a wonderful Turkey Day visit with Stew's extended family (I think we had about 16 people for dinner), and stayed over on Friday as well to watch the Huskies kick butt in the Apple Cup. 

I'm so thankful for these two that my heart could just about burst. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Christmas v2.0

Oh, did you think Christmas was over? 

Not around these parts!

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with the Alway family, and it was yet another round of family, food, and fantastic gifts.

It was Christmas morning all over again for Ryder as we woke up to a beautiful Christmas tree surrounded by beautifully packaged gifts.

My in-laws got Ryder an amazing ridable pirate ship complete with a telescope, sound effects, and a "Shiver Me Letters" pirate ABC book. I think it was one of his favorite presents this year.

And of course Russ got his favorite... 

Everyone got super fun, generous gifts, and it was so awesome to have yet another Christmas!

Patty prepared one of the yummier brunches I've ever had (tater tot breakfast casserole, y'all!) complete with mimosas, of course. 

The rest of the day we got to spend lounging around, relaxing, catching up, and watching the Ducks game (although that didn't turn out quite as anticipated). 

We had a long, late drive home on Saturday night, but it was totally worth it to be able to spend Christmas with the Alway family.

Our holiday season really did seem to go on and on this year, and it's bittersweet to have things officially come to a close.

But we're looking forward to getting back into a normal, healthy routine again, and hope that 2016 brings us even more laughter and love than ever.

Thanks Again

Stewart and I are super fortunate to have family and friends spread all over the state.

On our way home from Thanksgiving with the Always, we stopped in Olympia for a little visit with my family. My aunt hosted a second Thanksgiving feast, and I think I ate enough in two days to last until next year...

Most of my dad's side of the family.

All the guys...

This would have been four generations, but I have no idea where my brother was for this shot.

Ryder was super excited to help decorate the Christmas tree! 

Of course the shiny Christmas balls were his favorite.

I helped my mom pick out some new decorations at Costco. Aren't these pretty?  

Such a good little helper!

Not a great glamour shot of me, but I love how this captures the fun we're having.

Stew was experimenting with our "nice" camera. 

Family, holiday music, and Moscow Mules made the afternoon super festive.

He couldn't get enough of the ornaments.

Seriously, isn't this the cutest kid you've ever seen?

My little bro and my future sister-in-law!

Grandpa gave Ryder his very first box of crayons. He loved them of course.

Attempting to capture our Christmas card photo for the year... difficult with a squirmy toddler!

My adorable parents.

On Sunday we headed back north for the Seahawks game, who pulled off an exciting win against the Steelers! It was the perfect way to end a wonderful weekend.

GO HAWKS!

Giving Thanks

We spent Thanksgiving at the Always this year, and as usual it was a fabulous day filled with family, food and fun.

We left home at bedtime the night before, in the hopes that Ryder would sleep all the way down to Vancouver, Washington. Luckily he did, and this time he didn't barf in the car first, either.

The next morning, we went for a walk so that Stew's brother Mark could show us his drone. Those things are so cool! It was extra cold out though, and apparently Ryder isn't a fan of being freezing, so unfortunately we weren't able to stay out very long despite the sunshine.

After he got warmed up, Ryder was such a good boy, even taking a long nap with Mommy before the rest of the guests arrived for the big feast. 

Dinner included all of our Thanksgiving traditional favorites. We were surprised to learn that Ryder absolutely loves turkey, but he won't touch mashed potatoes. Strange kid.

Ryder hadn't seen his Uncle Patrick in quite a while, but it didn't take them long to make up for lost time.

Just a little boy and his Daddy.

Family photo. I'm so thankful to have these two. With them in my life, I really don't need anything else in the world... 

Ryder loved building / destroying block towers with Uncle Mark.

If you look closely, you can see his hand is blurred as he swings it wildly, preparing for destruction... 

Drone. The only acceptable way to take a selfie.

We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday, with lots of food and all of your favorite people.

Happy Thanksgiving!