7qt: Thanksgiving, A Birthday and Advent, Oh My!

Tagging along with Kelly and friends because it's Friday!!

1)

Thanksgiving Happened:

JP set the table and I just loved the way he folded the napkins.  We used our wedding china for the first time ever!  We hosted this year because it was a small crowd, just our family, my sister's family and my parents.

Mr. Brendan loved his first Thansgiving too!

2)

I can't believe we are closing out the first week of Advent already!  This year, Christmas is overwhelming me a little.  While gift-giving is normally my love language, this year it all just feels like too much.  We are strongly considering just doing a family gift this year for the kids, if it all works out in time, and if not I think the presents might be scarce this year.  All families have years like this, right?  Years where finances are bigger (hello new baby!  diapers!  formula!  daycare! for two!) and parents are so tired physically and mentally that the thought of shopping make me want to crawl into bed and wake up in 2017.  But I don't want the kids to feel like a new sibling = less special Christmas for them.  I think trying to keep each kid feeling loved and happy and treasured is one of the hardest parts of being a parent of many.  It certainly gives me lots of mom guilt.

3)

Yesterday was Maggie's NINTH birthday!!

She always seems older than her age.

Gammy and Grandpa gave her that huge puppy, and Declan promptly stole it!

As excited as Maggie was, I think Xander was even more!

We got her an Easy-Bake Oven (Wow, that price!  I got it for less than $40!) and kit to go with it.  I feel like this is one of those presents that she's too old for but Xander really wanted it too, so it's a two-for-one deal.  She also wanted the first book in this series, and needed some clothes, especially jeans that aren't skinny, which are nearly impossible to find!  Seriously, at Children's Place, their girl's jean categories are: Skinny, Super Skinny, Jeggings, or Boot Cut.  So boot cut it was.

4)

Maggie's teacher this year is really awesome for imparting theology all throughout their day, and Maggie has been learning so much.  We were on a walk the other day, and crossed a bridge where we could see the street we had already walked down.  I said "Hey, we were just there and now we're here!" And she said "If we were Padre Pio we could be in both places at the same time!"  

Another day, I was arranging for her best friend to come over to play and once I had gotten all the logistics of it worked out with the friend's mother, I went in to tell Maggie.  Knowing she was going to be super excited for a playdate, I jokingly said "I have some good news, but first tell me who's your favorite mother?" And she turned to me and said "Mary.  Why?"

5)

We had Xander's godFather over for dinner last weekend, and he had brought some wine.  When Xander took a drink from his water cup, he said "Is this wine?"  We told him that is was only water, and Fr. Jay said "I wish I could turn water into wine!" and Xander looked at him and said "Well, Monsignor (our pastor) could do it."

6)

I was on the ball this year with our Christmas card photos.  Don't expect it to happen again ;)  I don't want to show you the exact photo we used for the card, but I'll show you some of the poses we didn't use.  All our boys already had a white button down shirt and black pants, and Maggie had this beautiful dress handed down (similar) to her from a cousin.  I found some matching ties and an outfit for Brendan, and it was the least amount of money I've spent on Christmas card attire ever.  And you know these are going to be their Christmas Mass outfits too ;)

7)

That was a lot, this one's a freebie.

Have a wonderful first weekend of December everybody!