It’s Christmas time again! It’s by far our most celebrated family holiday (although Halloween comes in pretty close in my book in terms of fanfare). It’s a time for family, usually travel and hanging out with those we care about. This year we had Harlan with us for the travel and hanging time and that was a bigger treat than I could have expected as he was very easy going with the air travel and car travel and lots of Texas roads. Cora was a little less happy with the change in her routine from home, but given that she had been sick (stomach bug) before we left, she handled it all like a champ.

The trip was in all, very successful, if more stressful than years past. A minor fender bender with the rental car, a diverted airplane for Sean’s arrival, and some other vehicular snafus lent their color to the trip.

We were able to see quite a few friends and family despite the hiccups. We were very grateful to see my paternal grandfather Bob Thomas (he married Sean and me) in Dallas while were in Texas (although I don’t recommend driving round trip to Dallas in one day with two small children!).

The pictures hopefully tell it all,  and we really hope we can see more folks again in the future, but the invitation is always open to visit up here in Seattle, we’ll be here a while 😉

I’ve always wanted to find a way to do a service activity without angering the whole family by skipping out on Thanksgiving dinner and family time. But also with two small children at home, I wanted to find something I could do that would involve them. Turns out a stroke of baby brain caused me to get creative this year and find that activity.

I was going to volunteer at the Thanksgiving feast at Garfield Community Center in my neighborhood, thinking it would be on Thanksgiving day, but called to confirm the need for volunteers, 3 days too late 🙂

So I thought a little harder about something we could do at home, as a family, appropriate for a 2 year old. Holiday Mail for Heroes was that outlet. You send cards (either one out of your own family batch, or like we did a bunch of cards just for them) and send them to the Red Cross for distribution to veterans, military families and active-duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world.

Cora and I busted out the paints and stamps to decorate our cards and we put in a message from the family of Thanks for their military service. It was too messy for me to take a picture on my own and I forgot to have Sean take one, so you will just have to take my word for it, but I look forward to either hosting a card signing party at Thanksgiving dinner next year, or finding a similar opportunity for our involvement.

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I already like themes that involve costumes, dressing up, or decorations, be they holidays or made up excuses to party. This year I was excited to have two munchkins to dress up in punny fashion, AND the patriarch of the clan has succumbed to the theme as well!

We were a food theme as this family is no stranger to eating. Cora was a pepper shaker, Harlan was a salt shaker, I was a fork and Sean and knife. There was an attempt to make Sean into chopped liver as that is how the kiddos often make him feel since mama always seems to come first with them. However, I really didn’t want to walk next to a pile of poop (because that’s what it looks like to me, let’s be honest).

We trick or treated in downtown Madrona with the neighborhood businesses and a little scavenger hunt. Cora was remarkably tolerant of us dragging her around spreading her cuteness so we could  raid her candy bucket later. Fun times and I’m really looking forward to more.