Thankful

 For the second year in a row, we headed to Broken Bow for Thanksgiving. This has quickly become such a beloved tradition that it may live forever. When I say that going to stay in a cabin in the woods is one of the few things my family unanimously agrees upon as one of the very best things ever, it's no exaggeration. We all love it.

We left Tuesday and had to hit up Buccee's on the way out of town. Emma dressed for summer since the sun was out! It was a pretty day, but quickly cooled off once the sun went down in Oklahoma, and the week got progressively colder. It made for great snuggling and campfires! 

The girls spent plenty of time in the hot tub. The cabin doesn't make all fighting go away, but it does make the girls spend more time together, which is always a good thing!

Jim loved cabin life. From the smells outside to the large enclosed deck to the couch naps by the fire ... this guy was in heaven.

I always love the simplicity of this place ... the girls spent hours playing ladder ball and tag. I took time to notice leaves and when it was dark at night, we could so clearly see the stars.

We all enjoyed quiet reading time ...

... and the weather was perfect for nightly hot chocolate.

Of course Emma was eager to help in the kitchen, making our pumpkin pie and peeling potatoes. The oven was a little slow so the turkey took longer than expected ... but it didn't matter because we were on no schedule other than relaxing and watching football!

The girls got an early start on Christmas activities ...

We did venture out for Grateful Head pizza on Wednesday night, and "funtivities" on Friday: horseback riding and lunch at the brewery. I've learned that my family does not enjoy highly scheduled vacations; they were perfectly content to play outside, take Jim on walks, sit by the fire, read, etc. Our lives are so over-scheduled all the time, I just operate in that mode ... but it was good to hear from all of them that they were happy to just BE. Still, they did enjoy our one small adventure. Such a peaceful ride.

I'm so thankful for this family of mine, and our simple yet wonderful time away together.

Halloween 2021

The week leading up to Red Ribbon Week, which is full of dress up days. Most of our schools make it work so that the kids can wear their costumes on or around Halloween ... it's not worth the fight! Emma's school had "book character day" on the 29th, and she was excited to wear her witch costume to school.

That night, we carved pumpkins. Jim was very interested in the event, and stole several chunks of discarded pumpkin from the table to munch on.

From left to right: Katie's, Sara's, Emma's, Steve's

On Halloween, of course Emma had a soccer game. We celebrated their win with a trunk or treat immediately afterwards. It was a beautiful day and the girls had a great time gathering all sorts of treats from one another!

Pre-trick-or-treating ...

Emma went with some friends in the neighborhood and loved riding in the trailer again. It would stop every once in a while and let the kids run up and down the street to collect candy.

Sara went with a group of friends in another neighborhood. This is the first year I've let her do this (selfishly, really), and she had a blast as I knew she would!

Both neighborhoods had some great decor!

And of course ALL the candy.

Sunday night trick-or-treating is less than desirable, and it's making for a long week with tired kids. But it was a fun night and worth the yawns!