a belated thanks.

even though most people have already decorated for Christmas, and Thanksgiving is totally old news, I haven't had a chance to tell you about ours yet.

we celebrated with the Kesti side of the family in Prescott this year.  with three out of the ten siblings now living in Arizona, there's actually quite a large number of us here (around 30, I believe.)  even better is that most of our kids have at least one cousin around their same age, so they really have a great time whenever we do get together.             
  

one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is walking through the front door and being instantly overcome by all the delicious aromas wafting throughout the house; turkey, mashed potatoes, freshly baked bread... YUM.  comfort food at its finest, right there.      

Scarlett had been sick just a few days prior, and as you can tell, she wasn't quite feeling up to snuff yet.

a few of the kids gathered around to watch as uncle Keith carved the turkey.  suddenly I'm thankful for elastic waistbands ;-)

another favorite: laps continually filled with babies and kids.  love the one of Finley geeing away at his daddy.

a rip-roaring game of Aggravation ensued after dinner, while others enjoyed some quiet time reading books.  

a ginormous pile of Lego's provided hours of entertainment.

thankful for my wonderful children.

as I absorbed every little detail about the day-- the smells, the tastes, the sounds; the little kids running circles around the table; contented smiles; the echo of laughter, some distinct and louder than others; the mess of dishes that follow a great meal-- suddenly, I felt very fortunate.

I have so much to be thankful for, including my in-laws.  I couldn't have found a sweeter, kinder, more caring family to marry in to if I tried.

and I'm not just saying that to score brownie points, either.

-jessica