Thanksgiving and Such

This is my favorite time of year. I absolutely adore Thanksgiving and all that it entails. The gathering of family, tons of food, watching kids play, Christmas shopping, and the list goes on...The past week has been amazing. Here is my top 10 list from the last week:

10. Photo sessions - I've done a ton of pictures lately. It's such a blessing to share in lives of others even for just a short time. One of my favorite things about being a photographer is the fact that I get to help people by putting them in front of my camera and showing them how beautiful their family is. People don't often see themselves in a picture as a complete family unit, and I love to create the moments in which they get to see themselves. It means so much to people to preserve those moments, and I am truly blessed to be trusted to do just that. God is so loving that He gives us a family to walk through life with.

9. Editing Pictures - I love the editing process. I love to let my creative mind go crazy and let loose. It's freeing and a little scary. Freeing because I just let go. Scary because I put so much of my self into each picture that if someone doesn't like it, it hurts just a little. All in all, editing pictures makes me love God more because I get to see how big and wonderful and loving He is to bless us with the people He made and the lives He created.

8. Putting up Christmas Decorations - I love putting up the Christmas tree and setting out the Nativity Scene. I love talking to my kids about why we have Christmas. They have connected so many of the dots about Jesus lately. My heart is so full.

7. Cooking Thanksgiving food - I love cooking. I love the sounds, smells, tastes, and joy that it brings my kids to help me. Luke is becoming quite the little helper. He helps me hand wash dishes when the dishwasher is too full, he stands at the stove with me to help me stir, and he is becoming quite adept at measuring things. He's getting so big so fast.

6. Luke's Basketball Team - Luke is playing on the Kindergarten basketball team this year. It's adorable and truly amazing. He is way more athletic than any 5 year old should be. It's so fun to watch him learn how to play on a team and listen to a coach that isn't his dad. It's also fun to see what a truly sweet spirit Luke really is. He lives to encourage his teammates. It just makes me want to squish him to death with love. Luke got his uniform last Monday, and it was Friday before I could peel it off of him. Basketball is Luke's first love. I love that God made Luke such a passionate little boy. :-)

5. Big Boy Basketball Season - I love watching my husband work. If people had any idea how much Tyron loves those boys and his job as a coach, it would probably amaze people. It's so fun to watch those boys learn and mature as a team and as an individual over the course of a season. It's also fun to watch what a brilliant basketball mind my husband has. Of course it's pretty hard to forget how cute my kids are in the stands yelling for the Farmers and being cute in general.

4. Thanksgiving with the family - We went to Kara's (my sister-in-law) house for Thanksgiving. It was fun to hang out as a complete family. Papa even came for a visit. We ate until we were about to pop and played games. It was GREAT.

3. Rest - Tyron had 5 days off in a row. He hasn't had a single day off since July 17th. He has literally been working 7 days a week since then. CRAZY. To say the least, he was exhausted...as was I. We got to spend 5 days together without any interruptions. It was nice just to hang out. We played games, watched movies, shopped, talked, and just rested. It was amazing. Really it would be my #1 except for some extenuating things.

3.1 We got family pictures TAKEN - and it wasn't even me who took them! We haven't had a family picture taken since Faith was 1. Tyron and I have some amazing friends that we met at The Village, and we miss them terribly. Chaille and Kevin, were in our first ever small group and walked with us through some dark and scary times. A bond like that doesn't disappear. Kevin met us yesterday in McKinney to take some pictures of us. It was perfect. He was amazing with our kids, and we got to catch up as we walked around. He is a very talented photographer, and he has a very creative mind. I can't wait to see the pictures, and I can't wait to shoot his family! God has blessed us with so many great friends!

2. My dad is much better! - My dad has been really sick over the last month and a half, and he is much better. I am thankful that God has provided healing.

1. Luke is healthy. - We had to go in for some tests over the last week because our pediatrician had some concerns at Luke's 5 Year Well-Visit. Luke grew 9.5 inches over last 11 months, but he only gained 4 pounds. My doctor was concerned that there might be an issue, so he sent us in for testing. To make a very long story short, all the tests came back normal. So, it looks like Luke is just going to be freakishly tall like his dad...except probably even taller. We are just going to keep a closer eye on his growth patterns over the next couple of years to make sure he starts to even out a little bit. I know God has Luke in the palm of His hand.

These are not all the great moments of the past week, but just a few. We are such a blessed family. I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving week as well! Here are some pictures from the week. {Ignore the quality please!} God bless!