The Best Sunday EVER!

Sunday morning started out just like every other Sunday morning around the Brown House. We woke up early, rushed to get ready, and headed to church. However, this Sunday was a little different because Grafton was singing two Christmas Songs on the big stage with his class.

For the occasion we dressed the kids in the matching outfits that their grandparents gave them.

Grafton was excited to wear his dressy clothes, but not very excited to have his picture taken in them!

To get the kids on stage in a proper order, they all held onto a black string and headed up.

I am proud to say that Grafton was the most boisterous singer in the entire choir!

Once church was over, I headed over to the mall with my cousin, grandmother, mom, sister, and aunt to celebrate my Mom's birthday. We started out by having Greek food, then went to the movies, and finished our day with shopping!

My aunt had to head out after lunch and wasn't able to make it into any of our pictures. :0(

We went to a mall that is mostly outside and it started pouring the rain. That didn't stop us though! It just made me want to sing, "Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful...."

We ended our Girl's Day Out with coffee at Starbuck's, took one last picture, and then headed our separate ways.

When I got home I immediately put on my pajamas and then spent the remainder of my evening with with my three favorite guys.... Vince, Grafton & Deklan!

A Weekend of Tradition

Thanksgiving weekend is my favorite weekend of the entire year, and each year I spend it about the same way. It begins Wednesday night when I go to my Mom's to set up for Thanksgiving and then head to church for a service called "Gratitude, the Quality of Being Thankful." Afterwards we eat pie, drink coffee, and visit in the foyer. Next, my sister Hannah comes home with me and stays the night. This year we watched "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" before going to bed.

On the morning of Thanksgiving we get up, stay in our pajamas, and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while eating cinnamon rolls and drinking coffee. Once the parade is over we rush to get ready and put the food we're bringing together.

This year I made an Apple Gorgonzola Salad, two peanut-butter pies, and a pecan pie. At two o'clock all of my family (there are 25 of us) meet at my Mom and Step-Dad's house for a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. Once dinner's over the young adults and children walk to the park while the "older adults" clean up the mess and get the pie ready.

At the park I swing until my stomach can't take it anymore and then stop for a couple of photo opportunities. After about an hour-and-a-half we walk back to my Mom's, eat pie and drink coffee, and look at all of the Black Friday ads while deciding where we're going to start our shopping in the morning. Then we spend the remainder of the evening playing games such as Mafia and Catch Phrase.

Friday morning my two sisters, Rachel and Hannah, my two cousins, Heather & Amanda, and our good friend Asheley met at Kohl's to start our shopping. We then went to Stein Mart, Target, Chik-Fil-A for breakfast (that's where our picture was taken), and then spent the rest of our day at the mall. When I got home I rested for a little while and then my in-laws came over and brought us Olive Garden for dinner. After they left we watched Home Alone, but I was so exhausted that I slept through the majority of it!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we traditionally go back to my Mom's to decorate her Christmas Tree (while drinking egg nog), we then eat delicious turkey taco's that my step-dad makes, and we end the evening by watching ELF and eating more pie.

I wish I would have taken more pictures of our fun-filled weekend, but I was too busy enjoying it to pick up my camera!