Thursday Thirteen

Yeah, I made that up. It’s not a thing. When my computer has been crashed, and I have a lot of catching up to do, it seems the best route to take, though. Hold on to your hats!

1. Thanksgiving. Lots of Thanksgiving. Turkey at tailgate. Football game that ended poorly. Birthday celebration rolled in the mix. More than enough to be thankful for.

Tailgate Thanksgiving
12th Man
LSU
Oh No

2. Black Friday. I don’t usually do Black Friday. Sales are not enough to entice me out into the crowd. However, after Thursday’s game, we got back to the house, and I was wide awake. I didn’t need a thing, but I didn’t want to sit around doing nothing while everyone was asleep. I was already fully dressed, so it made the most sense to go see what the hub-bub was about. 

When I walked in to Old Navy, they had an Angel Tree. It was perfect. I grabbed a child off the tree and knocked out her list. I loved it. I think I’ll make that my new tradition with myself.

Black Friday

3. More Thanksgiving. Family, food, fun, family photos complete with an over-under on time. Good times, good times. (And good photos).

Love
Fam and Mom
Errbody

4. Christmasday. After a crazy Christmas season last year filled with illness and missed traditions, we’re back. We cut down our tree, got as much decor up as will fit in the camphouse, and called it a day. I think we’re skipping our annual Christmas Shindig this year, but the rest is on track–except the stockings. They’re MIA. Nonna has some we can borrow. I think we’re going to have to go that route.

Hunting Trees
Cut Down
Carry It In
Tree Topper

5. Crashed computer. I work from home. I need my computer. I finished up some work Sunday night, and my whole system crashed. Luckily, we were going to be in Houston Monday and Tuesday, so I set up a Genius Bar appointment. A new one will be here soon. 

6. Justin Timberlake. Yep, the President of Pop himself was in Houston this week, so Annie and I took a little trip. I only have one word: incredible. I’m not actually a huge Justin Timberlake fan, but I’m always impressed with talent. He is super talented, and he puts on quite a show. People were screaming those ear-piercing screams I can only imagine went down when the Beatles were in town. It was that kind of fandom. I’ve been on the screaming end of a George Strait concert (multiple times), and it’s nothing compared to what goes down for JT. Incredible. If you have an opportunity to go see him live, do it. (Also, remember that 20 minute performance he had at an awards show a while back? That’s just a small sampling of a live show.)

Hotel Lobby
Concert Time
JT

7. Sights & Sounds. Our annual trip to Sights & Sounds is tonight. I can’t wait. It’s always so much fun. As the kids get older, it only gets more exciting! (Memories here and here.)

8. Elf on the Shelf. Teddy came back December 1st, and he has been bringing all sorts of assignments for Baby Gray. (More on that here.) I love using this method to help share love and kindness during Christmas because the boy gets to take ownership of the tasks and internalize it more than he would if I just suggested picking out an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots or another organization.

IMG_3662

In funny Teddy news, Mr. Gray took over Teddy duties while I was gone earlier this week. Here’s how it went down:

I can’t stop laughing about it.

9. Christmas cards. I love, love, love Christmas cards. They go hand-in-hand with my love for mail, but everyone’s on board! I love it. I really loved our card this year, and even though cards went out December 1st (back on schedule–I told y’all last year was crazy), I don’t want to share them yet in case people haven’t gotten theirs. Do you mail Christmas cards?

10. Giveaways. Head over to my friend Samantha’s site, Airplane Rides and Guacamole Sides, for a fabulous giveaway.

Giveaway

11. Advent calendars. This year, Baby Gray has two advent calendars. I love that they are something he can do independently. They’re not spiritual or anything fancy, but they help him visualize the time to Christmas and get a fun little treat in the meantime. They’re also great practice for patience.

Advent Legos

12. Bowl games. I sure hope we don’t play Texas in Houston for our bowl game. Yawn. I want to go somewhere fun.

13. Snow. Baby Gray is all about snow this year. We are soaking up all the opportunities for fake snow that we can, but we are also hoping to do a real trip to the snow after the first of the year. Any tips or favorite spots?

Whew! I think that about covers it!

1 Comment

  1. Great list! Baby Gray is getting SOOOO big! If you're anywhere near me this afternoon, I have to extra tickets to S&S if you can pick them up. 🙂

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