Tradition.

And so...
As what has often been our tradition over the years...we take the day with family, we enter a gluttonous food induced slumber, and then we wake up and begin some Christmas festivities.

I also like a nice coffee on my way to celebrating Traditions...

 Because we'll blink and it's going to be Christmas....

And so, because of that...
As what has often been our tradition over the years, the day after Thanksgiving, after Daddy has gone for a morning  hunt, we all bundle into the car and head over to our most favorite Piper Mountain to pick out our Christmas tree.

Sarah York!  You were in this wagon.....

Because four weeks from now, it's going to be Christmas....
(what? what? how did this happen?)

Traditionally, it is also often fah-reezing outside, so all of the family pictures that I take of the kids just look like piles of walking snowsuits.  I can't ever see their faces - let alone their eyeballs!  Ah well.  Tradition!

We hail from Siberia.

This year, Piper Mountain had a wee little competition going on where somewhere on their property they have hidden a little stuffed black bear.  Whoever finds it gets both the tree and the bear for FREE!  My competitive juices all got a flowing when the man handed us this little tidbit of news...until I stepped foot out of the car and my eyes started watering and the snot started flowing because of it being such a gloriously warm day outside.

Not so much.

Add to that, having an almost seven month old back-breaking chunky monkey who had on two snowsuits and a blanket wrapped around her whom I had to lug around whilst the Hoolies ran wild and free...and my motto very quickly changed from:  "Oh yeah!  That bear is SO mine!" to..."Quick!  Pick a tree!  Oh you like that one?!  Me TOO! It's perfect!  Let's go get some hot cider!  Bear?  What bear?!"

Here's our tree.  And two of my children.  I'm pretty sure....

You know.  Tradition.
I loves me some tradition.

Manly men.

And so...it really turned out quite lovely.
We saw some friends up there.  We ran into our housemates and their family.  The wind died down a bit. We ate some yummy donuts and hot cider.  And then we came HOME to get our place all cozied up for this next great Holiday.

 Oh wait!  We DID find a little bear in the trees!!

 The whole clan....

Did you know that Christmas is going to take place just about four weeks from now?
It's true.
Can you tell that I'm just. not. quite. feeling. ready?

We are THAT family...

And so...
What has also often been our tradition over the years, Kevy goes hunting in the afternoon whilst the Littlest Littles sleep.  This year, he took the Kademyster with him and Jesse stayed back with me to watch Christmas movies.  They brought home pizza for supper...and with our bellies full of goodness (that was not turkey for a change) we decorated our sweet little spot upstairs with Christmas music playing in the background.

And what has also often been our tradition over these fifteen years of marriage and babies...I found myself sitting back with the tiniest of them all - snuggling quietly, and letting the boys work whatever magic they felt like working - just simply looking on at all of the whirling and swirling that is mine...

...and feeling all the way filled up to the tippy top brim.

This Crazy is mine.
It's loud...and it's messy...and it is SURELY not perfect.
But, they love me and they claim me as their own.
And for that I am so deeply thankful.