Living On Park Place: A Kirkham Thanksgiving and Our Christmas Decorations

We spend every other year with each family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, it was the Kirkhams' turn to have us for Thanksgiving. With imminent snow on the horizon, we headed out a day earlier than expected and it was a crazy week.

Our friend who just joined the army was in town the Monday before we were leaving, but only for 1 day, so we had him and 8 other friends over for dinner on Monday. During dinner, my parents dropped off Forrest for us to puppy-sit while they went to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Dallas for Thanksgiving.

Then we had more friends over for dinner on Tuesday, packed up the car around 7:30 PM, drove to Richmond to see our friends' new baby around 9 PM, and then drove the rest of the way to Lexington in the snow, arriving around 1 AM. We then spent from Wednesday-Saturday morning with Matt's family, and hit the Pope family Thanksgiving on the way home in Williamsburg on Saturday afternoon/evening, arriving back here in Smithfield super late on Saturday night. It was a fun few days filled with lots of friends and family, but when we got home we were exhausted!

We spent that Sunday going to church, napping, and then decorating our house for Christmas. I had SO MUCH FUN doing it this year, because I had hit the after Christmas sales last year and had a lot more lights and decorations to put up this time. I love putting up Christmas decorations. Like...a lot. In Sunday School last week, our opening ice breaker question was what was our favorite Christmas tradition, and Matt said his was watching me get so excited about decorating the house for Christmas. :)

Here's a couple pictures from the Thanksgiving week. We are really blessed and had so much to be thankful for this year, including finding out that my bro and his wife are expecting a baby, so we will be an aunt and uncle next spring to a little nephew!!!!

One day, we went for a run at Matt's parents farm. It was snowing, and they live on a mountain so the run was completely uphill. We only made it about a mile before I had to turn around and head back. Running uphill in 20 degree weather is hard!

Meeting Audrey for the first time. Matt was so nervous to hold her (she was the smallest baby he has ever held) that he pulled a muscle in his forearm because he was holding on so tight. Adorable.

Forrest loving the farm life.

What we woke up to on Wednesday morning. So beautiful. Luckily Matt's parents have a dining room that one wall is completely covered in windows so we can enjoy this view every time we eat.