love and water.

Love and water.

For good and for bad, we've had a whole lot of both flowing around here.

Thanksgiving can't help but bring out the love. 

But it also brought out the water.

~

Last weekend we started off our holiday season by going to Silver Bells in the City, a light parade and tree-lighting celebration by the State Capital. We got there just in time to catch the light parade. Carly loved the parade, but was way more interested in the marching bands then the lights themselves. Girl loves herself a good marching band. We didn't get to stay for the tree lighting, but hopefully next year we'll have more stamina. Its a goal of mine to go up and see the tree lit up by the Capital before we leave for our Christmas vacation.

The following day I hosted a little brunch for my wonderful friend Camilla, who is having a baby any day (minute?) now, and who will be moving away in a few weeks. I'm far from a Pinterest Queen, but it turned out cute enough. I'm in love with my doily banner. It is still up. It works as Christmas decor, right?

Camilla and I became friends two years ago. We had both just arrived in Lansing. Her husband was a law student, mine a PhD student. Carly had just turned one, and her little Kennedy was due that winter. We went on an "awkward ice cream date", as we now lovingly refer to it, for my birthday. Since then, she has been my best friend. She was one of the first people to know of my pregnancy, and one of the first phone calls I made after finding out about the twins. She took care of Carly on truly one of my sickest days during my pregnancy, watching her for most of the day before Chris could come home and we could get ahold of a doctor. She came and slept on my couch so Carly could stay in bed as we headed to the hospital to bring John and Quinn into the world. We have hung out in our pjs in each others' living rooms doing nothing, gone on chaotic shopping trips with our kids, and frequented the movie theater she worked at. And, most of all, she taught me to correctly pronounce "Flo Rida." Its good to have friends who are significantly cooler than you are.

I can't believe our two years here together are already coming to an end. We love her and her husband, Cameron, and their soon-to-be two little girls. We will miss them a whole lot. I'm not sure exactly how I will get along without her. But I'm grateful this place brought us together. And hopefully someday we'll live near enough to each other to actually see each other again. Like, how about in the same cul-de-sac?

That brings us to Thanksgiving.

We had a lot to be grateful for this year.

During Family Home Evening, we each got to make lists on our "turkey feathers" and Carly's kept going and going. She even included the Solar System, that nerdy little beauty. She also made John and Quinn's lists. She was a gratitude pro by the time we were finished.

Thanksgiving Day was warm and sunny. Chris played in the ward "Turkey Bowl", something he had been wanting to do for years but has missed since we typically are out of town on Thanksgiving. He came home sore and covered in dirt. Then it was my turn, and I headed out for a run. My outdoor runs are numbered. That very well may have been my last one. For a person who once loved a treadmill, I am finding my gym runs rather boring these days. Our warm and sunny Thanksgiving was a beautiful little gift.

Then we got our cook on. This year was the first Thanksgiving we've ever had in our own home. We busted out our wedding China, which we have literally never used before. We made a ham instead of a turkey, because we like ham more and turkey is just too dang hard. But I have to say, I missed the turkey when push came to shove. We made potatoes and stuffing and fruit salad and pie, all the basics. But it all came out totally mediocre, to say the least. I will have to hone my Thanksgiving skills. Or we can just go to family every Thanksgiving for forever. That works too. The experience was fun, and it definitely gave me a greater appreciation for what my parents and in-laws have done all these years.

Our above-mentioned friends came over to share the holiday with us. Baby girl decided not to come yet, which didn't thrill them, but worked out for us because we got to have them over. Luckily they were old friends and not new ones, or my cooking would have surely scared them away. Carly and Kennedy showed up wearing nearly the same thing. Totally embarrassing. But it was fun to share a last little hurrah with them. Two years ago we had a New Years' get-together, and K was born 4 days later. So maybe we're the good luck charm and baby girl will be born 4 days after our shared Thanksgiving?

The rest of the weekend has been pleasant, doing a sad excuse for Black Friday shopping at 8 am with Camilla, painting masterpieces, listening to Christmas music, and getting ready to break out the Christmas decor. Yesterday I took my two girls out for a morning of shopping and lunch (at Sam's Club; still counts, right?). We just might have to make that a mother-daughters Thanksgiving Saturday tradition. They sure are fun to hang out with, not to mention the little taste I got of what having two kids is like.

See all that love flowing?

We are incredibly blessed.

As for the water?

Tuesday night, Chris went down to our basement to find a pool of water near our washer. Maintenance came Wednesday and "fixed" it. Thanksgiving Day we did a load of laundry, and the water is spouting out all over the place. It had soaked our carpet and clean laundry and was making its way toward our boxes of storage. They came back Friday morning and really fixed it, leaving a huge disgusting mess for us to clean up. We actually lucked out, with our only major casualties being Carly's Ikea circus tent, our bassinet, and our big piece of carpet (sure was fun getting that sopping wet thing out to the dumpster; it looked like we were dragging bodies). Chris was good enough to clean the floor with bleach, because it smelled so bad. He's amazing like that. It made me grateful that a) it wasn't more significant, and b) we are renting. It was so minor, and yet still a huge pain. 

Fingers crossed for no more flowing water.

But a whole lot more flowing love.

xoxo.