Thanksgiving 2011

We traveled down to Austin for Thanksgiving to spend it with my family.  Things have changed a little bit in the past 4 years...there are now 10 adults, 6 kids (all under 4) and 9 dogs.  Whew.  I get tired typing it.  Oh, and there's a 7th child on the way (not me...Jeremy and Lindsay).  Sure is busy and chaotic, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  

We ate Thanksgiving at my moms after the kids naps, and before we headed in we snapped a family pic.  Not the best picture of me, and it's a little washed out, but check out those eyes.  I didn't retouch them.  That's straight out of the camera.  Wish I had blue eyes.

On to the din din...I snapped an aerial picture so you could get an idea of the chaos.  Thankfully the dogs were all "resting" in the dog room.

Mom did a great job decorating the tables.  I helped write the placecards...so cute!

The spread:

We ate, and ate...and ate.  I still feel full.  The kids were getting a bit cagey after dinner, so Papi did airplanes and "up high" with each of them.  Let's just say they slept well.  

Then we got the idea to do cousin bath time.

Knox = no likey.

Seriously, he threw his leg over and would have jumped ship if I hadn't caught him.  So strange, since bath time is his favorite part of the day.  Oh well...the rest of the kids enjoyed it.  

Once he was dried off and clean, he headed to see what Papi was up to.  He "helped" with the rest of the kitchen cleaning, and then we headed to bed.  If only he was that eager at home.

The next morning my mom had a photographer come out to take an entire Kampen/Dotson/Sorenson picture for her Christmas card.  Thankfully she was fully aware the kids wouldn't necessarily be on board, but I think we got some good shots anyway.

I'll save the pictures for the cards...but this outtake of the grandkids shot was too funny not to share!

I love that the older kids were completely unimpressed, the middles were NOT having it, and sweet Holt is unaware.  Goodness.

We ended the day playing outside and enjoying the weather.  The rest of the weekend was spent laying around, eating leftovers and cheering our Baylor Bears to victory.  I'm very thankful we were able to spend time with the ones we love!  I pray you were able to do the same.

Choo Choo!!

There are few things Knox loves more than planes, trains and automobiles.  While we were in Ft. Worth for our anniversary weekend, Aunt Kelly took Knox to see the trains exhibit at NorthPark mall.  She sent us pictures while they were there, and we were super jealous.  So, once Mimi and Papa (who also has a penchant for trains) got in town we headed over.  

On our walk to the exhibit, we had to stop and see the turtles and ducks.  He was pretty enamored, he just didn't know what was coming next.

I love this picture...everything is blurry except for his face.

Once we got to the trains, he was in heaven.  The detail in the exhibit is absolutely amazing.  There were moving parts, stationary decorations, sections highlighting all the major cities, and even interactive buttons that the kids could push to make people move or things light up! 

The entry wall

Ode to the TX State Fair

The Dotsons

Our fam

Golden Gate Bridge

Anticipating the train coming out of the tunnel

DC

 It is fun for all ages, so head on over.   I'm pretty sure Stephen and I enjoyed it just as much as Knox!

Happy Thanksgiving

From our little indian!

And being the romantic he is...

He knew the perfect gift for me.  I love to paint, and it's really been my "release" when I'm feeling stressed or when I need to feel creative.  I have some dingy paint brushes and paints from years ago, and I've just never really wanted to spend the money to improve them.  

Well, Stephen took care of it.  And keeping with the "wood" theme, provided a perfect way to keep them all organized in this amazing box.  He's always so thoughtful...and now he's the most patient (and gets major brownie points) because he navigated Hobby Lobby all by himself!!

He even got me a few canvases to get started.  He never misses a detail.

And just to make sure he hit ALL the bases...he walked in with these.  I love him, and blush roses.

5 years

5 years ago today I married the man of my dreams!  I really thought we were in love then, but it's so amazing what time and a healthy marriage will do.  We are so much more in love than those 25-year-olds saying their vows.  We've had so many great adventures: living in Uptown (it's an adventure if you ask me), living in Europe, moving home with nothing to our names, buying a house, two cars on the same day, having KNOX!  The list goes on and on.  Most importantly, we have chosen to love each other through them all.  Hand in hand.  Right next to each other.  And I can't imagine doing life with anyone else.

Notice his sweet shoe?

We had so much fun at our wedding.  We danced until we were dripping with sweat, we laughed and loved on everyone that came to share the day with us.  And we spent an amazing week following the wedding in Jamaica.  We were truly blessed, but we're even more blessed now.  I've never felt more love and admiration for another person as I do for Stephen.  I can't wait to celebrate 60 more!!

We always do the traditional gifts for our anniversaries.  The first year, paper, was pretty straightforward.  Cotton, year two, was a bit tricky.  Leather (3) and Flowers (4) were also pretty self-explanatory.  Then comes the 5th.  Wood.  

We could go easy and get a piece of furniture, but we can't fit another thing in this house.  I recently won a giveway and got to purchase some subway art from a very talented girl...which got me thinking.  I can do this!  So, for our 5th anniversary present, I made a wooden subway art piece to hang in our living room.  Each address listed is a place we've lived together during these first 5 years of marriage.  

Like most projects, I think if I were to do another one it would turn out MUCH better.  I love it, though.  It's meaningful, handmade, and cheap (the best present for Stephen).  Most people that do subway art use a machine to make the negative vinyl to paint through...I don't have one, so I painted three layers, putting sticky letters on the second layer and then peeled them off when the third layer dried.  Then, I simply distressed it and put a coat of poly over the top so it wouldn't fade.  Pretty easy!

The Lord has blessed Stephen and I, and I couldn't be more thankful!

Anything with wheels...

If it has wheels, there's certainty that Knox will love it.  He adores trains (choo choos), trucks (tucks), cars (same, just with a Boston accent), buses (same), and tractors (tactors).  He's obsessed is probably more accurate.  Every night I clean up all of his toys and put them in their bins...and every morning he gets all of them back out.  The cars usually get lined up on the fireplace and he has races and crashes them (boom).

Most of the pictures are blurry, he just won't sit still for a picture.  But you get the idea of what it's like living with a boy!

He also has a ride-on ATV from his Gigi and Papi that he likes to ride around on (and run into things with).  

He even has cute PJ's that have cars, trucks and firetrucks on them.  It's getting a bit ridiculous, but it makes him so happy.  Maybe for Christmas we'll get him the motorized Lightning McQueen...his head would explode.

Where's your head at?

Pinterest is amazing, I think everyone can agree on that.  I came across a canvas silhouette tutorial a while back, and decided to give it a whirl.  

She specifically stated not to use contact paper because it would bleed, but it was much cheaper and available easily at Hobby Lobby...so I did it anyway.  Mine DID bleed, but I kind of like the unfinished look.    Also, I wanted the lines in the background color to show, kind of a washed-out effect.

See for yourselves...isn't my spike-haired lovey just the cutest?  

The entire project cost me $10, and it absolutely brightens my day every time I see it in the hallway.  If you don't have kids, do a side shot of your pooch.  You must give it a try...go here for the deets!