Thankful with a Capital T

I had to remind myself that it was a blog night. It doesn't really feel like Sunday evening to me, but that could be because I've eaten so much over the past four days that my body is in a fog. A thick, dense fog of mashed potatoes, noodles, cheese ball, and an array of desserts, all of which contain chocolate. I'm in a chocolate cheese, noodle, potato fog. Gross. No wonder I can't figure out what day it is.

Throughout this whole weekend, I've been thinking about traditions. You know, every family's got their traditions. How many times do you have to do something before it becomes a "tradition?" Now that this is Landon's second round of holidays, I've been enjoying some of the "old" ones through new eyes and can see some new ones forming.

Old tradition: We started giving thanks on Wednesday night at Aunt Deanna and Uncle Don's with some pizza. Some of Chad's family is unable to stick around on Thanksgiving day, so the eve of turkey day, we eat pizza and hang out at the house of the hostess of Thanksgiving. We did something this year that we haven't done in the past, and get this....it's kind of an "old" tradition from my side of the family. It's known as "THE COUCH PICTURE." My fam will know exactly what I'm talking about, but if you're on the Kutscher/Cox side and you're reading this, being the bright people you are, you probably have it figured out. Every year, (usually at Christmas with my side) all the kids sit on the couch and we take the beloved couch picture. By the time I was in junior high I think we had out grown the couch, so we all just kind of stood around it, or sat in front of it....but you get the idea. Now that the future generation is really picking up in numbers, I give you the first Kutscher/Cox couch picture. (For readers who don't recognize all of these adorable faces: from left to right Liam, Abigail, Julia, and Landon. Julia and Liam are Chad's cousin's and Abigail is Chad's sister's)

Thursday we had our first official Thanksgiving. Whoever hosts the Cox Kutscher event always makes a turkey and ham, but the past few years Uncle Stallion has also deep fries a turkey and done some kind of injection magic on a bird. I don't really know what it entails, but YUMMO. And here's another new tradition: Landon eating desserts off everyone else's plates. This happens at every family function, not just the holidays. If Landon had an indian name, it would be "Little Bird." Can you see how far is mouth is open? He doesn't do that for vegetables.

I look at Thanksgiving as the official kick off to Christmas. I like the turkey and all the good food, but what I really get pumped for is this next tradition. Old tradition: putting up the Christmas Tree on Thanksgiving. When I was at home, we usually did this either before we went to Grandma Linda's or in the evening after we came home. Before was the best, because the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was on. New tradition: You put up the tree whenever you can find time in the jam packed weekend to do so. :) This year we put it up in stages. Wednesday night at about midnight, I had the actual tree put up. Thursday night at about midnight, it was decorated. This will need to be modified when Landon is able to participate in the actual decorating of the tree, but it worked for this year. And here's another new tradition I'm declaring that is somewhat related: Taking Landon and Stella's picture in front of the tree for the Christmas card. I didn't do this last year, because we had family pictures taken in the late fall, so I just used one of those. To the left, is what our Christmas card WILL NOT look like. Curse you Shutterfly and your three day only sales. I tried to force Landon into a picture. He wasn't having it....in his defense he is cutting four teeth right now. Poor Stella. If that look doesn't say, "Get me the heck out of here" I don't know what does. I don't think this picture would adequately spread holiday cheer.

Friday we headed to Mom and Dad's. We had dinner with Grandpa and Grandma on Friday night, and at Grandma Linda's on Saturday night. Landon climbed up the ladder a few dozen times "helping" Dad hang Christmas lights. (This would be a great tradition to keep up, but with the weather, who knows) Uncle Michael and Grandpa pulled Landon on the pedal tractor up and down the drive way, which is becoming a tradition of EVERY trip home we make. We all enjoyed Michael's Wii. Landon even did some bowling and Mario Kart driving. (well, he held the controllers and thought he was). We saw Grandma Linda, the Koester Klan, Uncle Bob, Uncle John, Aunt Rhonda, Krista, and Nikki, and we met baby Layla for the first time. She is a cutie. She was having a bad tummy ache, but I sympathize.

So did you think about what you were thankful for this weekend? You're supposed to, and if you didn't you should. I always write things I'm thankful for on the blog, but they're usually dumb things like having my boots fixed or equally insignificant fluff. Things that I really am thankful for, that do matter are:

5. Good health for me and those I love.

4. Our home. Even though I want to rip out the kitchen and knock out walls, and add on, and the list goes on....it's a warm house, and it's our home.

3. Landon Landon Landon. I don't think I've ever been so thankful for anything in my entire life. Even when he's cutting four teeth, and let me tell ya, that's not a cake walk.

2. Chad. The one who balances my craziness, makes me enjoy life, and holds everything together.

1. My family and friends. The ones I've had all my life and the ones I was lucky enough to inherit when I married Chad. The people you love and the ones that love you....that's something to really be thankful for.