My Once Upon a Time...

My ex-mother in law, and ex-grandma in law both purchased condos in Mexico this year, so all of us were invited to spend Thanksgiving with the entire family there. Katie offered for me to drive with them, and this was my view...two kids who constantly needed to touch me...haha. You know I loved that though! Their place was absolutely gorgeous, and the beach has always been my happy place. I don't ever take it for granted that I'm still part of their family and included in every single holiday. We played a lot of UNO on this trip. Grandma and Finn on the balcony, I love this picture. Katie, Christina and I took Finn down to the beach after dinner (Fox opted to stay upstairs with grandma). He really wanted to go into the hot tub, and he had the entire pool area to himself. The next morning Finn and I went looking for sand dollars and shells. Cousin time! We all had Thanksgiving dinner downstairs in one of their community rooms, I think there were about 24 of us, and the boys had ...

A week before Thanksgiving, I hosted my first "Friendsgiving". I didn't have the kids for the actual holiday and I wasn't sure if I was going to be invited to any of Katie's family, so I decided to start a new tradition and celebrate with the people who mean the most to me (besides my kids of course) and who have been my chosen family. I provided the turkey, dessert and drinks and everyone else brought a side. It was perfect. I usually don't really like Thanksgiving food, but everything was delicious. It was a night full of laughter and honest, unfiltered conversations. What I love about my friends is that nobody has a filter, everyone feels comfortable to speak their truth, but also gives honest feedback to their friends. There is no judgement, ever... and this night was a prime example of that. I loved every minute of it. We all wrote down our memories from this year on these popsicle sticks and I can't wait to r...

We spent Thanksgiving at Katie's grandma's house in Mexico. This was Fox's 4th trip down there, but the second one he could remember. He talked about our last trip there back in May often, so we were excited about taking him back.  The weather was surprisingly nice and not too cold. We've been to Mexico a few times over Thanksgiving and the weather can be hit or miss.  Grandpa Wes gave Fox some special goggles that he wouldn't take off.  Just like last time, he loved to play outside! Yes, I am wearing slippers on the beach. I'm always cold and these are the most comfortable slippers I have ever owned and I would wear them all day long if I could (Katie's mom bought them for me in Alaska - best gift ever!). Playing airplanes Great-Grandpa Wes and Fox The day after Thanksgiving we went into town to have some lunch. Love these two! ...