Personal

The Outtakes and Thanksgiving

So… you know how life can sometimes get so busy where you feel like you’re treading water but it’s getting harder and harder and you feel like you’re struggling to keep your head above water?

Yeah, it’s felt like that for these past few months.

All good things- school stuff, activities, schedules, appointments. Means the kids are growing up, thriving, and we are definitely not in the baby stage of life anymore. While I make my peace with that (peace out, baby!), I blink and keep seeing these kids of ours growing and changing faster than I even want to think about. Blink and I’ll have teenagers cleaning out my fridge. Blink again and I’ll be sending them off to fly on their own. Makes my head spin.

So I’m deeply thankful to God for this stage of life with healthy, happy kids but also find myself exhausted by the day’s end and want nothing more than to crawl into my bed, close my eyes, and repeat it all again the next day.

Doesn’t leave too much room for the creative things I love to do- picture taking, story telling. But I’ve missed it and it sometimes weighs heavy on me the further and further I fall behind. Especially now as my kids have found the few blog books I’ve managed to get printed and love poring through the pages and keep asking when I’ll make the next one. So the struggle between making memories and preserving them continues for me.

But being several months behind is still better than giving up entirely, so here I am. With a Thanksgiving recap. Ha.

Ah, Thanksgiving. One of my favorite holidays made even better now that the kids are older and willing to pitch in and help out. It’s great now because their help is, well, actually helpful! So we spent the day prepping and cooking, laughing and talking. All together at home, cozily feeling the joy of family.

In the midst of all that, we decided that was also the best time to stop everything, throw on our Christmas sweaters newly purchased from Target, and head out for our annual Christmas card photo. Yep, great idea. Well, it kinda was the best time to get it done in terms of Phil’s work schedule, but maybe not the best time in terms of trying to fit one more biggish task on top of a day filled with tasks.

 

Well, at least we had a pretty day and a pretty view to enjoy.
Well, at least we had a pretty day and a pretty view to enjoy.

 

 

Our first attempt. Not quite what I had envisioned, and we are, um, too wide for the path.
Our first attempt. Not quite what I had envisioned, and we were, um, too wide for the path.

 

 

And then I started losing them already.
And then I already started losing them.

 

 

My youngest child might have actually been trying to moon the camera at this point. You can tell by my face how amused I was by this.
My youngest child might have actually been trying to moon the camera at this point. It might have been a good time to throw in the towel, admit defeat, and try again another day.

 

 

But that is not how we Tsais roll. We believe in joining 'em when you can't beat 'em.
But that is not how we Tsais roll. We believe in joining ’em when you can’t beat ’em. But also because we have a stubborn streak that doesn’t know when to give up.

 

 

New location, new attempt.
New location, new attempt.

 

 

Yet the silliness continued. Apple, tree? Heard of it?
Yet the silliness continued. Apple, tree? Heard of it?

 

 

Well, at least individual shots worked.
Well, at least individual shots worked.

 

 

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Smaller groupings- divide and conquer, I say.
Smaller groupings- divide and conquer, I say.

 

 

Doing leg lunges with his boys. Why, I cannot tell you for I do not know.
Doing leg lunges with his boys. Why, I cannot tell you for I do not know.

 

 

And finally, we got a keeper.
And finally, we got a keeper.

 

 

Then we rushed home, took our annual bad family picture around our table before finally digging in.
Then we rushed home, took our annual bad family picture around our table before finally digging in.

 

Though it may be but a distant memory for you now, I hope your Thanksgiving was full of family, food, laughter, and love! Oh and thankfulness, too!

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