So Thankful

...to have survived this week! And not only survived, but enjoyed! We seriously had a jam-packed week, but we really enjoyed it all.

We celebrated my 9th Boyd Thanksgiving Christmas on Thursday with a majority of the Boyd family (we missed you Walsh family!) and tons of yummy food! I think we really have this event down to a science because everything came together so easily!

The kids were ready to eat a little bit before the food was ready...

The food was great, as always! And everyone contributed their specialities, which made it that much better.

We also enjoyed opening our first Christmas presents for the season. JD got a Thomas Train set, that all the kids enjoyed playing that evening. JD calls it his "Mister Island" set.

Meg played with her new laptop a bunch too (as did all of the other kids). She is into everything that lights up and plays songs right now.

Jackson and JD are two peas in a pod right now and are totally in love with Toy Story. Jackson got a "Woody" guitar and had so much fun (when JD wasn't playing with it)!

We went home pretty tired that evening, but I couldn't sleep because Heather and I hit Black Friday sales, starting at 2:30 am!! I had 2 toys that I REALLY wanted to get for my kids at Target and their sale started at 4 am. I haven't ever done the Black Friday thing, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

As a warm up, my sister Dara and I went to the 10 pm sale on Thanksgiving evening at Toys R Us and the line was wrapped all the way around the building and behind the strip mall! It was RIDICULOUS and the epitome of why I don't do sales like that! So we turned around and left!

But that made me more determined to get a good spot for the sale I really wanted at Target! I got an okay spot at 2:30 and Heather hit Toys R Us for both of us, while I waited in the freezing cold. At the stroke of 4, they opened the doors and I ran (yes, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that) to get the 2 toys that I wanted - 7 Toy Story action figures and a music table. Nobody even cared about those things. They were going crazy over $298 40 inch flat screen tvs right behind my 2 toys.

Oh well. I still got my savings and both of my kids are going to be over the moon when they get their presents. Heather and I strolled (yes, strolled) around and picked up several good deals and took our time checking out. I saved about $100 on my purchases and got things that I really wanted (no impulse shopping). It was actually a VERY positive experience and I think I might do it again...next year!

The Target we went to in Allen got national attention and this photo and others from the store were published by Dallas Morning News and other publications all over the world! Scary! I'm glad Heather and I weren't caught by the cameras wearing our 10 layers of clothing, no makeup and tired faces!

No time for a nap for me - my little boy was ready for action at 6 am when I got home, so we got busy making fruit salad and getting ready for my family's Thanksgiving at 11:30. We had a great time and really great food. My uncle and his family were in from Indiana, so our normal numbers were up by a few. But we couldn't linger too long because it was off to Jon's brother David's 40th birthday party! By then, Black Friday excitement was wearing off and exhaustion was setting in.

I got the kids home by 8:45 and then started to bake cupcakes and finish final preparations for Meg's First Birthday party. Yes, you heard me right! We had Meg's first birthday party the next day, but that is another post.

We truly had a great week and have so much to be thankful for this year. One of the things I am most thankful for is family to spend time with and enjoy over so many days and events!