Splitting up holidays is something we don’t have much experience with, being newlyweds.  All we know is that last Christmas was a nightmare trying to race from Des Moines to Coralville to Kalona trying to hit up all of the family gatherings.  Christmas was over before we blinked and we were exhausted beyond belief.  Our pre-marital counselors told us that we need to figure out how to do holidays the way that is going to work best for us as a family, not for our separate families.  Thus began Kevin and my decision of how to split these holidays up without making ourselves crazy with exhaustion and stress.  We are still trying to figure out Christmas (though rest assured it will be no repeat of last year), but we have our Thanksgivings figured out.  We will rotate back and forth between his family and mine.

This year was his family.  We had a fabulous feast yesterday (his mom is a genius cook) and some good times around the table playing Apples to Apples.  Kevin took along his PS3 and Up in HD and we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon watching the movie and then watching football.  Overall, it was a wonderful holiday.  I was so full and sleep that I went to bed by 9:30.  I haven’t done that since the stressful wedding-planning days!

I think this is the cutest tic-tac-toe game board!

Apples to Apples and laughter go hand in hand.

Joanne’s blooming cactus plant

I went around the house today and took some pictures outside.  This is what I got.