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We spent 10 days in Texas with {most of} my family for Thanksgiving, and we had a blast!! As I have mentioned, I have a ginormous family. We used to flip flop meeting up for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but a few years back we decided that we are REALLY good at eating, so we claimed Thanksgiving for my side of the family. It works for us!

My parents (+4 youngest siblings), older sister and her family (DH+6 kids), and younger brother and his family (DW +1 baby) all moved from California back to Texas about a year and a half ago. This was our first time out to visit them since the huge Exodus.

I lived in the Houston area (Friendswood) in high school and most of college, and the fam moved to California while I was in Europe. It’s an interesting story. No, they were not trying to get rid of me. At least, I don’t think they were. Hmm . . .

Anyway, this time, they moved to Austin. Here is a little nutshell of this trip:

• My family is still very good at eating and serving up delicious food. We flew out to Austin on Thanksgiving morning and arrived in time to sit down to Thanksgiving dinner. Perfect timing, eh?
• My brother has learned how to smoke meat. I mean, in a meat smoker. He made the BEST brisket!! Super yum.
• Our family seriously lucked out when my brother married his wife, Sara. You know, Sara of the adorable hair bows and headbands?? Yes, we got crafty together! We tried out a couple of different fabric flowers and had so much fun burning fabric!! She took me to Hobby Lobby. {squeal!} We bought funky fabric and I made us some new purses. I literally tore my old purse apart and used it as the pattern. It was an adventure!!

• My mother has a jewelry fetish. She took us to a bead store the day after Thanksgiving and we picked up the most gorgeous necklace and earring sets! My mom dug through the bead bowl and picked out a bunch of beads so she could make earrings for some of her necklaces that she already owned. Then, my niece put them together for her, so now she has perfectly matching sets! By the way, I remember when my niece was born. She will be a teenager next month. UGH.
• On this trip, we celebrated 2 birthday parties (sister Hannah and niece Cara) and an anniversary (Tim and Sara). This required cake, and lots of it!
• My brother-in-law made his famous sour cream cut-outs and tons of butter cream frosting, then set up a table with bowls of colored frosting and sprinkles. I wish I’d had the camera going during this time, but he got some great pictures of the kids and cookies with mounds of toppings. That was a definite memory-maker!

• We took a trip to Fredericksburg and ate German food. We are big fans of the German food around here! (That is kind of an understatement, actually.) Unfortunately, Grant picked up whatever flu bug the cousins had been passing around and had to ride all the way back to the house with a plastic garbage bag on his lap, if you know what I’m sayin’ . . . and I think you do.
• Cole came down with the 24 hour bug the next day! Oh, the joy! And now, I know that I would like a great steam vac/carpet cleaner thingy for Christmas. Those things are da bomb.
• We discovered Netflix and the TV show Lie To Me. We are a television-less family. Actually, we do have a couple of TVs, but they don’t get any channels/cable/bunny ears, etc. Nuthin’. We’ve been this way for about 5 years now, and we only sometimes miss it. However, we decided to get the whole Netflix streaming through the Wii, which I just purchased using Amazon gift cards earned through Swag Bucks. Okay, the truth is that I am completely addicted to Lie To Me. It is SUCH a fun show!! Now Grant gets all nervous when I tilt my head and look him in the eyes while questioning him. It’s a crack up!

We got to meet our nephew, little Liam for the first time! What a treasure that boy is. So adorable and sweet!! Cole’s favorite people to hang out with on this trip were his cousin’s Liam (Tim and Sara’s boy) and the birthday girl, Cara (Jen and Matt’s youngest). These three got along wonderfully!

Grant’s favorite people to hang out with were his cousin Daniel (whose personality is SO similar to Grant’s!) and his aunt Hannah (my 12 year old sister). They loved playing soccer and exploring the many playgrounds and ponds around my parents’ house. By the way, we had the privilege of watching my sister play in her first basketball game ever. She totally dominated, scoring a majority of her team’s points. It was awesome!

My family’s church puts on an event in Georgetown, a cute little town with a lot of history, called Bethlehem Village. They reenact what Bethlehem must have been like when Jesus was born. There was so much to do there, and the boys had a wonderful time.

Mitch had to fly back home a little early, so that left me flying home with the two boys. I really wasn’t concerned about it at all, but I probably should have been because, OH MY GOODNESS were we in for an adventure!!

First of all, I’m a traveling PRO. I have traveled around the world and across the country quite a bit, so I know to be organized and prepared and don’t wear a belt because you don’t want to have to take it off and then accidentally leave it at security. I have learned my lessons.

So, I was feeling kind of cocky as I guided two little barefoot boys through security, never holding up the line. We got to the end of the conveyor belt and were putting on our shoes when Grant says, “Mom, they stopped my backpack.” “Aw, don’t worry about it,” I replied. “Just put on your shoes.”

THEN, they called over another security guard and she asks whose backpack it is. I point, “It’s his.” No biggie. Yeah, go ahead and search it. All you’ll find are books and a couple of little toys.

She stuck her hand into a little pocket where I had put a Bakugan and some Pokemon cards that morning and she pulled out a razor blade. A RAZOR BLADE, people. Like the little rectangular kind with a very sharp edge!! I gasped!! Oh my gosh!! Where did you get that!?! Eyes bulging, heart racing!! Are they going to strip search me??

The gal laughed and let us go. Apparently my micro expressions (and macro expressions) must have registered truthfully. Good grief.

On our layover in Phoenix, we were accosted by elves wanting us to take a picture with Santa. I’m so grateful!

Um, apparently my scanner totally sucks. But, look at those children!! They sprang forth from MY womb!! Gorgeous little guys, don’t ya think? Oh, thank you Santa, for not being creepy and for getting my kids to smile!! I just love this photo.

I was feeling all smug-and-satisfied-because-my-boys-are-gorgeous, so I decided to treat them both to a hot chocolate at Starbucks. Just my little way of saying, “Thanks for rockin’ my world!”

AND, this is how sweet Cole thanked me just moments after we sat down at the gate:

I am VERY proud to announce that I did not lose my cool, nor did I freak out. It was the mother of all Academy Awards performances. After my toes dried a bit, I did kind of giggle inside, because COME ON!! Razor blades and chocolate scented toes in the same day!!

{sigh!}

I texted my mother, and she had me take a picture. I didn’t take enough pictures at Thanksgiving dinner, but I did take pictures of my foot. Hmmm.

Oh, and this:

Because it’s not every day that you allow your 4 year old to sprawl across the dirty airport terminal floor playing with his “guys”. And, it’s not every day that you can catch your 7 year old dutifully and willingly completing his math homework. This photo is a reminder to me to be thankful for this stage in life: blond headed sweethearts, unbelievable antics and sticky toes will forever be remembered.

Okay, so have any of you ever been stopped for contraband in the security line of an airport?