thanksgiving in my mountains

I think the older I get, the more I love Thanksgiving.
There's food and naps, and general lack of structure (aside from the meal) and nobody seems to mind.
The whole day revolves around food and family and being together.
Every year gets better I think, so this year (naturally) was my favorite thus far.
Not only did I bring a little human into the mix, but it snowed Wednesday night.
We were just barely above the snow line
and we came home Wednesday and woke up Thursday to magic.
I crawled out of bed early after feeding Rory and leaving her to snuggle with Jay,
and snuck outside to take some pictures (which I will put in another blog post- there are so many!)

Then during Rory's morning nap, Jay and I snuck away to take a drive
like we did so many times while I was pregnant with Rory.
In the late afternoon, we headed over to Grandma's house with pies and yams in tow.
And you know the rest.

But maybe the best part of it all was the thanksgiving. (thanks to Jess for making sure it happened)
We went around in a circle and expressed gratitude for what we have.
I was raised by such a wonderful family full of tender-hearted, good people,
and I am so blessed to include my extended family in that statement.
I have so much to be thankful for,
 and no matter how off our schedule we get during the holidays, it's so so worth it.
Mostly I'm grateful that I can choose to be happy, through the good and bad.
And the more I make that choice the better my life is.

*also I won't pretend like Rory doesn't help keep me happy. 
I couldn't help but take a picture or two when she sat happily in grandpa's recliner with him for a good 20 minutes. 
Melt my heart.