The Second Pie & Thanksgiving Seconds.

Ok, so I know I'm delayed in posting up my Thanksgiving photos, but my goodness, can we pause just a minute before we get into Christmas? Just for me - for just one second? I'm not ready yet! I'm truly still on Thanksgiving! I still haven't removed the pumpkins from the doorstep and the corn from the door; no red ribbons or lights have been strung. Mainly because I've been sick as a dog, but also because I just can't move that quickly. I like to savor every last bite...

And so we did! Here's the second pie: Apple Grand Marnier. Yummy.



Riley helped set the table by hunting for pinecones and handwriting place settings.




They boys loved their jeep and drove it down to the train tracks by the cabin. I pretty much took my camera everywhere they went, which was fun. I think they think Aunt Ali has a permanent lens strapped to her face.




But even Riley tolerated me taking his portrait after awhile.



And Finley was always a good sport.



We did a separate little photoshoot of her in her ballerina tutu that Mom gifted her. I know, she's simply gorgeous, right?




So let me warn you, all three of them are ridiculously cute. I know, so unfair.




And here's a sneak peak of some of the shots from the family photoshoot we did.



I've got some more on that to share too. It was really fun. I've never really shot anything formally like that before, especially with a gaggle of kids! I learned quite a lot. But mostly, that I'd love to be doing this even more. I can't imagine my life without holding a camera in my hands. I look at things so differently now, just in this past year. It's a hard thing to explain. Well, actually Alicia, explains it quite well in her book, Stitched in Time...

"...Because if you start taking photos of everyday life, you will start looking at everyday life differently. I think it just happens — you don't have to try. Through the viewfinder, I started looking around at my life and realized it looked pretty darn good, actually. Some days, in spite of the ubiquitous stacks of dirty dishes and piles of mail, it even looked beautiful. And I realized that not only did it look that way, it was that way. I had not noticed, not to such an extent, before it all started showing up, day after day, in my little camera. The evidence of how we've been blessed with family, food, pets, a roof over our head, warm blankets on our beds — is in a thousand photos I've taken over the past few years."

It's a pretty amazing realization. All those little snapshots add up to such a beautiful story. I have a lot to be thankful for.