{p,h,f,r}

Our November was a tad busy here.  The first half of the month was taken up with the preparations and celebration of my sister's wedding.  And then came Thanksgiving, which is Rob's favorite holiday and always a big deal here at the HomeFront.

And thanks to Thanksgiving being so late in the month, it felt like we pushed back from the big dinner and Advent was upon us.  It keeps catching me off-guard when I realize it is December.

My sister's wedding was perfectly wonderful, full of love and joy and all the shenanigans that 7 kids in formal wear can occasion.  

• Bun, after having a tuxedo mishap in which he had to swap out the pants for his pajama bottoms, asked a grown woman to dance to "Ice, Ice Baby."  
• Sally made about 17 trips to the bar for fancy wineglasses full of lemonade.  
• Francie got up and killed it on the dance floor when they played "Gangnam Style."  
• Mopsy, Baby, and I did the "Cha Cha Slide." 
• Septimus bit off a huge chunk of cucumber, choked, and then threw up all over his wedding clothes.
• Fiver ate three plates of food at the buffet and then ate three pieces of cake.  And then he felt sick on the way home.  Huh. 

I also forgot my camera, so please enjoy all these blurry phone pictures of the festivities: 

"Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters . . ."

Before he ate the dinners of three men ...

Before the wardrobe malfunction and pajama pants ...

Before the cucumber chunk lodged in his throat ...

Before the reception started, doing what teenagers do best -
checking her phone ….

Before all the fancy wineglasses of lemonade … 

Selfie with my baby boy

Baby was fascinated by the twinkle lights decorating the reception hall.

Mopsy and Mommy

 This was the first year in a long time that we did not host Thanksgiving for my family.  In the past, my family has come to us because it was easier.  I've been pregnant for the past 3 Thanksgivings, Rob has been on call some years, and with little kids, sometimes it's just easier to be in a place where you can put them to bed for a nap and enjoy your company.

But this year, my brother and sister-in-law really wanted to host in their home so we traveled.  It was great and I thoroughly enjoyed being their guest.  My brother and his wife have a lovely home and they do a lot of entertaining.

My sister-in-law had three different crafts ready for each of the kids, and she found a tablecloth that they could color while they ate dinner.  They even got their own place cards.   It was way better than home.  As Sally told her friend's mother, "My aunt and uncle have the best house.  They live in a mansion.  In a neighborhood of mansions!  And they always have lots of fun stuff to do."

It's true -- they have a Lego room, people.  That's major fun.

And for the adults? Individual mini bottles of asti spumante for toasting.  Also major fun.

This face is a classic.

The beautiful table.

Coloring the tablecloth

Getting crafty

Ready for some delicious dinner

I took 75 pictures of the kids.
Baby was scowling in at least 50 of them.
This was the best one, and this is why the
Christmas card with a group shot is still a few years off.

A picture of the two of us?
It's a Thanksgiving Day miracle.