Excitement in the air

Thankful thought of the day - Today I am thankful for nieces and nephews.

There is an excitement in the air at our house. The holiday is approaching. We are cleaning house, making menus, making lists, and preparing for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. My children and their families will be over. I love when I get all my grandchildren together at one time. I'm going to shoot for a photo of all five of them. Colby is 7 1/2 weeks old and I have yet been able to get them all together in one photo. We'll see how it goes Thursday. I love Thanksgiving. The food is awesome and we get to spend time browsing through the ads to get gift ideas.

But this year, I have another reason to be excited. Three of my nieces are driving down to arrive late Thursday evening and will spend a couple of days with me. We are going to get up Friday around 4:00 to head out for Black Friday shopping. I am so excited to have them visit. Lori is in her early 30's and will be leaving her husband and two boys at home to fend for themselves. Amy is in her late 20's and will be leaving her goat and dog at home for her husband to take care of. Emili a senior in high school and will be leaving her high school woes behind. I've got to make some of the families favorite chocolate oatmeal cookies for the girls to have when they get here. I always make them for Thanksgiving. Every year, I leave the house around 4:30 AM on Black Friday, armed with shopping list, sale papers, a baggie of those cookies and a glass of milk.

I am so blessed to have nieces who look forward to spending time with their Aunt. We are going to have a fabulous weekend. This will be the first time just the three of them have visited by themselves. I'm so excited!