Thanksgiving, 2016

 

I think it took me 11 hours to 

set up Christmas this year 😅

 

Seriously, what took so long?!

"Sunday Thanksgiving" at our house with Evans' side

Young adults table

Kids table

 

Adults table

Leaves for the Thanksgiving Tree and the 
"Guess who is thankful for..." game

Thanksgiving turkeys for the turkeys...

Candy Bar game

The next generation could not be any cuter!

Briner-side Thanksgiving in Aunt Britt's new house

More turkeys 😉

Cutest ever picture of Reza, don't you think?

Mahdi's just happy to be surrounded with FOOD

Mahdi evaluating whether these 
three really do look alike?

The Briner girls. One of these things is 
not like the others... 🙆

And turn to the other side... turn, Lorenne

Reading the Thanksgiving Tree leaves and guessing whose is whose...

Got stumped on this one: thankful for... "Glycoprotein IIB IIIA Inhibitors" (Dr. Hacking 😉)

Then did the Mannequin challenge

(wish I could figure how to post it)

Impromptu Family Pictures, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving! (2 months ago 😜)

Elle's Would-be 9th

The crew after Elle's birthday breakfast 

(forgot to take pics 😆) 

Mia ate, then bolted for Sam's... priorities

Pink ties for Elle on Sunday; 

red is as close to pink as MK gets...

"Mom, take a picture of me... 

I look so cool like this..." 😂

"HAPPY Birthday! Elle! Hope your meeting
princesses and riding unicorns

Love, Cam" 😭

Mahdi brought flowers and water to 
wash off her headstone 💗💕💗💕

Reza looks like a ghost...

And Elle's still sending us her pink sunsets

 

 Our friend, Clint, had an experience while he stayed overnight at our house that let us know 

that Elle's here in our home. 

I'm so happy and relieved that she's close. She's still a part of our family. I'm sure she knows we need 

her and miss her so much.

 

For the last several months our family has changed a lot and has required serious time and energy, but I'm grateful that it has launched me more fully 

into life since her death.  

So, lately the grief catches me off-guard. Lingering for more than a few seconds on a picture of her or seeing a little blondie at the store with her mom or, today, after checking Cam back into school after a lunch date and walking the halls of the elementary school looking to peek in at my other grade schooler and realizing... 

I don't have one. 

All of us moms go through this. Our little kids don't stay little. And I'm glad I miss that time of my life. It means that I loved it, and I loved them.

 What's not to love?