Visit to Rochester and Preparing for Christmas - Advent

Hello Friends and Family, This weekend was pretty amazing! Chris and I got to take a break from work and head to Rochester, NY for the Thanksgiving weekend! It was so nice to get 5 days off from work and even nicer to spend those days with family. I finally got to meet my sweet nephew Noah! He was even more adorable than I could have imagined! Mom and Dad had Kelli's old bedroom set up for Katie and Matt with a crib, and that room is now named "The Family Room!" All the kids arrived home for the holiday by Wednesday night. The Bakers were the last to arrive and we all waited in anticipation of seeing our newest family member so we could take turns holding Noah and introduce ourselves. Thursday was Thanksgiving and the weather in Rochester was unusually warm! It was about 60 degrees so we all went for a walk. Noah loved the walk and Chris was a good uncle who enjoyed showing Noah around the neighborhood! After the walk we all filed back into the Supple house. It's amazing how the house seems to comes alive with all of her former residents! People sharing stories, playing games, and cooking meals! We had a full house for Thanksgiving. Grandma and Grandpa Supple, Aunt Sue, Michael, and Erin Southee, Megan and Jason, Katie, Matt and Noah, Me and Chris, Kelli, Mom, Dad and Grammie Brockdorff. The food was amazing! As I mentioned before, Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year and the spread we had didn't let me down! I cleaned my plate so well that Grammie taught me a new phrase, she said, "Honey, try to leave the pattern on the plate!" I thought that was funny! We finished up the evening with cards and then everyone headed home for the evening. On Friday, I did everything I could to avoid the stores! Dad (aka Dr. Supple) treated Chris and I to a teeth cleaning and my teeth are now sparkling white! Afterward, I went to Grammies so I could learn how to make a table centerpiece. Grammie is quite talented with the arrangements and she helped me put one together. It turned out beautifully! When I got back to the Supple house, Mom was already pulling her homemade, triple batch, sugar cookie dough out of the fridge so we could make holiday cookies! Kelli and Megan rolled out the dough and cut out the shapes. Erin and I began the frosting and decorating! The cookies turned out delicious! Later that evening the family reconvened for a lasagna dinner! The great food and company just didn't stop! We again filled our tummies and then relaxed watching football. On Saturday we packed up the car and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Supple's house for a holiday lunch! We again devoured some delicious food and got another quick visit with Noah before heading back home. It was a busy and quick visit, but it was also a wonderful time filled with great memories! Sunday was the first day of Advent, and in the spirit of Advent, I would like to close with a thought from my first daily Advent devotion. Advent is the time leading up to the birth of Jesus. So it is a time for preparation not just for Christmas, but for ourselves. My devotion addresses, "Waiting - as apposed to rushing around. It's so easy to practice impatience during Advent. It seems we have to wait longer than ever. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could redeem those moments? If we could start a cheerful conversation with the people in line, offer to help someone struggling with packages, say a quiet prayer for the people in the cars around us? After all, the Lord we are waiting for is already present in the people we are waiting with. And the whole purpose of his coming is to make us more peaceful and more loving." You are some of the most peaceful and loving people I know! Thank you to my family who hosted us for Thanksgiving, and to my family and friends I didn't see this Thanksgiving, know that I love you and I miss you very much! Love, Bethie