We were sad to have to cancel our trip for our Thanksgiving tradition to see Aunt Shannon and family in New Mexico. But they did a lot of prep and planning this month. They quarantined themselves for 10 days ahead of the trip. They drove all the way to AZ to spend the New Year with us!

Bill had to move the trailer over so that the slide-out could open. Their family was staying in the “Gramma’s House” Hotel.

There is a little clearance!

We were waiting out front with our crazy dog to meet them.

They went straight from the car to climbing walls and a big leaf pile in the front yard!

When they got tired of the front, they went for the digging pit in the backyard.

Malcolm just wanted to grab his cousin and run!

Meeting Trooper was a bit challenging. He was so excited and they were a little nervous

Trooper is such a good boy, but he is only 9 months old. So he is jumpy and mouthy and doesn’t have a clue how big and heavy he is.

The disc swing is a safe spot

Also on top of the playhouse!! I expected the whole thing to buckle at any second

Trooper settled and they got busy digging

They had a very long car ride, so we made some dinner and got everyone settled in to their beds!

Tonight was “The Great Conjunction” or “The Christmas Star” so I took my camera out to the end of the driveway.

From Nasa.gov: “The planets regularly appear to pass each other in the solar system, with the positions of Jupiter and Saturn being aligned in the sky about once every 20 years.

What makes this year’s spectacle so rare, then? It’s been nearly 400 years since the planets passed this close to each other in the sky, and nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at night, as it will for 2020, allowing nearly everyone around the world to witness this “great conjunction.””

I am happy that I was able to capture four moons of Jupiter, and that it was a clear night!

And because it looked nice, tonight’s moon

I would say something like how different the holiday is this year, but we have been here before. Things change and we make the most of it. Maybe it is a mac & cheese night again. We aren’t making a turkey tonight, but we will make one half way between Thanksgiving and Christmas and call it good. I have a lot to be grateful for, and a heck of a load of pictures I should have been posting.

Our recent tradition of meeting up family in New Mexico was put on hold, but we will resume when it is safe again. If we were together, I would have set up a studio for tons of portraits. That part still happened, just with less subjects.

I made my own pattern for this sweater for Brendan. It is hard to see that it has owls down the sleeves.

He requested this style sweater to look like a video game character, the wrench goes with the look.

Our newest family member had to be part of the action too. He was about as cooperative as you would expect a toddler to be. From a photographer’s point of view, I did not get the shots I was hoping for. From a mom’s point of view, I will cherish all of these images forever.

Happy Thanksgiving! We miss all of our family and friends and send lots of love out to everyone.