Ringing in 2026!

This was one of those years that went by so quickly. I feel like we just celebrated 2025, and now here we are closing out the year and turning the calendar to 2026. And so much happened this year! I used to do these big annual recaps on the blog, but now I feel lucky if I even get a post written.  The time is going fast, and the days are busier and fuller than ever.

A lot happened this year:  we got another dog; JB's last year of elementary school and first year of middle school; Wesley's first year of camp meant all three kiddos left for camp this summer; we celebrated another double digit in NYC (Maryn); a tribal organization acquired GovStrive, which meant positive changes for all involved. We lost some very special people in our lives, with the unexpected goodbye to Ms. Therlon, which cast a sad shadow on the year.  DC-based decisions made it a very interesting/stressful year to be a government contractor!  But we have so, so much to be thankful for.  

We celebrated the New Year at the Farm with the Florida Sasser/Pivacek family.  We enjoyed great food, fabulous company, killer music, and lots of bubbly.  

We did lots of puzzles, watched a lot of football (including an unexpected GA Bulldog loss!), played games and cornhole, went on walks, and tried to get a couple of more does for the freezer (unsuccessfully!)

The temperatures turned frigid, but thankfully we had fires going inside and out.  I can't think of a more perfect, relaxing way to start out the year.  So grateful for the time together!

November - you were FAST

Good grief, November went by fast. I had to actually look at pictures to remember what all happened!  And this was even with a later Thanksgiving, which closed out the month.  

Of course, we spent a lot of time at the Farm, and all the kiddos (and James) spent a lot of time in the deer stand.  No monsters this year, but Wesley did get back his nice buck from last year (which is now in his room!)

After closing out the tennis season with a Regional win, JB attended his first sports banquet!

We did forgo hunting one Saturday so that I could attend my favorite Ford event: the Wild West Party!

Lots of things happened at school, and I always took advantage of being there when I could.  We had lunch week AND PE week!  Plus, since tennis season ended, JB is now helping me with the preschoolers at J.A.M. (Jesus and Me) - and I love it!

Speaking of little loves, Wesley and I have a breakfast date every Tuesday morning after dropping his sister off early for chorus practice. It's one of the highlights of my week. He is the absolute sweetest thing, who loves his hot chocolate with a splash of coffee.

On one (warm) Saturday afternoon, our Naturalist and her biologist husband caught and tagged an alligator in our backyard. While it wasn't the BIG one they are trying to tag (and discourage from getting onto our dock, where he/she likes to hang out), the smaller one allowed the kids to do a lot of hands-on learning. 

It's a girl!

The SEC Volleyball Championship took place in Savannah the weekend before Thanksgiving, and we got to take in TWO Texas matches - including a big semi-final match against Texas A&M.  Happy to say that Texas won both of them, and we got to sing Texas Fight and The Eyes of Texas to our hearts' content.  

We wrapped up the month with a wonderfully warm and active Thanksgiving down at the Farm. First, we had our annual neighbor brunch (with two families who will always be our neighbors, no matter where we live!

And then we celebrated actual Thanksgiving Day with the Atlanta Sassers. I failed to get too many pics - other than this wonderful picture of Gia with her grandkids that she used for her Christmas card!  (I also got a few candids while we were looking for the best lighting for the Christmas card pictures.  Such cuties.)

Not shown: I also fully decorated our house for Christmas the week before Thanksgiving (which I never do) in order to prep for the kick-off of the Christmas season with a Christmas party at our house on November 30th. But I'll save that for the holiday post. :)

Christmas with the Sasser Family

Just a few weeks after Thanksgiving at the Farm we returned for Christmas at the Farm!  Whew!  But this time we had a very special guest, as Aunt Wyllene (and Uncle Buddy) joined us for all the fun. :)

We tried to mix it up a bit since we just had turkey, so James made a delectable beef tenderloin that everyone - especially the kiddos - enjoyed. The weather was gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outside playing with our cousins. Ms. Karen made the most delicious 14-layer cake (that I could never ever make in a million years). 

On Sunday we managed to get the whole crew (not easy with 6 littles) to church on time for a beautiful 4th Sunday of Advent.  We worshipped with our Pine Forest family and together as a Sasser family.

Dublin still holds such a special place in our hearts and we continue to make so many lovely memories as a family (and extended family) there.  

Christmas 2025 Round One!  A very special one! 

Another wonderful Thanksgiving!

After traveling back from Texas for the Kerr Thanksgiving, we did a quick turnaround in RH before traveling up to the Farm to meet with all of the other Sassers and extended family.  Fortunately I had made and frozen a lot of dishes while in Dublin for the Antique Fair, so my job to prepare for Thanksgiving was relatively easy.  That meant I got to relax and enjoy the time 

We had some delicious food! Between James' infrared fried turkey, all the sides, and a delicious cheesecake made by Nicole's grandmother...whew, we were stuffed.

The kiddos love having all their cousins together and I know Gia loves having all her grandkids together.  They played and played and played.

And Tilly was in the middle of all the action, too! When she wasn't being the laziest puppy... 

The boys all wanted to hunt on Thanksgiving night and I got to spend some time with JB in the stand. This was my first time to hunt with him and we had a great time. He didn't scold me for noise as much as his daddy does... :)

I did not go on the early morning hunts, otherwise known as "nap time" for the Sasser men.

That wrapped up a wonderful Thanksgiving season and then we moved IMMEDIATELY into Christmas (as Thanksgiving fell late this year!)