Thanksgiving

We tried, as a family, to spend the entire month of November remembering what we are thankful for. While there are no pictures to document it, we did a thankful wreath again this year. It was so fun to daily - or at least most days - have a set aside time to talk to the kids about what we have to be thankful for. Probably my favorite part of our thankful wreath this year was the fact that every day either Caleb or Creed - or both of them - would say their thankful thing was Jesus. It was so convicting to me to hear daily that my boys were thankful for Jesus. I love their hearts - even if at this point they only say it because they know it pleases Chris and I. I'm praying that as they grow their thankfulness for Jesus will cross from something that pleases their parents into something that really grows in their own hearts as they begin to explore a relationship with Him themselves. I know I am so thankful for Jesus and the fact that this blessed beyond abundance life I live is a result of every good thing that has come from Him. How could we not be thankful and respond with a life that honors Him? 

On to the actual day of Thanksgiving......

This year for Thanksgiving we stayed home. Em, Rob and their kids came over and we had a ver low-key time together. It was so much fun! 

Thanksgiving we got up and watched the parade. It was so fun watching the kids pay attention to a parade that we have all watched all our lives. 

After the parade we got to the business of Thanksgiving eating/cooking. We decided to fry our turkey and it was a good choice!  Christopher did a fantastic job with it!

      

 Look at that yummy goodness!

 Em and I did all the rest of the good. This was the first year that I have done an entire Thanksgiving meal without my Mom - and it still turned out pretty good :)  Although we would have loved for Mom, and the rest of the family, to be there with us!

 While the turkey was frying, Chris took pictures of the kids - because that's what you should do on Thanksgiving!

This girl is way bigger than she should be!

Thanksgiving without football just wouldn't do - so Caleb took care of the football part for us!

Cousins playing together - does it get much

 better than that? It's not exactly Aunt Connie's

 house in Ft. Green but I'm grateful for the 

memories they'll have together regardless!

 This pool is always part of our playing outside at this point. It's usually a bed or hiding place - today it was something to flip over in!

This year for Thanksgiving, Chris got a new TV!!  With Black Friday creeping into Thursday (ridiculous) the TV came home on Thursday night. After 2 hours of standing in a very civil line at Target, getting a ticket that guaranteed us a TV, and someone loading it in the cart for him, he returned home with his treasure :)  

It sat on a table until Chris could build a new wall to mount it to. The kids loved it!

The frame that was built into the hole that held the old TV. Chris is getting impressive with his carpentry skills!!  and you can kind of see the completed project around the Christmas tree. 

We have so much to be thankful for that it is ridiculous!  We have been so blessed and I am grateful for a time of year that is set aside specifically to reflect on how grateful we are.