Lots to be THANKFUL for

I'm a little behind for this, but Thanksgiving was last week and it was a pretty nice day. We had lunch/dinner scheduled at Beau & Stacie's at 2pm and nothing going on before that other than cooking and baking. I made sweet potato casserole for the first time (delicious!!) and turkey cupcakes. I got the idea for these at our Thanksgiving potluck at work the week before, except they had been made with chocolate cake and icing. I wanted to do more of a Thanksgiving cupcake so I made the cupcakes using a pumpkin bread recipe, and homemade pumpkin buttercream icing. They were so yummy, if I do say so myself!!!

 

A week or so before Thanksgiving, JD had his Thanksgiving luncheon at school so several of us went up there and ate with him -- Nanie, Bada, Jason, Kelli, Nana, Papa and me. JD was excited to see all of us, but not excited about the food. So I brought him a lunch while the rest of us at the school's Thanksgiving meal, which was surprisingly good. Here's a picture of all of us --- except Jane refuses to look at the camera. For some reason, I can't get her to look at me when I take pictures. Hmmm....

 

Little C's (Case) first Thanksgiving meal. He is such a happy little guy and has the sweetest, most precious smile. And those two bottom teeth make him look like the perfect Gerber baby.

 

Thanksgiving this year was really nice and enjoyable. On Friday morning, we had my dad, Linda, Kelli, Jason and the boys over to our house for breakfast. We decided on breakfast this year because it gets too difficult to drag the kids around to multiple places on Thanksgiving Day, eating big meals at each house. That can really turn a nice holiday into a stressful, exhausting event. So instead, we did it over two days, and it worked out great. 

 

Splitting it up allowed us to enjoy the holiday, and gave us a chance to reflect on all the things for which we are thankful, and perhaps tend to take for granted throughout the year. First of all, I'm thankful to God for His love, His blessings, and the comfort in knowing that He is always there. I'm so thankful for Bud, JD, Ryan, my parents, sister, and the rest of my family. I have a solid family circle that loves me unconditionally and accepts me, even with all my flaws. I'm also thankful for my in-laws and all they've done over the last few years -- sacrificing their freedoms to take care of my kiddos so I can work. And my sister-in-law and brother-in-law who have lived down the street from us for about a year now. They've helped out with the kids several times, have come through with various grocery items when I've run short at home (ie, sugar, eggs, etc), and are always here for us if we need anything. I have some really great friends, and a wonderful church filled with people who care about me and my family. I'm thankful for my job, even though I complain about it sometimes. I'm thankful for my home which keeps us cool in the blistering summers and warm in the winter, and provides a place for our kids to feel safe, loved and the freedom to be themselves. I'm thankful for me and my family's health -- we are so blessed to have that and I pray to God everyday that he continues to bless us with good health. There's so much to be THANKFUL for and we should strive to remind ourselves of all those things every single day, not just on Thanksgiving.