Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving this year was relaxing for the most part! It was what I call my "off" year which is when we spend it with Chad's family and not mine. We flip flop every other year as to make it easy and not have to go two places in one day. We usually will do a special meal or celebrate earlier/later with the family whose off year it is.  Yesterday we actually slept in until 8:30...that is if you consider me being wide awake from 3-4:30 and then heading back to sleep, but that's about my norm these days.  We always enjoy cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning and this year was no different! I made cinnamon rolls and we enjoyed watching the Macy's Day parade with the boys. Afterwards we got ready, I made my green bean casserole and we headed over to my in laws. Unfortunately my MIL has been in the hospital all week, with a clot in her lung, so it was just his Dad, sister, grandparents, and great aunt who were there.  I love Chad's grandparents on his dad's side. They have been married for over 60 years and act like newlyweds even now..it's so cute and I hope Chad and I are like them when we get to be their age. I could sit and listen to his grandpa tell stories all day long!

Once we got to Chad's parents we ate right away and then the boys, Chad, and I proceeded outside to partake in a nerf sword fight. I have to say it was hilarious and we had a blast! In hindsight it probably wasn't the wisest choice seeing that I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant but we laughed and laughed and Chad took video.  We made a memory and I love it!

Afterwards we went back inside and Chad, the boys, and I played Super Mario as a family for over an hour. I RARELY play video games but we had a lot of fun just being together and playing.  Chad's mom came home about thirty minutes before we were going to leave so we were able to say hi to her and the boys gave her hugs and chatted up a storm.  By the time we left it was close to 4:30 and I was exhausted and full.  We headed over to my mom's for a quick stop as my grandmother was visiting from South Carolina and left today to head to one of my aunt's homes in Illinois.  Fortunately I still had room for a piece of my mom's apple pie which is amazing!

When we got home we all switched into pjs and crashed! I watched the movie The Blind Side after the boys went to bed and bawled my eyes out. I just love that movie and could watch it over and over again!

Here is a picture of my little men yesterday! I was sad that aside from our nerf fight we didn't get any family pictures. And Chad and I even coordinated our outfits a bit so we would look put together...oh well maybe we will grab a good pic after church tomorrow. Fingers crossed as I need a new pic for our Christmas card and haven't had time to schedule a session with the person who does our pictures.

As the day progressed yesterday I spent a lot of time just reflecting on all of our many blessings this year.  Here are just a couple of things that came to mind:

• Our freedom! I do not take for granted the freedom we have and am so thankful for the men and woman who sacrifice for us and are oversees away from their families. I'm also thankful for the men and woman who are home without their loved ones taking care of their family as their spouse serves our country. Growing up in a military home most of my friends are either military or married someone in the military and I am in awe of their strength and sacrifices that they make.
• My friendships- I am surrounded by some amazing girlfriends! I am so thankful for each of them and just how blessed my life is because of them. 
• My job- This past year has been a challenge trying to juggle the commute that I faced 3xs or more a week 3 hours total a day and family.  I've had weeks/month where I just kept praying that God would show me where He wanted me and affirm my decision to stay at corporate or move.  And now months later with my pregnancy He has opened the door for me to relocate my office close to home and my commute is back to being either ten minutes or right down the hall from my bedroom. I now work with an awesome specialist who supports the program I manage and between the two God has shown me His many promises and taught me several lessons.  I don't take for granted just how blessed I am to have the job that I do which provides for our family and has covered us with so many blessings.
• Chad- I'm not even sure I know where to begin when it comes to expressing just how thankful I am for him.  I am humbled weekly by his patience and calm voice. ( Because I am usually neither..lol) It makes me cry just watching him be the father that he is to our children.  They have no idea just how blessed they are.  I am thankful that he picks up on the little things and makes every effort to support me and our family on a daily basis. Whether it is laundry, homework with the boys, listening, making us laugh, or calming me down when I'm ready to freak out on my animals lol, he is my best friend and I'm thankful for his heart. I'm thankful that God brought him into my life and has continued to bless our marriage, friendship, and relationship over the years. 
• My children- I am thankful that God choose me to be their mom.  I am often scared to death that I am going to mess things up for them but am constantly humbled by God's patience, grace, and people around me who have taught me so much about motherhood.  I love listening to their laughs, and their little voices as they whisper at night before they go to bed. I love watching them pray at the table often peaking their eyes open to see if we are watching them. I love Noah's tender heart and Ky's stubbornness reminds me of myself.  And I can't wait for them to be big brothers to Harper. What a neat season that will be.
• God's Grace- I don't know that I have the words to articulate just how strongly I feel about this one. I often cry just thinking about how unworthy I am but how grateful I am that God does not love like I often do and covers me with His grace time and time and time again. It's so comforting to know He is right next to me all the time and has never left me even when I deserve it most.  I pray that He will continue to mold my heart so that I may be more like Him and less like me. I pray that I will learn to extend and show grace as He does and love like He does.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!