Giving Thanks

Every year I have so much to be thankful for, but having a new baby in the house seems to make me extra sensitive to the many blessings I have.  A new baby is full of the promise of life and possibilities.  He reminds me of the blessings of having a body (especially a healthy one) and a family and a purpose.  He makes me extra thankful to have a warm home to shelter him and food so that he (and the other 2) don't have to know hunger.  He reminds me how thankful I am to have a supportive spouse to partner with as a parent and my own mother and mother-in-law (as well as other family members) to provide guidance and help when needed.  He makes me thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ which provides direction to our lives and parenting.  Most especially he reminds me how grateful I am for the Savior who provides a way for us to be a family forever.

This year was the first year we were on our own for Thanksgiving.  Since both of our moms had recently been here and left we didn't have any family planning to come so we decided to invite a couple of friends who also didn't have any family to spend the holiday with.  We had a delightful meal with all the standard favorites including 5 kinds of pie (I think that was the highlight).  Our turkey turned out stupendously-and I say "our" turkey because it was a team effort for Spencer and I.  Everyone had a great time although I have no pictures to document (if I had a hard time making sure I took pictures with 2 kids, it was only bound to get worse with 3).  We did, however, take a picture of Emmett in his adorable Thanksgiving outfit sent by a kind friend-unfortunately we didn't get a chance to take it until the end of the evening when he was a little fussy.  My favorite moment came when our company left and we told the children it was bedtime and Amelie says: "But we need to have dinner first!"  As though the last 4 hours of feasting didn't count.