Thankfulness

I am going to get on my soap box just for a moment and say how sad I am that "Christmas" is already upon us. Because is Christmas really here? NO! The stores want you to think Christmas is here because they want you to shop. Boo. News flash: Christmas is not about shopping and presents. It's about Christ. It's a birthday celebration.

Also...what happened to Thanksgiving?! You know, that holiday we have at the end of November every year? Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday and it's already being overlooked and overshadowed! So sad. It's so very important that we spend time being Thankful. Not just once a year, but daily, hourly.

So...all of that being said, we are celebrating THANKSGIVING at our house. No Christmas will sneak in here until Thanksgiving is over.



I had a "Thankful Tree" made for our home this year. (Although I LOVE this Thankful Tree ...we might just do that next year!) Each day the kids tell us one thing they are thankful for that day and we add them to the tree. I am excited to see our tree "sprout". I think it serve as a good reminder to be thankful for everything that God has given us, and also serve as a visual reminder that when we are thankful to God, our relationship will grow, just as our tree is "sprouting fruits"!

Here is what they were each thankful for during the first week:

Hunter:
The Army and God
Freedom
Food
Monkey Bars
Daddy
Footballs
Chad

Blake:
School
French Fries
That God made us
That I will play football when I'm bigger
Riding motorcycles when I get big
Mommy kissing me
Mommy and Daddy giving us food

Silas:
Lunch
Chocolate Pudding
Ethiopia and America
God
Daddy coaching basketball
Chad playing football and us going to his last game
That I will play football when I'm 9

Graysen:
Cupcakes
Catcher (our outside cat)
Mac and Cheese
God and Jesus
Grammie
Grandma
Sissy

I also had these Thanksgiving placemats made for our table this month. You can print them off yourselves here. I had our laminated because I thought it would be fun to switch them up (there are two different designs) each night and use dry erase markers to mark the things we are most thankful for each night! Simple, but good reminders!


One more thing I'm thankful for are these pictures of my precious family! Thank you Mindy for taking them for us. I will treasure them forever, that is for sure. I can't wait to get the rest of them and share them on here!

While we're on the topic of thankfulness, I am also thankful for late night coffee dates with two long time friends who I don't see enough of. I'm thankful that I am able to trust them with my heart and that they will trust me with theirs. I am thankful that we can dream, and plan, and laugh together. Thanks girls...

One more, I promise, just one more today! I'm thankful for other families like this one (you know, the one I mentioned yesterday) who have a heart for adoption and will stop at nothing to raise the ransom to bring another child home! Go support them and enter their giveaway!

What are you thankful for?