What I am Thankful For- Wordful Wednesday

My Savior- His grace and mercy and extravagant love

My Hubby and our 10+yrs. together and all they have brought our way. Really, all of it. Even the things that I wished would have been different, it is all part of God's plan for us and I am trusting Him to use it ALL for His glory and our greater good.

My boys, Micah (above) and Lucas and Caden (below)- words are truly not adequate to express how much they are my world.
My family- my parents and sister (above) and my in-laws (below)

The beach and my Gators- two of my passions and things that make me who I am. The beach is where I feel the most like me. I feel connected to my inner self there. On the beach, I am whole.

I am also thankful for my amazing friends and my job and my church family (I just don't have pictures of these things).
I am thankful for the blessed life that I have. Even the moments when I feel knocked down, like the wind has been taken out of my sails, I am still so very lucky and blessed to have a family that loves me and all my basic needs met.
I am kinda at a crossroads in my life. I am done having babies (99% sure), getting close to weaning Caden, taking a new job,... I am figuring out what my life post-grief/post-child-bearing will look like. I am figuring out who I am in this stage of raising my boys and focusing a little more on me and trying to enjoy every minute. And in this moment, I feel SO VERY thankful.

I pray all of you have a very blessed Thanksgiving, full of love and gratitude.

For more Wordful Wednesday, visit Angie at Seven Clown Circus.

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The First Thanksgiving

No, not the one with the Pilgrims and Indians. I mean my first thanksgiving. And not the one in 1977. I mean this one, 2008, my first Thanksgiving in the kitchen. My first Thanksgiving as the matriarch of the family, responsible for the food and the traditions.

I am grateful that my first time responsible for the full meal was without critics guests to worry about. I only needed to please Hubby and Lucas and the dog, none of which are apt to criticise a warm, home cooked meal if it comes to the table. Well, at least not the dog. :)
I called my mother for her Southern cornbread dressing recipe and checked out the ButterBall website for tips on cooking and carving a turkey. But beyond what food I was to serve my family, my mind was also focused on the traditions that will be born out of this first Thanksgiving as just us, our family.

This holiday is about so many different things. The food, the football, taking time to reflect on the things we are truly thankful for, time with loved ones... I admit I did miss being with my parents and sister or hubby's family this Thanksgiving. There is something special about the bonds you feel with family as you celebrate a meal and all your blessings together. But truthfully, I really loved our quiet little day, just us. That is in no way a reflection on the loved one's we were not be able to share the day with this year. Our local family was all busy or out of town and we made the decision to not travel this holiday season. It is instead a reflection of my desire to create the same warm, loving family memories for my boys as my mom and my mother-in-law have done for me and Hubby over the years.

I put great effort into planning our day. I wanted the food to be a mix of my history and Hubby's history and something new that is just us. Something that my boys will say for years to come... "that is what my mom made for us on Thanksgiving." I made my mom's Southern dressing (instead of stuffing) and Hubby's grandma's traditional rolls. I am not sure that I brought anything new or uniquely me to the table this year (I was at work at the hospital until 1am the night before so there wasn't much time to spare). But I guess there is time for that in years to come.

Also in the spirit of building traditions, I have been trying to find and plan crafts and activities to start teaching Lucas about the significance of the day/season. He is at such a teachable age and I am trying to make the most of it. Plus, it is just fun and keeps him busy! :)

But my favorite part of our day was not the meal or even the turkey craft (pictured on right- felt pieces that he could put together different ways) that I made for Lucas to do. It was being with my boys and having us all sit around the table together. it was spending the day together and just being a family. This is my family, the four of us. The one I am responsible for nurturing and protecting and growing. I have responsibilities in my extended family too, and I certainly honor those. But this is different. This is mine. I admit I got a little emotional and teary as Hubby prayed for our meal and gave thanks to God for Lucas and Caden and all our blessings. We thanked God for Micah and asked Him to protect Lucas and Caden and grow them into strong men who love and serve God. My experience with the depths of grief and loss tends to make me feel these moments very deeply. Those times when the physical moment reaches beyond the seconds and minutes and seems to bring perspective and deep significance. I can't help but kiss Caden's head and touch Lucas' face. These are my boys.. my life. And although my family won't ever be totally whole this side of heaven, I feel extremely grateful for what God has given me. I am the queen here among my boys.

And as cheesy as this may sound, I looked over at Lucas today as we sat in the theater watching Madagascar 2 (Lucas' first movie theater experience) and got teary again. This is my baby, my Lucas, and he is growing up so fast. And as he does, so does my responsibility and desire to strengthen our bonds as a family.

So this Thanksgiving holiday, I am grateful for my family (all inclusive). But I am especially thankful for my family and for these precious tradition-building, bond strengthening times when it is just us.

Me cooking with Caden's help... He was sleeping, and that was extremely helpful. :)

My boys around our Thanksgiving table.

Lucas enjoying some homemade pumpkin pie.. especially the whipped cream on top!

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Teaching Thankfulness

During this season of celebrating the things we are thankful for, I have made it my task to teach Lucas how to express gratitude and appreciation for intangible blessings. It is easy for a toddler to see how we would be thankful for toy dinos and cars and mac-n-cheese. But learning to express thankfulness for other things is a bit more of a challenge. Doing our Thanksgiving Tree is just one of the exercises we are using to help Lucas talk about the things he is thankful for.

I found a fallen branch and put it in a small vase on our kitchen table. I then punched holes in a couple dozen leaves cut out of designer scrapbook paper. We sat together as a family and expressed the things we are thankful for, writing them on a leaf and then hanging it with some twine on the tree. At first, Lucas was mostly thankful for birds, and giraffes and other random animals. He was so proud of himself when he would come up with something else he was thankful for. By the end of the activity, he was expressing thankfulness for his soft bed and his brother and mommy and daddy. He said he is thankful for snow "because it is white and pretty." Lucas loved hanging the leaves on the branch and now when we are eating a meal at the table, we look at a couple of the leaves and talk about the things we are thankful for. We even have a couple of extra leaves on the table that we write on if we think of something we forgot.

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It is very rewarding as a mother to see him "getting it." He understands, as well as a toddler can, what it means to be thankful. And I think his little mind is capable of understanding way deeper than most adults give kids credit for. I know he is truly comprehending by things he is now expressing thankfulness for. At breakfast today, he was thankful for hugs. Abstract concepts like gratitude can often be complex for adults, but for kids it is plain and simple. He likes being hugged so, therefore, he is thankful for hugs. So honest and true and refreshing when so many other things feel so complicated. Leave it to my toddler to flip this around and teach me about being truly thankful for the important things.

My very favorite thing about out Thanksgiving Tree so far... when Lucas asks me what I am thankful for. He asks in his half question/half suggestion way that brings a wide smile to my face. "Mommy, you're thankful for the beach? Mommy, you're thankful for your boys?" Yes, and YES!!! Oh, so thankful!

How do you teach your children about being thankful and other more abstract concepts? Even teaching kids about being kind and loving and other similar virtuous concepts is easier because it involves more action- things I can teach him to do and say. But I also want to teach Lucas about virtues of the heart-ways of being and thinking like thankfulness, compassion, mercy, grace.... We are off to a good start but I am always looking for more ideas. Got any??

Oh, and I am thankful for you... my real life and bloggy friends and family. :)

P.S.~ I have a whole list of fun toddler activities that I will be trying out with Lucas in the next few months. Having things to help me keep him busy is a must or we will both go insane this winter. I look forward to sharing some of the ideas I have found with you and would love to hear any ideas y'all have. And check out these fun websites with lots of ideas for pre-school crafts and activities.
Kiddio
IttyBitty Love
Let's Explore

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Thankful for some small things

Driving to Trader Joe's this morning, Lucas asked me "is today more halloween?" I guess he had fun! :) This launched us into a discussion of the fun things in November and about the first Thanksgiving. I am trying to tell the story of the first Thanksgiving (Lucas LOVES stories) and I realized that besides it involving Pilgrims and Indians and the sharing of food, I didn't know many of the details of the story. I am going to have to brush up on that or get a book or something. But even though my story details were fuzzy, I think I got my point across- that we have so much to be thankful for and we should take the time to express that thankfulness to God. I was preaching that to myself just as much (or more) as to my eagerly listening toddler.

So in honor of that, here are a few things I am thankful for today:

My date with Lucas today to the train restaurant: Caden stayed with Hubby so Lucas and I could have a fun lunch together at one of his favorite places. We laughed and danced to the music and had a really great time. It was refreshing, for us both.

A big win for my Gators- big in numbers and in significance. I only got to watch the first half and the last 5minutes but the outcome was AWESOME!! It puts us back in the national title hunt, almost.

Some new bloggy friends met through the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival:

Here are the winners of my giveaways- Free Peapod Groceries go to Fivewinks and my beautiful, red, festive ring sling goes to Piece of Me. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all who visited and entered. I hope you come back sometime and visit again.

For the launch of my new BabyLove Slings Fall Collection.... details tomorrow along with some special savings as we celebrate fall and get ready for the holidays.

These are just a few things I am thankful for today. Hubby and I just rearranged the living room (I need a change every so often) and now I am off to bed. Blessings to you all!

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Thankfulness

In this challenging season of my life, there are so many thoughts that occupy my mind. Thoughts of things in the past, thoughts of what may be in the future. Lots of thoughts. So many, in fact, that I can't sleep much of the time. But after reading this post by one of my dearest friends, I am humbled and reminded of what thoughts are supposed to occupy my mind during this time of year.
So just as my friend, I am choosing to put aside the thoughts that naturally plague my mind these days and focus at least in this moment on higher things.
It is during this Lenten season that we remember Christ's work of redemption on our behalf. I am not a theologian and have never been comfortable talking about such things with those who really know what they are talking about. But from the depth of my anxious and humble heart, I speak as a girl who knows I am broken and in need of His grace and love. So here is my Lenten exercise in thankfulness.

I give thanks for the Cross and Christ's ulitmate sacrifice on my behalf. I give thanks that in the midst of his suffering, He knew I would fail him with my disobediance and negligence and yet He chose to die for me. I give thanks that from the beginning of all things, He has known me and the life path He has for me. Not only me, my children and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren too. I give thanks for my sons that He gave me to hold, one for a only a short time. I give thanks that when I could no longer hold my first, and if the day comes that I cannot hold my second, His arms are there to comfort and hold us both. I give thanks because He gives me the freedom and ability to think and make decisions, but also has ways and plans that are higher than mine and are ultimately always for my good.

I give thanks for moments of quiet when Lucas is playing on his own. I also give thanks for the moment when he realizes he has been playing on his own and runs to find me and give me a hug. I give thanks for the priceless moments when he breaks into song or wakes up singing "Father Abraham" or says "He is risen" in his sweet little toddler voice. I give thanks for times like today when he brings me a stack of books and plops down in my lap saying "Mommy, read these to you." I give thanks for those rare mornings when he sleeps past 6am and for the precious moments when he gets "cozy" in bed with us to watch "T-U."

I give thanks for the beautiful beach and the peace it always brings to my soul. I give thanks for the serenity I feel when sitting in a warm house watching the snow blanket the ground in white.

I do have so much to be thankful for. And while challenged and in the midst of a lot of drama right now, it doesn't change the abundance of grace and blessing I have been given. I need to change my perspective and this is the time of year when that is a bit easier to do.


One more thing....

I am thankful to my friend Two Square Meals for her sweet words and for giving me this award.

I am honored that she choose me, especially since I would consider myself an unlikely candidate in this category. I often feel purpose is something I need a bit more of. But, I am grateful that she seems to think I have some and maybe that means I have more than I realize. Thank You!!

I would like to pass this on to my bloggy friend Heather at Not a DIY Life for her posts about parenting and thankfulness and for always reminding me of where my thoughts ought to be focused. You truly blog with purpose.

Also to my friend Marcie at My Two Boys for her vigilence in educating us all about the joys and challenges of adoption. She is passionate about her boys (all three of them) and inspires me in her never-ending quest to be the mom/wife that they need her to be no matter how difficult that is.

And I just want to also mention my bestfriend Cath at Everyday Life as Lyric Poetry. (There are no strings or blogging expectations associated with this mention- hehe!!) She lives her whole life with purpose and her blog is a natural outflow of that. She tackles the challenge of learning about her world and its ecclectic beauty with grace and truth and challenges those around her to do the same.

Take a moment to shift your perspective today and let the things you are thankful for permeate your thoughts. I hope it touches your soul and speaks to you heart as it has mine.

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