Thankful.

{doodle by Stephanie at Homegrown Hospitality}

I love this quote. I feel such gratitude right now–even though life isn’t perfect and we all have challenges and struggles, we are so blessed in so many ways.

I am so thankful. For my life, my husband and children who make me laugh every day and who are MY WHOLE WORLD. For our amazing parents and siblings who love us and helped shape who we are today. For grandparents and extended family, friends and neighbors and teachers and all those people who are by our side in both the daily grind and the daily delights. We love you all. So thankful for Jaden’s job and for the good things that are coming his way and for the way he supports and provides for our family. Thankful for health, for our home, for the comforts we enjoy and for the talents God has given us to help us live life more fully. So incredibly thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and for His Atonement, and to a loving Heavenly Father who gives us all these blessings and more, and for the peace and direction it gives us.

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful. I love Thanksgiving. We had a delicious meal at my parents’ cozy home, all our favorite traditional foods (roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, green bean casserole, 10 layer jello, homemade rolls, yummy salad, homemade stuffing, pies….), and we were all totally stuffed. Barely had enough room for pie and ice cream hours later! We played Catch Phrase and laughed ourselves silly until we were gasping for air, and just relaxed and enjoyed being together.

Here are some photos of the day:

I asked the kids what they were grateful for, and here are some of the things they said. Except for Haylie, I just wrote down the things she loves right now.

Brandon: trees that help give us oxygen so we can breathe, our arms and legs and bodies, service, our family, the beautiful world, Jesus, food for us to eat

Annie: friends, grandmas and grandpas, Mommy and Daddy, Brandon and Haylie, aunts and uncles, movies and snowflakes, Jesus (except she says “Jejus” which rhymes with Regis!)

Haylie: shoes, headbands, bracelets, milk, yogurt, blankies, her family

Hope you all had a lovely holiday. Looking forward to December and Christmas now!