Month of Thanks

- Please forgive - this post is more for my record than your pleasure . . . although I think you might get a kick out of it too!

Our tree of thanks has come down from the wall and been replaced by a Christmas countdown. I want to remember the things the family was thankful for throughout November 2009 and so I will record them here:

Honey
Sweet tea
Memom visiting
Chickfila Mondays
Fridays
Haircuts
Rest
Rams Tickets
Family visiting
Being home from work
Family and God
Made it through the first day back at work after a week out with flu
Pastor Mark
Dominoes
Encouraging lunch with Danny I.
Being reminded that I am blessed
A very good day
4 days with family

Me
Bubba went poopy in the potty
Warm toes
Root canal being completed
JCPenney photo coupons
Nancy Gutherie
Uncle Andy and Aunt Brooke
The gift of a couch
Brooke's beans
God's grace and Daddy
Tuesday AM study on Hebrews
Motrin
Thomas' hearing checked out
No more fevers
Pastor Mark
Melissa S.
Corn in the freezer
Being blessed
Memom going grocery shopping for me
Grandpa Jeriald

Little
Friends
School
Sister's dress
Starfall
Mrs. Williams (teacher)
New monkey shirt
Dinner to eat
Pizza
Mommy
All shirts
Gingerbread Man game on Starfall
My bus
Kirk Kids and Mary Grace
I feel better
Alex and Andrew
Thomas
Mama
Noodles

Bubba
The playground
Ella
Big boy underwear
Gus the Duck
Bandaids
Food
Dr. Dan - the dentist
Uncle Andy
Burger King
I Spy books
Lunch
New dinosaurs
To sit by Drew and Ethan Morgan in circle time
Jordan
Water
Ava and Josh
Crackers

KB
Church
Spaghetti
Gracie
Mrs. Pat
Kirk Kids
Daddy
Breakfast
Toys and Elmo
Dr. Dave
New baby
Ella
Skittles
Blocks
Gracie and Johnny
Memom
Schnucks cookies
Toy kitchen
Going to WalMart (with Memom)
Thomas

Little's Thanksgiving Feast

Little had three Thanksgiving Feasts this year. SERIOUSLY!

She gets pulled out for an hour each day and goes to the Special Ed. room. She calls it "when I go to specials" and that makes me laugh. Anyway, they took a field trip to the local grocery and each student purchased a portion of the meal - Little chose pumpkin bread. When they arrived back at the school they had feast #1.

Thanksgiving Day itself was feast #3.

This past Tuesday the Kindergarten class had their Thanksgiving program and feast. There was singing and poems, mostly done from the perspective of the Turkey - it was really great. One recitation was the Thanksgiving ABCs. Little was "G" and "X" - she delivered her lines like a champ - I was so thankful for what God is doing in her!

"They gathered seeds and berries to eat."
"Everyone was excited"

Songs were a little bit tougher on Little. There were hand motions and her little unconnected brain wasn't really able to process quickly enough to do both singing and motions. She chose motions and she did them all with great precision and enthusiasm.

My favorite song of the day was "The Gobble Song":

"I don't like Thanksgiving, the saddest time of year.
When the leaves start falling just get me out of here.
I don't like Thanksgiving. Neither do my friends.
We all act like chickens but it's hard to pretend when you say

chorus gobble gobble gobble (so on and so forth)

Let's just skip Thanksgiving. Who needs all the fuss?
All that work and worry for ev'ry one of us.
Put your heads together. Find something else to do.
You can still watch football, and snooze all afternoon while we sing

repeat chorus
(spoken solo1:I think they're goin' for it!
spoken solo2:Sell it, Tom!)

You like mashed potatoes. You like pumpkin pie.
You like rolls and butter, and noodles piled up high.
Just forget the turkey. Can't we all be friends?
Let's spend this Thanksgiving as vegetarians and we'll sing

repeat obnoxious chorus
(spoken solo: Okay everybody, group hug!)"

Then we feasted. In tiny chairs at library tables. It was cute. And fun. I'm thankful.

group hugging:

Thanksgiving Meal

Our friends, the Summeralls, came to share Thanksgiving with us. Nicole said if I would do the turkey then she would do everything else. Sounds great, eh? Thing is I LIKE cooking for Thanksgiving and Honey is pretty particular about his sweet potatoes, so I said I would do a turkey, sweet potatoes, and a dessert.

I used the same recipe for the turkey rub that I have used for five years and I have to say it was yummy. I used the same sweet potato casserole recipe I have used for years and Honey said, "It is your best yet!"

I got a recipe for a pumpkin dessert from my "blog friend" Melissa. It sounded yummy but I melted butter that wasn't supposed to be melted and so it looked kinda ugly. It didn't matter because we never had dessert. As a matter of fact I JUST pulled out the "pumpkin pie cake" and gave some to the kids and I wish you could see them devouring it! It is YUMMY. KB is licking her plate as I type.

Thanks, Melissa! I'm thankful you shared!

Now if I can get Nicole to give me her dressing recipe - it was so good.

What did you have for Thanksgiving??

I am NOT depressed - just pensive

Things are getting rough 'round these parts.

This is what Honey found today when he heard KB calling, "Daddy - I tuck". Ten minutes later she had climbed into her baby bed and broke the bottom out of it. You notice there is no picture of that. . . the parents were NOT amused.

Next you will see what may look quite innocent:

I am so sick and tired of that duvet ending up on the floor. Don't worry, there has been plenty of correcting, instructing, disciplining - to no avail. EVERY time she goes in Bubba's room, the first thing she does is climb up on the bed and push all pillows and the comforter off. It's like something isn't connecting in Little's brain. (pun intended)

I know the role of the parent is to prepare their children to live independently; to train them in Truth so they live to glorify their Heavenly Father, but I have to say I feel like all my time is spent "correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness" and I am growing weary.

I keep telling myself that they won't be this young forever - cherish every memory - one day we'll laugh about _______. The truth of that makes me want to cry even harder.