THANKFUL

This Thanksgiving was busy and mixed with all kinds of emotions. We were so excited to watch both kids at their Thanksgiving feast days at school the week before Thanksgiving. They made lists, shopped for, and prepared all of the food. Before eating we got to watch them sing all of the cute Thanksgiving songs they learned.

That same week we learned that our Great Aunt Doris was sick and in the ICU. Things weren't good, and finally on Monday afternoon she was sent home with Hospice. Thank God, she was able to be in her home among her family. She died early Tuesday morning.

We just keep thinking about how lively, fun, and loving she was. Every time we saw her she told us right away "I love you." Usually that was followed by her playing with the kids and handing over something yummy like donuts or her ever-famous cinnamon rolls. It was really hard to say that final goodbye to her. Her funeral was Saturday after Thanksgiving, and it was such a nice time to remember her, and see how many people's lives she touched.

While it was a really sad time, it was also time to be extra-thankful for all of the blessings we have in our lives. Just thinking about the tremendous love and support we have from our family and friends gives us such comfort. We are surrounded by such joy, and we thank God for that every day.

We ended this busy, emotional Thanksgiving with Grandpa's 83rd birthday party today! We spent the day over at Grandma and Grandpa's having a huge lunch, playing and splitting fire wood (well, the guys did!) I know Grandma and Grandpa had the toughest time all saying goodbye to their sister this week. I hope a great birthday celebration helped to add some joy to their lives.

I'm adding some pictures of the past month. We hope you were able to realize your blessings this Thanksgiving, too.