Happy Thanksgiving
We've had a busy, fun, tasty day. Each one of us has SO MUCH to be thankful for, and we were fortunate to spend our day with some very special family members who are at the top of our thankful lists.
We started off the day with a family craft. It wasn't exactly meant to be a whole-family event, though each of us ended up contributing in some way!
Jaden and Sienna painted pieces that would become a turkey:
We came up with the top 10 things each of our girls is thankful for--all their input except for Bristol--and Jaden even wrote out her own!
Then Scott and I assembled the turkeys, complete with feathers that have each item the girls are most thankful for one them. I was going to assemble them myself, but Scott had to put his engineering degree to work and come up with a good way to help our turkeys to stand up :)
Here they are--first Bristol's, then Jaden's and finally Sienna's:
We used them as centerpieces at dinner and I have to say, they were the most gorgeous, meaningful centerpieces we could've had. Although the craft was a little complicated to put together for our little girls, it turned out very cute and I'll cherish the photos forever!
In between crafting this morning I also managed to ice my pumpkin cookies and chop veggies to assemble into a roasted vegetable dish (red-skin potatoes, rutabaga, carrots and brussel sprouts with fresh rosemary and basil, olive oil). Scott made some amazing sausage and sage dressing.
Our dishes were just a few of what we had to eat. We went to my father-in-law's home and my mother-in-law, her husband, her sister Nancie, her friend Cheryl and Grandma Vitt (Scott's dad's mom) also joined us. They all brought delicious side dishes and my father-in-law made turkey, salmon and mashed potatoes. We had so many yummy things on our plates!
Before we ate, Jaden passed out bead bracelets that she and Sienna had made and poems to accompany them. Using the bracelets we all recounted the story of the Pilgrims and the Native Americans celebrating the very first Thanksgiving.
After the poem we prayed and then ate. Everything was DELICIOUS. Thanksgiving foods aren't my favorite, but I was surprised this year at how wonderful every single thing was. I was also surprised at how well Jaden and Sienna cleaned their plates (well, almost).
When dinner ended Jaden and Sienna played while we divided up leftovers and everything got cleaned up. They were being so cute.
Meanwhile, Bristol, who slept while we ate, woke up and spent some quality time with her Great Grandma. These two, 94 years apart, are the eldest and youngest in the Vitt family and it brings so much happiness to my heart to see them enjoying one another!
Once he was done cleaning up, Papa (Scott's Dad) took a turn with his littlest Granddaughter. Omigosh I can't even tell you how cute they were being. As I snapped some photos Bristol was giggling non-stop and my father-in-law was beaming. I know how much my own Grandpa Coupland and Papa Mahaffey always meant to me, and I am so glad my own daughters have such amazing grandfathers to grow up adoring.
Here is the only family photo we were able to get today; it was late in the day and all three girls were pretty worn out from a fun afternoon of playing and eating...
Scott's Dad joined us for a photo, but Sienna absolutely wasn't up for having her picture taken. She laid on the couch while we snapped this one:
Everyone in these photographs has an infinite number of people and things to be thankful for. We are all blessed beyond what I could personally have imagined for myself or my family at this phase of life. Being all together to enjoy one another today is only the beginning. And of course we are very, very thankful for those family members we love who were not with us at dinner today.
Personally, I am most thankful today for my husband, who loves me NO MATTER WHAT and who values our marriage and takes this commitment seriously. I am thankful for the three daughters he has helped me to bring into this world and for the joy they provide us every single day. I am thankful for his parents--I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the day I lost my own Daddy, God knew I would have the very BEST father-in-law in the entire world to help us in every way possible, to provide wonderful opportunities for our family and to make us appreciate life and laugh almost as much as I would laugh at / with my own dad if he were here. I also know that God had in mind that my girls would have two incredible Grandfathers even though my Dad wouldn't be present in their childhood--I am very thankful for Scott's mom's husband who is the best adult playmate for my daughters that they could ever ask for (the girls call him Grandpa Gary--and he IS their grandfather in every sense of the word and the role). And Scott's mom of course is very special, and a living miracle who has been able to experience Grandmotherhood against all odds :) I am thankful for my own family--my beautiful mom, my brother and sisters and brother-in-law, my step-mom and my entire extended family who I love and admire more than they all could know. I am thankful for Scott's job, the hard work he does every day, our gorgeous home which is more than I ever imagined I would live in, all of our health, the opportunities that lie before us and the past we have overcome to get here. And I am thankful for God and his everlasting blessings big and small. He knows what is ahead and is with us every step of the way. He makes all that I'm thankful for possible, and I am beyond undeserving of all that I have in my life. I am thankful for this day, and for the gratitude I feel every single day.
Happy Thanksgiving friends; May you all be blessed, and may you all feel blessed.
We started off the day with a family craft. It wasn't exactly meant to be a whole-family event, though each of us ended up contributing in some way!
Jaden and Sienna painted pieces that would become a turkey:
We came up with the top 10 things each of our girls is thankful for--all their input except for Bristol--and Jaden even wrote out her own!
Then Scott and I assembled the turkeys, complete with feathers that have each item the girls are most thankful for one them. I was going to assemble them myself, but Scott had to put his engineering degree to work and come up with a good way to help our turkeys to stand up :)
Here they are--first Bristol's, then Jaden's and finally Sienna's:
We used them as centerpieces at dinner and I have to say, they were the most gorgeous, meaningful centerpieces we could've had. Although the craft was a little complicated to put together for our little girls, it turned out very cute and I'll cherish the photos forever!
In between crafting this morning I also managed to ice my pumpkin cookies and chop veggies to assemble into a roasted vegetable dish (red-skin potatoes, rutabaga, carrots and brussel sprouts with fresh rosemary and basil, olive oil). Scott made some amazing sausage and sage dressing.
Our dishes were just a few of what we had to eat. We went to my father-in-law's home and my mother-in-law, her husband, her sister Nancie, her friend Cheryl and Grandma Vitt (Scott's dad's mom) also joined us. They all brought delicious side dishes and my father-in-law made turkey, salmon and mashed potatoes. We had so many yummy things on our plates!
Before we ate, Jaden passed out bead bracelets that she and Sienna had made and poems to accompany them. Using the bracelets we all recounted the story of the Pilgrims and the Native Americans celebrating the very first Thanksgiving.
After the poem we prayed and then ate. Everything was DELICIOUS. Thanksgiving foods aren't my favorite, but I was surprised this year at how wonderful every single thing was. I was also surprised at how well Jaden and Sienna cleaned their plates (well, almost).
When dinner ended Jaden and Sienna played while we divided up leftovers and everything got cleaned up. They were being so cute.
Meanwhile, Bristol, who slept while we ate, woke up and spent some quality time with her Great Grandma. These two, 94 years apart, are the eldest and youngest in the Vitt family and it brings so much happiness to my heart to see them enjoying one another!
Once he was done cleaning up, Papa (Scott's Dad) took a turn with his littlest Granddaughter. Omigosh I can't even tell you how cute they were being. As I snapped some photos Bristol was giggling non-stop and my father-in-law was beaming. I know how much my own Grandpa Coupland and Papa Mahaffey always meant to me, and I am so glad my own daughters have such amazing grandfathers to grow up adoring.
Here is the only family photo we were able to get today; it was late in the day and all three girls were pretty worn out from a fun afternoon of playing and eating...
Scott's Dad joined us for a photo, but Sienna absolutely wasn't up for having her picture taken. She laid on the couch while we snapped this one:
Everyone in these photographs has an infinite number of people and things to be thankful for. We are all blessed beyond what I could personally have imagined for myself or my family at this phase of life. Being all together to enjoy one another today is only the beginning. And of course we are very, very thankful for those family members we love who were not with us at dinner today.
Personally, I am most thankful today for my husband, who loves me NO MATTER WHAT and who values our marriage and takes this commitment seriously. I am thankful for the three daughters he has helped me to bring into this world and for the joy they provide us every single day. I am thankful for his parents--I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the day I lost my own Daddy, God knew I would have the very BEST father-in-law in the entire world to help us in every way possible, to provide wonderful opportunities for our family and to make us appreciate life and laugh almost as much as I would laugh at / with my own dad if he were here. I also know that God had in mind that my girls would have two incredible Grandfathers even though my Dad wouldn't be present in their childhood--I am very thankful for Scott's mom's husband who is the best adult playmate for my daughters that they could ever ask for (the girls call him Grandpa Gary--and he IS their grandfather in every sense of the word and the role). And Scott's mom of course is very special, and a living miracle who has been able to experience Grandmotherhood against all odds :) I am thankful for my own family--my beautiful mom, my brother and sisters and brother-in-law, my step-mom and my entire extended family who I love and admire more than they all could know. I am thankful for Scott's job, the hard work he does every day, our gorgeous home which is more than I ever imagined I would live in, all of our health, the opportunities that lie before us and the past we have overcome to get here. And I am thankful for God and his everlasting blessings big and small. He knows what is ahead and is with us every step of the way. He makes all that I'm thankful for possible, and I am beyond undeserving of all that I have in my life. I am thankful for this day, and for the gratitude I feel every single day.
Happy Thanksgiving friends; May you all be blessed, and may you all feel blessed.
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