Happy Thanksgiving

I thought that sharing some of what I am thankful for this year would be appropriate considering that I typically post on Thursday and this Thursday happens to be Thanksgiving.

It is funny that when I was growing up I hated the end of the Thanksgiving dinner because my dad would always make us go around the table and share what we were thankful for. It seemed so cliche and so boring to me at the time. I now, however, see that it did its job because it seems that this holiday cannot approach without me taking a few steps back and really thinking about the blessings that have come into my life over the past year and expressing thanks for them whether it be publicly or privately it doesn't matter. What matters is that because of this silly tradition I learned what the holiday is about - recognizing and giving thanks for our blessings.

The pictures I have posted basically sum it up in a nutshell, or at least the majority of it. As I think back over the last year the biggest thing that has happened for our family was when it grew from a family of 3 to 4. I am so thankful for the safe arrival of Natalie, for her health, for the joy I have felt in watching Isabella become a sister, of seeing Anthony become a father to another sweet and precious daughter, and the joy I have when I hold both of my sweet girls in my lap. I am thankful that we are all healthy and happy. I don't think I can adequately express my thanks for my sweet family, they are my life and my joy. Everything I do in my life is for them individually and collectively and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I am thankful for the blessing we have in being here in Tulsa. Yes, we do miss Dallas - but Tulsa is a blessing as well. Anthony's opportunity to attend law school here brought many blessings. The ability to rent a house and no longer be in an apartment, and living close to family - which was a HUGE help when Natalie was born. We could have gone to school away from everyone and I don't know how we would have made it had that been the case, especially since she came so early.

I am personally thankful that we were able to work things out so that I could become a stay at home mom when we moved. Being a working mom was tough. I hated that I wasn't able to give 100% to Isabella and Anthony. Now I feel like being at home is much harder work, but it is much more rewarding than the paychecks were. I was thinking this past week that had I still been working I would have returned to work on Monday - I am SO GLAD that I don't have to leave my girls this time. I feel like now that I can devote all my time and energy to my family I am a much better mother and wife and for that I am grateful.

Although I have already mentioned him, I want to say it again. I am so grateful for Anthony. He has worked so hard this semester, harder than I believe he has ever before in his life. I know part of it is because law school is just that hard but another part is because he loves me and our girls so much, he wants to succeed so that he can eventually provide for our family and give us a comfortable, stable life. I am so proud of him and the way that he has endured the cruelness first semester. It hasn't been easy and I think he may have even at times questioned if it was worth it. He's wished he could be with us more, and we've wished the same, however he has in no way neglected us. He is very in-tune with me and knows when I need a break and he does everything he can to give that to me. He also goes out of his way to be with his daughters. He'll plan his day around being home for an hour before they go to bed so he can play with Bella and hold Natalie and then he'll rush back off to the library until late. The point is, despite the stress and time constraints of law school he's there for us when we need him and I know I am not the only person who is thankful for that.

Lastly, I love Thanksgiving because it ushers in the Christmas season. Christmas has always seemed very magical for me. Even as an adult it has never lost its glow and excitement that it had when I was a child. I love everything about the season, well except for the very crowded malls, but I try to avoid that. I love the lights, the decorations, the music, the movies, and the attitude of kindness and generosity that go alone with the holiday. But because of other traditions much like my dad's Thanksgiving day tradition I know what the Christmas season is all about. Aside from Santa Clause and the hustle and bustle that inevitably goes along with the holidays, it reminds me to take a step back and remember the Savior who came to this world to be our example and to make it possible to live with Him again. And above all this Thanksgiving I am thankful for Christ and His example, and in the new year I resolve to follow his example more and be more like Him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~jen