thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving this year was what I like to call "nontraditional"  There wasn't much that resembled anything I grew up with, or anything that we have done in the last several years.  This is our 5th one away from family.  The last four, were during med school, and even though were weren't with our family, we were surrounded by amazing friends who were also away from family.  This year we are definitely surrounded by wonderful people, but life is just a little different.  The most traditional part was preschool.  We read books about the first Thanksgiving, made Pilgrim and Indian hats, and had a mini dinner.

Chad had to work on Thanksgiving.  He had thought that we would just celebrate on a different day, but instead decided to just celebrate the most important part: the things we are the most grateful for.  We drove into Dayton and met Chad at the hospital cafeteria.  We had Thanksgiving dinner resident style, but still as a family.  Aimee, Porter and Pratt had chicken fingers, I had ham, and Chad went with turkey.  When the kids and I got home we made a few pies.  Apple for Chad, and banana cream for me.  Chad actually got off early and was home by 5:30 that night.  It was awesome just to have a little extra time together.

 We did spend the entire month making a gratitude tree.  The kids and I gathered some dead sticks and put them in a vase. I cut out tons of the little circles or "gratitude leaves."  Each morning the kids and I would write down something that we are thankful for after scriptures, and Chad would usually leave one on the kitchen counter each morning to be hung up with ours.

Chad asked me to please save the leaves.  I told him I would save them long enough to record what things made it on the tree.  Here are most of our "gratitudes."

Daddy:  warm clothes, singing, Joseph Smith, snow, Sundays, days off, the sacrament, faith, prophets and apostles.

Mommy: family scriptures, happy home, the temple, our bodies, America, our beautiful world, health, LDS church membership, repentance, my sweetheart, Jesus Christ, the atonement, covenants, Huban, the Holy Ghost, a living prophet, missionaries, the priesthood.

Aimee:  dancing, fruit & home, catching frogs as a family, when dad gets to stay home and play, our berry tree, animals, Thanksgiving lunch with dad, Grandpa's and Grandma's, my sweet brother Porter, our happy home, Daddy's job, Barbie movies, Jesus us our brother, Heavenly Father & Jesus, people at the hospital, Mommy and Daddy, forever families, dolls.

Porter:  milk, lights, the tree of life, cereal, a nice warm home, waffles, doors, birds that fly, trees, Aimee is my best friend, family, popcorn, animals, Dad's hospital, the gratitude tree, Daddy, waffles iron, a new freezer, Mommy, waffles, snow.

Pratt:  he scribbles on a few leaves when I wasn't looking, so I hung them up

We are so blessed!