Will has been talking about Thanksgiving for weeks, and kept asking people what they were thankful for. He insisted he was Thankful for "Everybody" (with a family as big as ours... this was a GOOD answer =). He really understood what we were praying for and what we were thankful for this year.
On Friday morning the kids both slept in and Will awoke shortly after Isa. This was a PERFECT morning. Will came out of the room with a BIG smile and a Huge "GOOD MORNING." There was snow softly falling outside and both kids rushed to the window to see. Tobin headed out there to start a campfire, which was followed by another dip in the hot tub (or as the kids called it... their "swimming pool." We spent the rest of the day relaxing, building cabins out of Lincoln logs, and exploring. On our final morning, we packed up and headed to the state park for a little hike. Both the kids did amazing! They hiked the Old Man's Cave trail and it was so neat to see their faces exploring each new turn. They climbed rocks, went through tunnels, explored the cave, and admired the waterfalls. Will made the entire trip on foot... and only asked to be carried once we were near the car, saying "carry me, my legs won't walk anymore!" It was adorable! Isa kept wanting to do things "by myself", but we stayed real close (just in case!). They were both asleep in about 10 minutes once we started our ride home. The weekend ended on a perfect note, spending time with Gramma and Bapa, picking out our Christmas tree, and singing LOTS of Christmas songs! What an adventure!
I know I use the word BLESSED many times in my entries, but I have found it to be a great word describing what God has put forth in our lives. I don't often talk about our time in the service or our deployment (unless asked), but BLESSED really does summarize what we have. We were blessed to come back, alive, well, and with a wedding to attend! We were blessed with the birth of 2 beautiful, loving, spirited children after thinking we would never conceive. We are blessed to have parents who live close enough to experience all the little moments that are so special to us and their grandchildren. We are blessed that the kids have some aunts and uncles (close and far) who truly make an effort to know them and be part of their lives. We are blessed to have a marriage that is perfectly un-perfect, we help each other through the days and fly high during the moments we cherish. And mostly we are Blessed with the opportunity to be here and help those around us when needed.
Happy Thanksgiving!
