Thanksgiving

When we sold our house and we chose to move the week after Thanksgiving, I knew it was going to be crazy.  What I didn't anticipate was three out of the four of us getting ear infections and horrible colds that wouldn't go away and for us to be sick the two to three weeks prior to the move.  I had planned to have everything done BEFORE Thanksgiving arrived so that we could spend time with our families and then a fun weekend in Tuscaloosa before moving, but due to our sicknesses none of that happened.

James came down with a case of croup and a double ear infection the Monday before Thanksgiving.  Since the viral croup infection wouldn't be treated with antibiotics and would leave him contagious as long as he was coughing, and I was still coughing a large portion of the time, James and I had to forgo all of the Thanksgiving festivities.  Thankfully, I did get a yummy meal brought home for me on Thanksgiving night.  But spending the days and nights packing by myself, feeling awful, with a little one feeling awful, wasn't exactly how I envisioned spending my Thanksgiving.

Thankfully, Charlotte had recovered enough that she wasn't coughing anymore by Thanksgiving and she and Jason pulled off the best hat trick ever.  They made it to ALL FOUR sets of great-grandparents for Thanksgiving!  They didn't eat at every one, but they spent a little time in each place.  If that's not a Thanksgiving miracle I don't know what is!  It meant a lot to me (and I know to my family), that Jason made sure to take her to both of my family gathering's as well as his.  I've got a good man there and I know it!

Sadly, Jason was so busy getting he and Charlotte from place to place that he didn't take any pictures but I got a few from the days surrounding Thanksgiving.

Despite the medical issues, I am still so thankful this year.  It has been a whirlwind of the last month but we are finally (mostly) settled in my parent's house while our new house is being finished being built.  We are healthy enough to kick the infections that come our way eventually and are all together and safe.  We are so blessed and I am so thankful for our family and our friends and for our Lord who gives it all to us.

We hope that your Thanksgiving wasn't as eventful as ours, but that you enjoyed it as much or more!  And we hope that it's ushered in a season of thankfulness as we look ahead to the birth of our Savior on Christmas.

Gobble Gobble

We started off our Thanksgiving festivities with dinner with Papa's family at Memma and Papa's.  Charlotte loved getting to play with some new friends and especially loved having her cousins read to her!

We started Thanksgiving morning off with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I have never been someone who just loved the parade but I'm so glad that we turned it on for Charlotte.  She loved every second of it!  She even loved the random Broadway performances so that she could dance along to the music.

Once Jamesy got up we tried to get a picture of the two of them in their adorable Julep Kids outfits from my friend Hillary at Mint Julep Monograms.  These things always go better in my mind but I think we got some cute ones!

 Then it was off to Sam and Abby's for Memma's family Thanksgiving.  Charlotte was so excited to see Callie (the cat) and everyone else again and all the way over there she kept saying, "I just can't wait!"  I don't think lunch disappointed!

Charlotte got to pet Callie, 

eat a yummy lunch,

HOLD Callie briefly,

and get upset when Callie didn't want to be held by an inexperience 2 year old (I don't blame her!).

After James ate we headed to KayKay's family Thanksgiving.  Charlotte was a little blown away by kids her own age at a family event and had fun playing with Will and Kate!

Charlotte and Will even got to eat at the table that their parents ate at when they were little!

We got our first picture of James with Moma Dean and Granddaddy.

We somehow managed a picture with both kids and then we tested fate and attempted a picture with all four great-grandchildren....

This is the best I got although I have some hilarious bloopers!  

We had a wonderful few days seeing so much family but on the way home Charlotte said, "Are we going home? I'm tired."  I think we all kind of felt that way because there was a lot of time on the road and a lot of eating!  We are so thankful to have all of our family live nearby and are so glad that we got to see almost everyone over the holiday!  We have so much to be thankful for!

Thankful

As I reflect back on this year it's been a tough one for me.  There have been high high's (finding out we were pregnant, James' birth, Charlotte's verbal development and voluntary "I love you's") and also so low low's.  But through it all I know that I've walked this year with my Lord and with my family and I am so grateful for that.

Today I want to sit back and recount one thing that I'm thankful for for every year of my life.

"Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." - Hebrews 12:28

1. I'm thankful for my family.  Jason, Charlotte, and James are more than I could ever have hoped for!
2. I'm thankful for a easy birth with James and no complications with my c-section.
3. I'm thankful for a little boy who is sleeping through the night most nights now and letting his parents rest.
4. I'm thankful for friends who text and call and email to check up on me when I need support, encouragement, or someone to celebrate with.
5. I'm thankful for this year's Siesta Scripture Memory Team which helped me delve deeper into The Word this year.
6. I'm thankful for God for working through the SSMT for leading me to chose scripture to memorize months before I would need it.
7. I'm thankful for my parents and Jason's parents and how much they do for us.
8. I'm thankful that Charlotte loves school so much and the break that it affords me during the week.
9. I'm thankful that I've got to watch Charlotte try new things this year like gymnastics by herself and excel while taking a risk.
10. I'm thankful for living near family so that I can be there in times of turmoil.
11. I'm thankful that I got to introduce Papa to his great-grandson.
12. I'm thankful for my iPhone that makes waiting in doctor's offices pass by quicker which is important when pregnant and going to the doctor all of the time.
13. I'm thankful for physical therapy and the relief that it brought to my back and the suggestion of an exercise bike that is helping my back.
14. I'm thankful that my best friend got to move closer to her family and that it's stretching me to get out of my comfort zone.
15. I'm thankful for how easy it is to stay in touch across 5 minute distances and 5 hour distances.
16. I'm thankful for a husband who works so hard to give me everything I could ever desire and more and who puts up with so much and still loves me anyway.
17. I'm thankful for sweet moments like first smiles that you forget how wonderful they are.
18. I'm thankful for big girl moments like asking to "walk with me" holding my hand and coming up to tell me out of the blue, "You are so pretty" or "I love you so much".
19. I'm thankful for grandparents who set the gold standard for marriage and who teach me so much with their lives.
20. I'm thankful for the outlet that blogging provides me the community that helps me stay connected even when I'm nursing in the middle of the night.
21. I'm thankful for the blessing of getting to stay home with my kids.
22. I'm thankful for having all that I could ever possibly need and a good bit of anything I could want.
23. I'm thankful for letters from third world countries written by children who depend on us and love us.
24. I'm thankful for friends and family who pray for me when I ask them to.
25. I'm thankful for the privilege to pray for friends and family.
26. I'm thankful for such a close relationship with my Mom and her help, love, support, advice, and encouragement.
27. I'm thankful for my Lord and Savior for living for me and dying for me and for loving me day after day.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Last Thanksgiving of the Year

Saturday held our last Thanksgiving gathering of the year.  Amazingly enough we didn't make it to either of Jason's sets of grandparents and still had four Thanksgiving's! 

After we drove back from Tuscaloosa and C took a nap we headed over to my mom's parents for Thanksgiving with that side of the family.  We had a great time seeing everyone but missed those in the family who were missing due to sickness, work problems, or because they're out of the country doing mission work.  Charlotte especially had a great time playing with her (second?) cousins!  She loved playing with the new-to-her toys at Gramme and Papa's but her favorite activity came when she found the ottoman and somehow convinced all of her cousins to surround her and let her fall off onto them over and over again.  She had the best time and was laughing and squealing!  I'm sure Sam, Abby, Lauren, and Mary all had sore arms on Sunday though after lifting Charlotte up so many times!

Charlotte immediately found the puppy dog that Uncle Scott gave Aunt Carrie when they were in high school.  So that dog is only a few years younger than I am!

Charlotte's super excited/can't believe it/how wonderful face!

New dolls!

Charlotte wanted to sit next to Abby and take a picture

And then she wanted Sam to join them!

She had so much fun with Sam and Abby! I remember when Sam and Abby were her age at Thanksgiving! Where has the time gone?!?!

And then they moved into the den and Charlotte's favorite trust grame!

Thankful

I am so thankful for so many things this year but just to name a few, I am thankful for:

- Jesus - Thank you Lord for coming down and saving me from my ever present sins!
- Jason - for the wonderful husband and fantastic father that he is
- Charlotte - she is our joy and makes life so much better just by being in it!
- Our families - we are so thankful to have our families nearby and their help and support and encouragement means so much
- Our friends - we have THE BEST friends and I couldn't get by without having wonderful women to turn to!
- Jason's job - Jason is still working at his new job and it is stable so we are so thankful for him having a job that he likes and not having to worry about job security
- This blog - Tales of a Peanut is such an outlet for me and I am so blessed to have people who care about us reading it and encouraging us.  I've made so many blog friends that have made such a difference in my life.  Thank you!
- Our country - I am so thankful that we live in a land where we can express our opinions and change the course of the country with our vote.  I'm thankful for those settlers who came over so many years ago looking for something new and for starting something that is powerful and continues today.
- Ingabire - I'm so thankful for our Compassion child, Ingabire, who lives in Rowanda.  I'm thankful that we get to make a difference and her life and she gets to make a difference in ours.

I hope that you have a wonderful holiday spent with family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble! Gobble!

We had a great Thanksgiving.  It was a little different this year due to the Iron Bowl being on Friday instead of Saturday and because of that we didn't get to see much family but we did enjoy the one Thanksgiving meal that we had.  Charlotte got to wear her cute turkey dress which I loved and I think she looked so cute in!  It was the first time her shoes have stayed on her feet longer than 5 minutes so that was nice too since it was pretty brisk outside.

Kevin (Jason's little brother), Jason, and David (Jason's Dad)

We went to Jason's Mom's parents home for Thanksgiving lunch and we enjoyed seeing family that we don't get to see that often.  They live about an hour away from us which makes them the farthest away from us (I know, we are so blessed!).  We enjoyed a yummy meal and some great fellowship and everyone got to love on Charlotte!

Charlotte watching some football with GrandDaddy

Helping KayKay with the dishes

Charlotte with one set of great-grandparents, Moma Dean and GrandDaddy

Soon it was naptime and Charlotte was a trooper and fell asleep in my lap.  Everyone was so amazed that she slept through the chatter and tv but to us it was no surprise!  She's taken many a nap this fall with over 90,000 screaming fans jumping up and down cheering for their team! :)

Our family picture on Charlotte's first Thanksgiving.  We have so much to be thankful for!

After lunch we came home and packed the car and headed to Jason's parents house to drop Charlotte off before we traveled down for the Alabama/Auburn game.  It was very hard leaving Charlotte for two nights especially since it was her first Thanksgiving but I'm glad that we got to celebrate with her at lunch.  We look forward to celebrating next year with a little girl who is walking and moving all over the place!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our little Turkey to your family!

We wish everyone a long list of things that they're thankful for, a yummy meal, and fellowship with family and friends!

Thankfullness

This year we have so much to be thankful for.  We have a healthy, beautiful baby girl who makes life so much better.  We have a new home that we love.  We have family close by to help when needed and to enjoy each others company.  We have a generous Savior who blesses us daily with his love and gifts over and above anything that we could ever ask for. Jason has a job and is able to provide for our family and allow me to stay at home with Charlotte.  We have good friends that we love spending time with.  We are healthy.  We have each other and a good marriage.  We have everything that we could ever need and so, so much more. 

Thank you for those of you who we know in real life and who mean so much to us.  Thank you for what you do for us, how you help us and give of yourselves to make our lives better.  We are better people because we have you in our lives.

Thank you for those of you who we don't know in real life.  This blog is a wonderful outlet for me and I so enjoy "meeting" and becoming friends with those all across the country.  Thank you for reading our blog.  For thinking and praying for us and for encouraging us.  We would love to know who you are so that we can pray for and encourage you also.  If you could, please leave us a comment and let us know who you are and how we could be praying for your family or what you're thankful this Thanksgiving.