Thankful

Sometimes life can be hard. Things don't go your way. It is easy to get discouraged and look at the glass as half empty.

But that is what I love about Thanksgiving. Because it is a time to look at the glass as half full. To really take the time to look around you, count your blessings and be thankful for what you have. And our family truly does have so much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for days like Wednesday, where we had the opportunity to spend some time outside in the gloriously warm but still fall-like weather playing at Civic Center Park. The kids rode their bikes and we all fed the ducks.

This cracks me up. Not just that Jake is now doing tricks on his bike but also the police cars in the background (station is next to the park):

Once home, it was time to prepare the dishes I had been asked to bring to Thanksgiving - stuffing and pumpkin cheesecake. Jadyn helped with the cheesecake. She likes the taste of the end result but can't stand the smell of the canned pumpkin:

The old pro working the mixer all by herself:

That night we put the acorns on our family's thankful tree:

 

 The items on the tree we were thankful for this year included our family, friends, pets, all creatures, the earth, science and art, our health, our home, good and healthy food to eat, the Xbox to play games, the ability to sign up for and play sports and days spent at the park. I also thought it would be fun to include a sample of each of the kids writing as they both did projects at school listing things they were thankful for. Here is Jake's:

   

 And Jadyn's:

   

 Thanksgiving day was very nice. The food was good and so was the company. The best part was getting to see Jake and Jadyn get along so well with their cousins, Aidan and Lilly:

 

When you look at those smiling faces it makes it much easier to see what you have and be thankful for it. And I hope to carry that feeling throughout the holiday season and beyond.