Nutty November

This month seems to have reluctantly slipped through my fingers, not gone at all the way I invisioned in my head. Maybe it's because we have been just going going and we are tired. Maybe it's because Griffy is going through quite the little (please God) phase. Ryan has been working a lot. Beanie isn't a sleepy little newbie anymore. I might be the biggest mess, because of the "post" baby hormones my emotions and hair are just falling right out. I had expectations for November and the ironically it was because it was soposed to be "low key"....and it turns out it's a lot more work than originally thought to make "low key" happen the way you want...haha! Thanksgiving has really grown in my heart as my favorite holiday. I love the Fall, the red, brown and gold, everything pumpkin flavored, no stressing about money & presents & parties, just family, food, and for us no traveling. We love to get to our family at Christmas but it's hard on all of us to travel especially since we have several places to be in just 2 days. For Thanksgiving we have just stayed put since we have had Griffin, and spent the weekend putting up Christmas decorations and watching movies and enjoying the R & R! So I envisioned our first Thanksgiving with Sawyer and the moments leading up to it to just be flawless and fun and relaxing...did I set myself up or what...go ahead and laugh now, you know what's coming:)!!

The boys enjoying a family night taco salad dinner...Ry is thrilled I am documenting this:)

It started with our family night the week before. I spent the day trying to get what we needed to tuck in and enjoy the night together. It was super hectic and by the time I got home we were exhusted. While I was getting dinner ready Griff grabbed a bottle of carpet cleaner off the shelf and sprayed the walls and a train table full of toys in his play room. Ok, so not exactly the start to the night I envisioned. Got it cleaned up as best as I could, ate dinner, and it was almost bed time...and we still had a few other things on the line up. This year we decided to do a box from each boy for Operation Christmas Child. It was really really fun, G & I shopped and talked a lot about "our boys" all week. I am not sure how much he really understood, but it was a great start to talking about "giving" with him. We filled the boxes with soap, candy, toys, bandaides, a wash cloth and some other little treats. (As a side note, this was an awesome way to give we loved doing it and hope we can continue each year!)

All was going well until we sealed up the boxes and then the tears ran like a waterfall...part because it was now past bed time, and part because it is really hard for a 3 year old to pack up little cars and then give them to someone else! So, we skipped the movie, got the boys in bed and fell asleep halfway through the movie we rented for us. Family night seemed a little tedious. BUT I had high hopes for the following family celebration.....

Then Thanksgiving weekend just went from stress to stressful on a lot of levels....including being hit in the forehead with Griffin's helicopter and acquiring a large "egg" on my head, Griffin using a Sharpie (pics to come) to decorate his play room, the green beans spilling all over me on the way to dinner, Maci checking out at the vet for $260 with a "fungal rot" on her...I won't keep the list going. For a while I just pouted. I am not going to lie. I cried when I saw the toy room, I got mad at Ryan over nothing, I wasn't loving or happy or thankful towards anyone, especially my boys who should have been at the top of my mind over the weekend.

I have to tell you though, as I look back through these pictures from this month, I can't help but smile and feel overwhelmed with thankfulness. I can truly forget all of that...and be content to remember November 2010 as...

making turkey PB & J's,

and watching boys become brothers,

and picking up Griff from school and chatting on the way home about his projects,

(side note: his turkey says he's thankful for family, turkey??:), Sawyer, Cars & School)

and going around the dinner table every night telling each other what we are thankful for while holding the "turkey of thankfulness" and then praying together over our days,

and spending time with my mom doing some holiday decorating,

and for a year that brought us this happy, healthy & perfect little baby (wearing Griffy's Thanksgiving onsie...I finally got a pic!),

and for precious friends who have taught us about taking each other for who we truly are, and for our health & home & mostly for me this year....all the work that the Lord has been doing in my heart. I can honestly say I have never had a more drastic construction site inside me than in the last year and a half and I can finally look back and say...oh, that makes sense God, and thank you so so so very much. Perfect moments and holidays and blog posts are nice but reality is that life isn't always colored coordinated (although God knows I try!) and that's how we come to understand what "thankful" really means.