Giving Thanks

(I love this plaque, but it isn't mine. I stole this picture off of etsy. If any of my crafsty vinyl friends want to make me one, Christmas if right around the corner, and I AM thankful for my friends . . . )

We had a great Thanksgiving. We ate our dinner on Wednesday night with our cute little fam. Last year we roasted a small turkey in our dutch oven, and it was tas-ty. This year, I bought a much smaller turkey roast and simply baked it in the oven. I also made the usual fare--mashed potatoes & gravy, homemade rolls, stuffing, and corn. Just the necessities--it was enough for us.

Lincoln loves homemade rolls, and I love a happy kid at dinner!

Aubrey is my budding vegetarian. She comments frequently about eating animals, and asks questions about what part of the animal the food comes from--always with a cautious curiosity that is a little grossed out. I think the week of discussions in school about turkeys and pilgrims, coupled with making cute little turkey art projects just about did her in. The turkey roast I put on the table was a far cry from the pinecone turkey she made at school, and she bawled--and I mean bawled--that she was supposed to eat it. 

We gave her teensy portions, but that was no consolation. 

 A much happier girl earlier in the day at her class T-day party. (Notice the pinecone turkey.)

I have nothing against vegetarians. If she chooses not to eat meat at some point in her life, that's fine with me. But for now, she is a growing child and has to at least try the food we have at meals. She can cry all she wants, then have a bite later when she's still hungry and wants something else. There are two options in our house at meal time--take it or leave it. 

So anyway, to distract from her fit and bring us back to what it was we were supposed to be celebrating, we went around the table sharing what we are thankful for. Jace grunted. Lincoln said mom and dad. I said daddy and all his hard work for us. Aubrey skipped and wanted to go last. Gavin said he was thankful for mommy and explained to the kids about how I carried them in my belly and gave them life--to which Lincoln started talking about when he was a baby and I gave him 'mowky' (glancing at my chest as he talks). WHAT?!? There's no way he remembers that, but I was quick to redirect back to Aubrey. She said she was thankful for Ms. Howe--her teacher at school. You better believe she wasn't saying that a month or so ago, so we're making positive progress.

So eat, eat, whine, cry, ignore, eat--that was our meal. After dinner, we cleared the table all except for Aubrey and her plate. At this point she says she wants to go to bed, she is too tired to eat. We won't let her go to bed until 7:30 at the earliest, so she sits there and keeps crying. We had invited the missionaries for dessert, and reminded Aubrey once again that she wouldn't have dessert without eating her dinner. 

I had the dishwasher 1/2 way loaded when Aubrey got up to retrieve the BBQ sauce out of the fridge. She poured some on her plate, and voila! Problem solved. She gobbled up her food (gobble gobble--like a turkey, but of course I didn't tell her that lest the ranting and raving start up again) and was a brand new kid. Who knew?

Yet another turkey art project, the BBQ sauce, and my smiling girl. 

So in addition to all the wonderful blessings and privileges of my life, I am also thankful for BBQ sauce. I'll have to remember that the next time Aubrey doesn't like her dinner. 

The missionaries came over for pie, and a good time was had by all.

Thursday morning, Gavin played football in the church 'Turkey Bowl,' and I went to the gym for my favorite spin class. Afterwards, we packed up and took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. We went to GWL in Williamsburg, VA at least four times when we lived in Maryland, and this was our third time to the one here. I think this time was my favorite. A lot of that has to do with Jace walking now, I'm sure. It's no fun hefting around a kid in a waterpark.

They've added a new ride since the last time we were there (July)--it's a family raft slide. Some friends of ours went too, so we traded off with the kids a bit and enjoyed the bigger waterslides. Aubrey completed all the quests in the MagiQuest game, and she and Lincoln were able to fight the dragon. Even little Jace had a good time toddling around and splashing in the water. He especially liked the hot tub outside--I loved seeing him grin when he felt the warm water. 

My cutie-patooty-bambooties all showered and jammied up, ready for the car ride home. I love these kids!!

I am grateful to be a part of creating memories for my children. I don't think any of us realize how truly blessed we are. As long as my kids are young and carefree, I want them to enjoy life--all the while realizing the magnitude of their blessings and developing a desire to also give to others. 

Happy Thanksgiving, folks. Tears (over turkey and not wanting to leave GWL), fears (over turkey and giant waterslides), and cheers (yup--over finally eating our turkey and having a great time at GWL) for us this holiday--I hope yours was memorable as well.