Great Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day with mine and Kurt's families. We started off going to my aunts beautiful home. We did not have as many people there as we usually do but still had a great time. We missed the ones that were unable to be there to play some minute to win it games! Which if you all know Kurt well at all he does not play games but there is something my aunts have on him I think because he plays all of their games they make us play. LOL! The bad thing is he wins all the time when he plays. I told him I just don't understand how when you do play and you win why you would not want to play more. Anyways, we had a great fun with my Dads family. I love getting to see my Papa and my kids together. I either don't remember or never meet my great grandparents and my kids are blessed to have gotten to spend time with everyone of theirs. I make sure to take plenty of pictures of them together that way if they don't remember them they will know they did meet them and we can tell them the stories of times with them.
 After lunch with my family we headed to dinner with Kurt's family at our brother in laws, moms house. It was such a nice day Bailee and JP loved spending most of the day outside playing with cousins. We did not get to see all of his family either but will be able to see his grandparents at Christmas. It has just gotten where both of our families are getting big and everyone has so many obligations it is hard to pick a time when everyone can make it together. Even with missed family from both sides we had a great time and shared some good laughs with everyone.
 We have so much to be thankful for this year sadly many of those things we take for granted. I think back to the past two years of school with Bailee and how sick she has been and how excited I am that she has not been so sick this year. Every time she was sick she usually had strep and I was so tired of it all the time. Now this year I celebrate because she has not been sick once(knock on wood!) then I think of many families spending the holidays in hospitals because life threatening illnesses and it gives me a big slap in the face that all she had was strep. This holiday season I am trying very hard to think of the blessings in our lives and to think of those who have way less or more serious illnesses than we have. I complain because we don't have enough money than I see stories on TV of families here in the US showing how they have 1 box of cereal and 1 loaf of bread to last a family of four six days. I think God that our "money problems" are no where near that and need to remember that next time I am bummed I cant buy that new shirt or go out to eat with friends because money is tight. God has blessed us each in our own ways and I am going to try myself to remember that and to teach my kids this Christmas season to remember that we don't know the reasons but God gave us the life he has for some reason and to remember to thank him. This year we are going to do a 12 days of Christmas as a family and use these days to help or serve others. I challenge you to take the time this Christmas season to give or to serve others. Remember that the reason we celebrate Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus and what more could God have given us than his own son. We pray you all have a wonderful Christmas season with your families and take the time to remember your blessings.