Thanksgiving Day was a blast! We woke up bright and early to jog/walk the 5K in our area. It was super hard to wake up that early, but it was well worth it! Once you get outside and are gathered together with your family and fellow neighbors to exercise and spend time together, it is more than enjoyable. The weather wasn't too bad either--a cool 40 degrees (which beats the 20's and 30's, but is still chilly)! Annabelle and Stockton were great sports, and were excited to be up early and outside. The city's Firemen were there as well, all participating in the race wearing their full uniforms! It was a great sight to see them, and Stockton actually had his little fire engine toy with him in the stroller :) Josh and I started out the race great, but I was totally holding him back! I told him to go ahead with the kids, and I kept my comfortable pace a little ways behind them :) However, I did jog the entire way (albeit very slowly), and I actually finished only 10 minutes after them! It was fun seeing them waiting for me at the finish line, cheering with their donuts and hot chocolate :) Annabelle loves donuts and couldn't get over the fact that she had a square donut--a nearby bakery's trademark.
I enjoyed my jog immensely! The weather wasn't too cold; the morning was beautiful; it was a holiday and everyone's spirits were sky high; it was calm, peaceful, and quiet. I was grateful for little slice of alone time out in nature :)
When we finished, they shuttled us back to the starting position via school buses--Annabelle was SO excited! She LOVED her ride in the bus, pretending she was old enough to go to school--cute! We arrived back home just in time to catch the Macy's parade on TV--Buzz Lightyear and Santa were BIG hits. Then we put the kiddos to bed while preparing to go to the Simpson home for Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic. I love spending time with my family, and the food was amazing, as always! Annabelle had so much fun playing with her cousins, but little Stocky had a little bit of a rough night (we would learn later that he was getting sick) :( Nevertheless we still had a great time with everyone and appreciated all the work that went into making it not only a delicious dinner, but a beautiful atmosphere as well. We are abundantly blessed with more than we need to be happy and comfortable. There are numberless individuals who deserve the credit for this, least of all is us. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for my testimony of the gospel and that I know from where all blessings come. I am grateful for a mother and father who instilled in me a love of country, a love of patriotism, a love of truth, and a knowledge of those who have sacrificed for me and my current blessings. Because of them--those selfless individuals of the past and my caring, knowledgeable parents--Thanksgiving is and will forever be one of the most meaningful holidays for me. I love that it brings families together; I love that it brings out happiness in people; I love that it makes all of us remember and think about where our blessings come from, turning us all heavenward. It is wonderful, and this year was no exception! :) I love my family, my husband, my kids, my parents, all of my in-laws and friends--without them I would have nothing and with them I have EVERYTHING.
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| The kids are happy and ready to go! The firemen are all suited up behind us, and Stocky just happened to bring his fire engine! :) |
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| Left: The beautiful table. Upper Right: The adorable kids' settings. Lower Right: The veggie "Turkey" platter I made :) Thanks for a fabulous time everyone! |
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