Thanksgiving

Yesterday we were able to spend Thanksgiving with all of the Puzey's plus two friends from church, Denis (our Home Teacher) and Bonita (who I also happen to work with at the Pharmacy!)  It was a gorgeous day, a typical crisp autumn day!  Though the morning started out a little rough, Jared got called into work at 8am!  He had lots he wanted to do before everyone arrived at noon :( Without Jared around that morning I started doing things that weren't totally necessary to do before our company arrived!  So our dinner ended up being served an hour late, but thankfully it was because Jared made it home in time to eat with us!

Doing the things that weren't totally necessary for our Thanksgiving feast!  I added these wooden bird decals above our front door.  My dad had given them to me!  Below them I want to put vinyl lettering that says "Spread Your Wings"

I love our kitchen, a very country feel! 

I don't have a fireplace mantle so I use this sofa table!  I love Autumn decorations!

Everyone pitched in and brought something to contribute to the feast!  I offered our house with the stipulation that someone else bring the turkey!  With my total disgust of meat on bones and the thought of sticking my hand in a turkey's butt I just dont think cooking a turkey is for me!  Thankfully Myrna offered to cook the turkey and I'm glad she did, it was delicious!  I did mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and peas and corn!  Char brought a salad, and coconut cream pie, and a cheese ball and crackers for snacks later!  Lalainia brought buns (super yummy) and pumpkin pies (also super yummy!).  Rachel brought lemon pies and a green bean casserole (again yummy!).  There was enough food to feed a small army, and in honour of David I made way, way to many potatoes (though we all agreed that it still wasn't the amount David would have made!)  We had lots of laughs, lots of visiting and lots of treats!  I also made White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles (my new favorite cooke!) and a fall type of nuts and bolts? It had chex cereal coated in melted chocolate, peanut butter and icing sugar!  And mixed with that I put pretzels, peanut butter m&m's and candy corn!  It was really good!A definite keeper!  I think I can even adapt it to fit the holiday!

The kids had fun playing together, as always!  There were spy games going on, train track building, wii games, quad riding, trampoline jumping, girl talking and ball throwing!  It was great hearing the noises of laughing and occasional squealing coming up from the basement!  Char brought paper plates and plastic cups and utensils so there were very minimal dishes to do!

Jonas 

Girls being girls!

Armin...Some kind of spy!!

I love Thanksgiving!  I love being with family and reflecting on all I have been blessed with!  I am thankful for my "sisters", I am thankful for their examples to me.  I am thankful for their love and support!  I am thankful we share in each others good news, as well as each others trials.  I am excited for Char to move here, I am excited to have her close as a friend and sister.  I hope our relationship will grow stronger, there is a lot I can learn from her!  I am thankful Rachel and Lalainia live as close as they do too, I just need to make an effort to stop in and visit with them more often!

I am thankful for a husband who truly is my best friend!  He works hard for us to keep us safe and comfortable!  He involves our kids in everything he does even when it actually slows him down!  He is kind and compassionate, he keeps things real and reminds me to do the same!  He is loyal and devoted and he is the biggest example to me of being truly accepting of others, faults and all!

I am thankful for my children!  They all have unique personalities and teach me something new each day!  They are healthy, they are kind, they are caring and accepting of others!  They are polite and they  try hard to do what is right!  I know I am hard on them, especially Emry, but she really is a sweet girl and she helps me out so much!  I told her I really needed her help with the cleaning, and though she didn't really clean, I did overhear her say to Calum while they were playing that they needed to clean up what they were playing with before the moved onto something else, or they would have a huge mess to clean up later!  So, in actuality she did help me that day!

I am thankful for our children's love of music!  Emry is always singing something, even if its something she made up!  Calum is always dancing and Armin too!  Whenever Jared plays his guitar those boys run into his music room, rip off their shirts and dance and sing!  I'm not sure what to think of that, but for now I think its really cute!

I am thankful for our home, for the free country we live in, for my job at the Pharmacy, for my calling at Church teaching the Youth Sunday School class! And for my Stake calling with Myrna in the Primary Presidency!  I learn new things every week just being with the youth and also working with Myrna, Jan and Christi and all the Primary kids in our Stake!  And I am so thankful for my membership in such a fulfilling Church!  I feel content and at peace in my life.  I am not afraid of what is to come, because I know that as I continue to prepare myself through studying the scriptures and prayer I will be able to attain the ultimate goal of returning to live with my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ!  I am not perfect, nor will I ever be, but at least I know I am on the right track and as long as I live and act in a way Our Savior would I am doing my best!  Life is hard, but I know I will make it because I have the love and support from family, friends and my Savior.  I have a heart full of thanks!