Friday, January 1, 2016

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving was such a blast this year!  One of my main focuses after meeting with a mentor for a little over a year is to have a more GRATEFUL heart all the time. God LOVES a genuinely grateful heart! I know we are richly blessed, and although I am making a point to be more thankful ALL the time, I do like that everyone reflects on their blessings at Thanksgiving.

We met at my parents' house at 1 pm and then headed to Jonathan's cousin's house at 5. Both of our Thanksgiving festivities are on the same day, but thankfully at different times so it's not too stressful. 

Jase LOVES playing with his cousins & it is so much fun watching him interact now that he's older. We see both of our families a pretty good bit, but we aren't all together very often, so I always when we are ALL together.

It was a little bittersweet this year without Michael and Donna, but unfortunately that is a new normal we will have to adjust to and accept. My heart goes out to all of you who have lost loved ones, and I mean that. I know the holidays are a little more painful with that empty chair and knowing they should be there, but going back to that thankful thing, I think it's important to choose to focus on the good memories and be thankful for the time we had with them.

I brought broccoli salad, blueberry coffee cake, and peppermint protein fudge this year. Maybe one of these years I'll give the turkey a shot? Ha! I made dressing a couple of years ago and it was pretty extensive (& SUPER unhealthy- whoa!). I have a whole new appreciation for the hosts & hostesses like my mom who make everything, manage to have it all ready at the same time, and it's warm, delicious, and presented well. That seems like it would be super stressful and a TON of work, but I'll embrace it when the time comes for me to do that for my little family.

This little turkey enjoyed his first Thanksgiving!! Such a little sweetheart.
Mom always has cute crafts for us. 
Loving Trey's man bun!
Love my mom & sisters.
Jon's creeping on the Hays family pic.
The fellas!
The little girls.

Love, love, love my sweet mama & daddy! So thankful for their example, their wisdom, their help, their guidance, and especially how AWESOME they are as grandparents.


Steph & her kiddos.
Tammie with 2 of her 3.

My hair grew as the day went on. Big hair don't care! And little fuzzy head Kade is always smiling. 
Grammy & her boys. LOVE this sweet picture!
Hahaha! 
We headed to Jonathan's cousin's house for Thanksgiving #2. 
Jon, Jade, & Jimmy...
Bro & sis. Super thankful for Aunt Jade - AKA "Jimmy"...because the boys love her and she is always so helpful.
Cousins playing!
Jase & his handsome daddy. Love my boys!
All the Butlers.
Fun times trying to get these little nuggets to smile. Kade was just hangin out. 
Jase did not get a nap at all, so he threw a serious fit when it was time to go. Partially because he was having a BLAST playing...partially because he was sugared up/overtired all at the same time. He was fine once we got him in the car, but I don't know that I've ever heard him scream that loud. That was... interesting!
I am thankful for so much in my life. I know lots of it sounds cliche, but it's important not to take it for granted.

I am so THANKFUL for my relationship with the Lord. I am thankful that I KNOW I am a child of God. I am thankful for my faith & salvation, and can't imagine walking through life without that hope. I am thankful for what the Lord has done for us and the sacrifice Christ made on the cross to cover us. We serve a big & mighty God, y'all.

I am so thankful for family. For my husband and boys especially, as they are the light of my life. I can't imagine doing life without Jonathan. He is a ROCK, and God knew I needed someone exactly like him. And those sweet boys of mine...they seriously make my heart skip a beat. It's an overwhelming feeling of love for them, and I love raising them with Jon.

I'm also so thankful for the rest of our family. For our parents, siblings, nieces & nephews, aunts & uncles, and cousins too. They all love well, and I am thankful for that example. I'm thankful that I feel "handpicked" by God to be a part of this family.

I am thankful for a beautiful, warm home. It's more than we could ask or imagine, and I am so thankful we get to raise our kiddos in this home. 

I am thankful for healthy food in our refrigerator and pantry so I can feed our family nourishing meals. 

I am thankful for our health and the health of our family. I pray we have many, many more healthy years with our families.

I am thankful for genuine friends. I have learned SO much about friendship over the last few years, and it makes me appreciate my true friends even more.

I am thankful for our business and the freedom it provides our family in so many ways. Thankful for all of the wonderful people and opportunities it has brought into our lives. This isn't even close to what I would have imagined our life would be like or what we'd be doing, but I am so thankful HIS plans are greater.
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

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