Thankful

I know that Thanksgiving has passed, but I took some pictures during our Thanksgiving celebration that show some of the things I am thankful for this year. Here they are in no particular order:

 I am so thankful for this smiling face. Anja is such a bright spot in my day. She is ready with a huge smile like this one pretty much every time you look at her, and she does this little dance with her head that is just the cutest! (can you tell I'm her mommy) Most people say that she is a carbon copy of her daddy, but if you look really closely, you can see a faint dimple in her right cheek that comes from mommy.

I am thankful for this view (yes, even the giant snowflakes). We moved into our house in July, so I was excited to see it the view in the fall. Once the leaves fell off the trees I told Mike that it could snow anytime, because I was excited to see what the back yard would look like with snow. We continue to feel blessed by this house and look forward to many years of raising our kids here and opening it up to others!

 This one wasn't taken on Thanksgiving, but I am very thankful this year for the chance I have to teach Tate preschool. It has truly been a blessing to see his excitement to learn and have the privilege to see the process.  

 I am thankful for my beautiful family. (Tate's not lookin' so beautiful here, but it's honestly hard to get a shot where he's not talking!) I have an amazing husband who I learn from all the time just by watching his life and how he desires to grow as a man of God. He loves our children and desires to be an important part of their lives. We often sit back and look at our kids in awe of the blessing that they are in our lives. I am also very grateful for the person behind the camera. My sister-in-law, Kristen, came for Thanksgiving this year and spent the week with us. I was SO thankful for the extra help that she gave me (since I decided to potty train Norah while she was here). I am blessed to have a good relationship with her!

 I am thankful that this I-can-do-it-myself-2yr old girl can now put on her own socks! It marks one more accomplishment, however I don't think she's going to need a whole lot of encouragement in the area of independence! She is 2 through and through and wants do everything "me self." 

 I am thankful for my sister. We didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things growing up (probably normal sibling disagreements), but now she is a great friend and I really do miss living 10 miles away from her. With almost 100 miles between us now, it's a little harder to just spend the morning at her house with our kids not-so-quietly playing in the background.

Cousins are the best! I'm so thankful for this crew of kids who my kids love and who love my kids! I'm so thankful that they have the privilege of growing up with cousins close to their ages (on both sides of the family), and who are raised in homes that strive to serve and glorify God.

My list could go on without pictures, because I truly have so many things to be thankful for. Above all else, I am thankful that I have been undeservedly forgiven because of the sacrifice that Jesus gave when He came to earth as a baby and paid for my sins when He died on the cross. I am so grateful that this Christmas season is not an empty quest for more, because we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

Adventures of a Little Boy

I'll give $1,000 to anyone who can guess what the following 6 items have in common:

1. backpack
2. baster
3. pacifier
4. socks
5. flashlight
6. massaging ball

If you guessed that they are all items Tate packed to bring on a hike, then you've guessed correctly! How many winners do I have out there? (I'm really hoping none, because I don't have $1,000 to give away)

Tate packed his backpack last week and told us that he was ready to go on a hike. For a couple of days, he asked when we could go on our hike, so we set off on Friday for a fun family adventure. It was so much fun to watch Tate explore in his curious boy way.

It has been a warm week (think Minnesota in November and add 10 degrees), so it was perfect for a hike. On Friday morning we packed up the kids and headed to the river where there are some paths that feel like you are in the middle of the woods.

We had walked about 50 feet when Tate saw a bench and said, "I'm feeling kind of tired. I think we need to take a break." We convinced him that we should hike a little more before we took a break, so we'd rest at the bench on the way back.

Along the path, Tate announced that he was going to look for lightening bugs (remember it's November in Minnesota) up by a fallen log. Once we got there, he very purposefully set his backpack on the ground, unzipped the front pocket and took out his flashlight. He explained that the lightening bugs were eating underground, so he had to use his flashlight to find them. After he had found one and looked at it for a couple of minutes, he packed up and we set off again.

On our way back to the car, we passed the bench again where Tate insisted we all sit down and rest. Again, he set down his backpack and unzipped it. Before we knew it, he had taken out the pair of socks he had packed (which we told him was a very wise thing to bring on a hike) and was getting ready to change them. Daddy explained that sometimes we bring things in our backpacks that we don't always use, but we have just in case we need them. It took a little convincing, but he put them back in his bag and took out the baster. This was used to warm us up, so he squeezed a little air on each of us and put it back in his backpack. I was a little confused when he started taking off his jacket, but then realized that it made complete sense, because of course he'd want a massage after a long hike! He handed Mike the massaging ball and asked for a back massage while we sat there on the bench. Like the good big brother he is, he had also packed a pacifier for his little sister (which was pretty fuzzy, so I suggested she keep the one she already had).

It makes me smile to watch this little boy's imagination. It's only a matter of time until our next adventure! Next time I'll bring my camera!