The kids were home with me on Wednesday. They were wild and ran around the house a lot. Mila had three different twirly dresses on before 9:00 in the morning. The house was mostly decorated for Christmas, but the table was still extended and dressed in its fall swag, waiting to be filled up again on Thanksgiving. I swept up bagel crumbs while they watched Daniel Tiger's Thanksgiving special, and then we painted some Christmas trees to hang on the wall.
Beau took off at noon and we planned a fun family afternoon that would include shopping for toys for Christmas in Walnut together, then catching an afternoon movie at the theater. That was the plan, anyways. The kids weren't quite getting the whole "giving" aspect of our trip to the toy aisle, and we lost count of how many things they asked for themselves instead of focusing on giving to others. It was one of those parenting moments where Beau and I knew we had a hard decision to make. Miss out on our fun afternoon together, or perpetuate more of the behavior they were throwing down at Wal-Mart. We bought our toys for the Christmas store, had a very quiet car ride home, and an even quieter afternoon when we sent the kids to their rooms for naps and Beau and I played cribbage and watched Fixer Upper at the new bar downstairs. :)
Afterwards, we sat together on the couch and talked about compassion. I showed them a few videos from Food for the Hungry, we talked about Cadejape, the boy we sponsor from Mozambique, and then we pooled some of our funds together and picked out some Christmas chickens and vegetable seeds through Food for the Hungry. Not exactly how we intended our fun-filled family day to go, but an important lesson for the kids, and for us parents, too.
I'm writing about this to someday share with the kids. Remember that one year when Dad took off work to take us to a movie and Mom showed us Food for the Hungry videos instead? ;)
We did eventually recover and enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving eve tradition of dinner out on the town. The kids hadn't quite earned a trip to Barnes and Noble like usual (I had had enough retail for the day), but did share a macaroni and cheese kids meal and a basket of buns and cinnamon butter. And a booth seat. :)
Thanksgiving Day. Another insistent girl, broken hangers, and a twirly dress fiasco. A quiet day at home making the house cozy and inviting for my family. I love hosting this holiday more than any other, for it includes good food, a big table, and heart-filled conversation around gratitude and a God who provides.
And while I'm being real, can we all just admit that coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is one big snooze fest? Because Cruz is a lover of traditions like his mama, he was all ready for the parade. I taught him the art of flipping channels from CBS to NBC to skip commercials and the Broadway performances. He enjoyed this long enough to see Pikachu, Hello Kitty, and Spiderman, but nobody was blaming him for giving up and grabbing his book instead.
Feast preparations...a rare and slow afternoon to meander around the house, play card games and listen to chapters read from little mouths, and stop and linger at their sweet ages and way with each other. Nostalgia for years passed, and a deep gratitude for our sweet present.
And the weather! A long weekend forecast of 40s, 50s, and even 60s, no coats for a family picture, and two kids that burned off energy on the trampoline while they not-so-patiently awaited cousins.
And a wonderful Thanksgiving in our home with four generations of family. Great Grandma's carrots and stuffing, Grandpa's simple prayer and endless stories, Williams Sonoma gravy, and Beau's delicious smoked turkey. Another year of thankful leaves added to our tree, a bountiful feast of epic proportions, and a new basement to cozy up in and enjoy together. We sat in a big circle and played a game everyone could join in on until we realized it was 11:00 and the kids were still awake. But then we realized no one had pie yet, so we got out the ice cream and feasted one more time.
Beau took off at noon and we planned a fun family afternoon that would include shopping for toys for Christmas in Walnut together, then catching an afternoon movie at the theater. That was the plan, anyways. The kids weren't quite getting the whole "giving" aspect of our trip to the toy aisle, and we lost count of how many things they asked for themselves instead of focusing on giving to others. It was one of those parenting moments where Beau and I knew we had a hard decision to make. Miss out on our fun afternoon together, or perpetuate more of the behavior they were throwing down at Wal-Mart. We bought our toys for the Christmas store, had a very quiet car ride home, and an even quieter afternoon when we sent the kids to their rooms for naps and Beau and I played cribbage and watched Fixer Upper at the new bar downstairs. :)
Afterwards, we sat together on the couch and talked about compassion. I showed them a few videos from Food for the Hungry, we talked about Cadejape, the boy we sponsor from Mozambique, and then we pooled some of our funds together and picked out some Christmas chickens and vegetable seeds through Food for the Hungry. Not exactly how we intended our fun-filled family day to go, but an important lesson for the kids, and for us parents, too.
I'm writing about this to someday share with the kids. Remember that one year when Dad took off work to take us to a movie and Mom showed us Food for the Hungry videos instead? ;)
We did eventually recover and enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving eve tradition of dinner out on the town. The kids hadn't quite earned a trip to Barnes and Noble like usual (I had had enough retail for the day), but did share a macaroni and cheese kids meal and a basket of buns and cinnamon butter. And a booth seat. :)
Thanksgiving Day. Another insistent girl, broken hangers, and a twirly dress fiasco. A quiet day at home making the house cozy and inviting for my family. I love hosting this holiday more than any other, for it includes good food, a big table, and heart-filled conversation around gratitude and a God who provides.
And while I'm being real, can we all just admit that coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is one big snooze fest? Because Cruz is a lover of traditions like his mama, he was all ready for the parade. I taught him the art of flipping channels from CBS to NBC to skip commercials and the Broadway performances. He enjoyed this long enough to see Pikachu, Hello Kitty, and Spiderman, but nobody was blaming him for giving up and grabbing his book instead.
Feast preparations...a rare and slow afternoon to meander around the house, play card games and listen to chapters read from little mouths, and stop and linger at their sweet ages and way with each other. Nostalgia for years passed, and a deep gratitude for our sweet present.
And the weather! A long weekend forecast of 40s, 50s, and even 60s, no coats for a family picture, and two kids that burned off energy on the trampoline while they not-so-patiently awaited cousins.
And a wonderful Thanksgiving in our home with four generations of family. Great Grandma's carrots and stuffing, Grandpa's simple prayer and endless stories, Williams Sonoma gravy, and Beau's delicious smoked turkey. Another year of thankful leaves added to our tree, a bountiful feast of epic proportions, and a new basement to cozy up in and enjoy together. We sat in a big circle and played a game everyone could join in on until we realized it was 11:00 and the kids were still awake. But then we realized no one had pie yet, so we got out the ice cream and feasted one more time.
