Friday, November 23, 2012

This year...


  I found out that all of our extended family members were ditching us for Thanksgiving. 
Don't tell but secretly I was really happy.

 I have always felt kind of jerkish that I never made Thanksgiving dinner for my very own family. I wanted to. I wanted MY lovies to be circled around MY table in MY home. And so we did it and it was grand. Truly. I loved every second of all that we did to get ready. I cooked for hours and hours. 

I started with deciding to make some napkins. I asked my friend to surge them for me and she was willing and we talked for a few hours and it was really fun. ISN'T SHE STUNNING?


Melanie


When I picked out the fabric (the pickings were slim) I sort of wondered if it was going to be wrong to eat  a real live turkey while wiping our mouths on napkins which depicted...a real live turkey!  


And the turkeys look MEAN!...They are mad at us.



So first thing Justine says when she sees the napkin is..."Those are kind of creepy!" I laughed because I agree!!!!

So the kids and I made napkin rings. I (of course)  had big plans for how it would go and how they would look perfectly like the picture...


But the kids wanted to do it their way. So... I let it go. And I let them make creative pilgrims even. if. the. designated. pieces. were. used. for. beards. instead. of. hats. I let it go. 

And the kids really enjoyed the project.




Bo made ninja pilgrims. See the leftover hats were used as axes? And he made a "Mrs. Bo"










 

Bo and Kate were so excited for Thanksgiving that they made banners colored in red and green and taped crazy things all over the house. It was pretty cute. I wondered with how excited they were if maybe they had their holidays messed up but they never seemed disappointed on Thanksgiving Day that it didn't consist of presents...


Nathan got to go over to his Aunt Sherri's and make his favorite blueberry pie. It was really sweet of her to do that for him and for us. Then Nathan was intent on helping me make this delightful delicious decedent doozie. It was so dang good.

oreo peanut butter pie...hello??? yum!

here








Corey commented how well I was doing as far as just eating and not worrying about calories. I decided it was because I had CHOSEN to eat certain things that day. It wasn't out of control. It was MY choice. And that is significant. But....tomorrow I will be back to baked vegetables and salmon. And I like it. I am so much happier being in control of the situation.

Rhett is so well behaved when he has a job to do! He loves to work. He desperately wanted to make the devilled eggs. He did it all. All by himself. He did awesome!




He also peeled all the potatoes! 



He is a doll. I love raising sons. It is just my goal to raise gentle men. I don't know if I am doing it right but they are good boys so I am hoping. Today I was in bed reading and they all came up for a cuddle. I am happy because I have learned that moms are as important in a son's life as dad's are in a daughters.

Getting the turkey ready...

Thank you google. And Aine for informing me I would have time to bake the stuffing after I pulled the turkey out (because it would be blazing hot) That was useful information! 

Here is Kate and I googling how to bake a turkey!




Some of the food we prepared the day before and some of it Thanksgiving day. 

So once, I learned that you could give the kids work that is work they may respond well to. It doesn't have to be miserable for them to be learning to work. So I assigned Kassidy the task of drawing the names on the place cards. See my turkeys I made?????? They were so cute. I really had a plan of having a cute table. I think it was a success. More pictures tomorrow.

So Kassidy was thrilled to draw the place cards. She is so many things that I never was. I like that about her. She can draw! The cutest little people! I cannot draw! And her handwriting is spectacular. My handwriting is horrible. You can't even tell the difference between my handwriting and the handwriting of "the boys" from my work. Mine is as rough as their's!

Anyways...she personalized each card. And it really was a help to me. And they were darling.


She said Bo says this quote a lot. nice.



This is the back of Nathan's head while he is playing on the computer. "Because that is all we ever see of him" Darling!!!! 

Then Bo wanted in on the action. So he drew his own version. Little sweetie.




I LOVE it!!!! Rhett is tearing up the basket ball court this season!


Corey in the forest with Bigfoot


Justine with her one direction boys

And the very best....


WHO IS THIS?????????? Come on,  I know you know..... IT IS KRISTOPHER!!!!!!

I laughed my guts out. It looks like him!!!!!! He is bald on the top in real life and this little figure has one curly-q on the top of his head!!!!! Is that not funny or what!!!!!!!!! And he does have a red couch!

Am I winking at him????


COME ON!!!!! Doesn't THAT kill you????? It is stinking FUNNY!!!! I'm serious. I love my kid. She can be a sassy pants! She can. But she cracks me up.

So....last session when Kristopher asked me how my week was, I told him it had been pretty good. I told him I think some of the things in his book had been finally ingrained in me through Heavenly Father giving me experiences to learn it. It is one thing to read it and believe it...it is another to learn it.

I have learned to be mindful. I am 100 % convinced that I could live in the world with out letting the waves of upset that it throws at you, get to me. I am not saying that can be the case all the time. But that is the goal and I am saying I now have the tools ingrained in me to make it so. He told me there are things that have happened in his past, that when thought about now, don't even "ping" him anymore.

You can get to the point where the world can go about you and you don't have to let it affect you. Because you have controll of your own thoughts and feelings. Not every crisis that comes your way can toss you into turmoil anymore. What peace and freedom that can bring? And now I am a believer of it and know how to get there.

He smiled at me during that session. "I knew you were going to get it. I have been waiting for you to." My heart melted because he believes in me.


And he sort of looked like this when he said it. BAAHAAA!! I can't help it. That little man CRACKS me up.

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