Gettin' out the good stuff!

We celebrated our Thanksgiving day with Mommom, and Uncles Kyle and Sean.

We kicked things off with an early morning Turkey Trot! Kyle and I are scheduled to run a half marathon relay in January and a half marathon in February so we jumped at the opportunity to pace one another for a day! After completing about 5 miles, and walking around the lake with Mommom, Brent - who is still recovering from some SI joint inflammation - and of course our darlings, we headed back to the house to pop the turkey into the oven and finish up cooking.

We had a bit of a mess yesterday when our deep freezer defrosted. Luckily, we were able to make the best of things and minimize waste when Father Jack came to the rescue by connecting us to a family in need to whom we gave some of the defrosted (but still cold) items to. I then cooked what I could of the rest (we have enough food here for weeks now!)

Today, I set up the crystal, the china and the silver for a really nice dinner service. It's the first time we've done such in the new house - and I was so excited! I love Thanksgiving! Which brings me to...

...my thankful list...I am so very thankful for so many things...not the least of which are:

My family - Brent, Mary Louise, David, sweet angel Kuylen, my brothers, Mom. Without whom I would surely be lost in this world. They are truly the light of my soul and loves of my life and I am so very incredibly indescribably lucky to have them.

I am thankful to carry with me such a heavy influence courtesy of my dad and grandmother. I miss them dearly, but I carry them, along with Kuylen in my heart. They all continue to teach me life's lessons regularly.

Our home, our health, our pets, our lives.

Breastfeeding - it is one of the most difficult, trying, irritating, awful, wonderful, sublime, calming, exhilarating, and rewarding experiences I've ever had - and continue to have daily. Really.

The continued excellent health of our babies. Everything you do, Mary Louise and David, is the most amazing thing. ever. I am constantly in awe of your strength, perseverance, and determination. We were faced with perilous odds of ever even bringing you home - and had to make peace early on with the possibility of life long medical complications and horrific procedures. We were told that you may never breathe on your own, may never walk, and that IF you survived, you would almost certainly not be "normal". Today, every breath you take is a miracle, every step you take is the most beautiful and graceful thing I've ever seen. Your smiles warm my heart, your kisses balm my soul. You are perfect - more perfect than I ever thought possible - even without such dire odds. You are, in fact, phenomenal and I feel such a huge sense of privilege to watch you, teach you and learn from you every. single. day.

Much love to our family and friends on such a gorgeous holiday...and many thanks for your warm spiritual embrace now and then.

xo,
Heather