A Lot To Be Thankful For!

This year our Thanksgiving was a little louder than last year.  :-)  Full of laughter (and talking) and excitement.  Seeing everything through Hope & Maggie's eyes made the day even more meaningful to me.  We celebrate the holidays every year. And sometimes it seems to be a routine.  But when you have a new child come into the family, especially when you have adopted two OLDER children who have NEVER experienced these holidays, well it makes everything seem different.  More exciting.  Because it's not about the food....it's about being with family, and enjoying each other's company.

Hope & Maggie LOVED Thanksgiving.  They ate until their tummies hurt.  Maggie ate so much food. The most I've seen her eat since China.  A grown man could have eaten about as much as she did.  Hope had seconds too. But did not pile as much food on her plate as Maggie did.  :-)  They ate EVERYTHING.  And liked it.  They did not complain.  They smiled all day.

I love their innocence.  It's precious.  I keep reminding myself that even though they are 12 & 13 years old, they have never had Thanksgiving. They have never had Christmas.  So they are two innocent little girls experiencing it all.

Their expressions over the Christmas decorations is awesome!  The little things excite them.  Seeing the lights, and all of the ornaments excite them.  And when I hand them THEIR OWN ornament, the smile on their face is priceless.  (I bought two Hello Kitty ornaments the other day just for them).  They now tell me they have 3 ornaments.  The Hello Kitty one, the one they made, and the one they chose from Downtown Disney.  And they point to them several times a day.

I am so thankful for my family.  Thankful for the kids God has chosen me to parent.  Thankful for the smiles & giggles.  Thankful to hear "thank you mama" from our kids. I'm excited to experience Christmas with all 6 of my children this year.  Watching Abby & Jadyn teach Hope & Maggie what it's all about is precious.  I love seeing our younger kids teach our older kids.  I love seeing them together.

I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving with your family.  I know we did.