Gerald the Fourth

Last night was our Gerald the Grateful turkey activity. He's the fourth generation, and I have to say, the most handsome one so far!

We have much to be thankful for this year. Here are the ones we chose for our turkey (with my elaborated version at the bottom):

JASON:

-Family

-Health

-Savior

-Outdoors

-A Job

McKINLEY: (she cut out almost all the hands you see & wrote all her own)

-Hot Chocolate (grandma made her famous hot chocolate that night :)

-Ireland

-Scissors

-Turkey

-Mom & Dad

IRELAND:

-Jesus (she said this about 4 times)

-Food

-Body

-Chocolate Milk

-Mom & Dad

KEZIA:

-Signing Time (over & over she said this - I'm not kidding.)

-Milk

-Sisters

-Sleep

-Grandma & Grandpa

HEIDI:

-Music. Can you imagine a world without music? I can't. And I'm not even musically talented. But I TRULY appreciate the talents of others.

I can be hard to reach sometimes. My heart gets easily hardened and I tend to run faster than I should. God knows this & He lovingly allows music to reach me during these times.

I have been having a difficult time the past few weeks. Nothing major, but my journal is full of "woe is me"-isms. I have been "kicking against the pricks" as it were - everything seems much more difficult than it should. 2 nights ago, I had a hard night. Lots of tears. I woke up the next morning and turned on Pandora. The first 3 songs were absolutely, without a doubt, directed at ME. They talked about "crying in the night." They talked about God's love for me. Just in the time it took to listen to a few songs, my heart overflowed with the knowledge that I am loved - and that I am blessed - and that I am watched over - and that everything is going to be OK. I am so thankful for music.

-My Family. How can I tell you how blessed I am to go to sleep with the man I love and wake up to the pitter-patter of precious little feet. And to top it all off? I get to also be closer to my mom & dad while we're living here. And my sisters. I don't know what I did in heaven to be able to deserve such an amazing family - my little family, my extended family, my in-law family - but I am truly, truly thankful for each one of them. I LOVE YOU FAMILY!

-The Book of Mormon. My testimony of the Book of Mormon has grown exponentially the past year or two. I have found that I need this book. Every day. Just like I need to eat & to breathe. When I don't get my daily dose of the Book of Mormon, something happens... it's hard to explain, but let's just say that Satan's hold on my gets stronger and I feel darker. I am so grateful for this book - for the time spent translating it, for the money spent in printing it, for the lives lost in testifying of its truth. I am so very thankful for this book.

-Agency. This is a simple thing that I take for granted. every. day. I have mentioned before how we love to listen to My Turn on Earth. I listen to the arguments of both Satan & Jesus and how logical it sounds when I listen to Satan's plan - everyone will be saved! no wars and no strife! A wonderful life! I admit... it sounds captivating. And, yet... Jesus' plan - leaving the choice to us. Knowing there will be difficulties and trials, but knowing also that it is the only way we can learn and grow. I am so thankful for this gift. It is precious. I am thankful for a country that gives me the agency to worship the way I choose and to raise my children the way I feel is best. You and I may not agree on the number of children to bring into this world, who we should have as our political leaders, or the best way to reduce fossil fuels, but we have the amazing ability to share our opinion on such matters without fear of punishment. I am thankful for the men and women that have sacrificed to keep these freedoms.

-Being a Stay-at-Home Mom. Nope - it's not a glitzy title. Nope - the monetary pay isn't great. The hours are rough. But it's worth it. It's soooooo worth it. Yes - there are days when I feel like work would be easier than this, but a second later, I think about the reality of the work life and realize that I don't think I'd last more than a day. Maybe two. I love my little girls. I really do enjoy them. And I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually enjoying homeschooling so far. Go figure! It's actually LESS stressful than when she was going to preschool. I'm not feeling rushed to get her out the door in the morning -and then rushed to pick her up. I know what she's learning. I am amazed at what she can take in when she's challenged. She's memorizing scriptures and we're finally getting around to reading all the articles in The Friend. It's so rewarding to watch her learn. I am SO thankful that I am able to stay at home with my girls. It is completely worth the sacrifice we are making financially.

It's hard when you can only pick 5 things for your 5 "feathers" - I have so many more things for which I am blessed & grateful. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!