Thanksgiving - WARNING: This is a long one!

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday. We went to St. George and stayed in Greg's parent's condo. My mom wanted to "skip" the big meal this year, but I insisted. She made the turkey, and Alexie and I did the rest. Thanks to everyone for being such great sports! I'm glad we had the "traditional meal."

I guess Dad was hungry. We served it buffet style because the table just isn't that big. It took the rest of us a few minutes to get our meal. Even though it's a lot of time cooking and a few minutes of eating, I'm grateful to have a family to cook for. Greg said that the stuffed mushrooms were his favorite. Before bedtime, the kids piled all the pillows in the house on the bed in the master bedroom and jumped on them. Alexie was the "Mom of the Day" as she threw Macy and Abby over and over again onto the pillows. Austin just thrust himself across the pillows. They had the time of their life! Miraculously, there were no serious injuries. My brother-in-law brought the Wii down, and we played it all weekend. It really is so much fun. Maddie kicked our hienies in bowling, but she couldn't beat me at tennis. My dad beat all of us in everything! After playing video game b0wling, Austin wanted to go real bowling (the Wii is definitely easier!). So, Saturday morning, we went bowling. We lucked out and got a lane with the bumpers, otherwise, I'm not so sure Austin and Macy would have had a very good time. Both Austin and Macy were so excited. They threw the ball and waited at the line until it hit the pins (this was a very long time for Macy, but she didn't move). Then, whenever the pins fell down, they both jumped up and down, so surprised, and ran back to tell all of us what happened. Whenever we hit any pins down (even one), Macy would run up to us and congratulate us very excitedly. She's day (every time), "That was perfect!" Paige just loved all the action. She squealed with delight whenever someone came back to their seat, and she was in heaven being passed around.I have so much to be thankful for! I am constantly amazed at my blessings. This past Sunday, the speaker in church quoted President Faust who quoted his daughter who said that when we pray we should ask Heavenly Father to make us worthy of the blessings we enjoy instead of asking for more blessings. I've thought a lot about that, and I think it is so easy to get caught up in the wishes of the world. I wish for a nicer house with a bigger backyard; I wish for a smaller waistline; I wish for a nicer car; I wish for an all-expense paid family vacation, etc. However, when I take a minute and really count my blessings and the "tender mercies" that the Lord has given me, I am truly overwhelmed. It really makes me want to be a better person to be worthy of everything I've been given.

Of course, I am grateful for family. I cannot say enough about Greg. He is an amazing husband and father. I have never been more grateful for our relationship and his dedication to making it better. Thank you...thank you...thank you! At church on Sunday, Austin ran ahead of me and opened the door. He said, "Let me get that for you." He is trying so hard lately! Macy is just a crack up, and very loving. Paige is definitely one of those "tender mercies." She was sent to me exactly when I needed her. This stage is so fun! She is so happy, and she always has the biggest smile for me. I'm so grateful to live close to my parents, my sisters, my brother, Greg's entire family. I had dinner with my sister last week, and we sat and laughed for a few hours in our little booth. What amazing blessings!

Greg loves the show, "How It's Made." He records it and watches it after the kids go to bed. Using Tevo, we can actually watch an entire episode in about 20 minutes. A couple of weeks ago, they had a segment on drinking water. They showed every step of water treatment - from the stream to our faucet. We watched it and just marvelled at the ease of our life. Running water, air conditioning, heating, home insulation, electricity, etc. I am extremely grateful for these things.

I'm grateful for the gospel, and the chance that I have to serve in the church. Our Bishop constantly talks about how running the church is on a volunteer basis, and I am so grateful that it is. I learn so much from the people that I serve with. I love the Primary children. It's so great when they run up to you and say, "Hey...you're my teacher." I feel so blessed to live so close to so many temples. I mostly just feel blessed to have purpose and direction in my life, and to know that someone much bigger than me is in charge of this entire life experience. Faith, hope, and trust are such a blessing.

We had a teacher appreciation dinner yesterday evening. It began with a little stress (although I truly enjoy thanking all of our Primary teachers), but as I drove home, the snow had stopped, and the moon was out. This is one of my all-time favorite experiences! It is so peaceful and beautiful to see the trees coated white, every yard draped in a perfect blanket of snow (free of any footprints), and the ground glowing because of the reflection of the moon. It made me so grateful to live in Utah, in this climate. This beautiful scene, coupled with a really nice evening, lifted my spirits and made me think of all those "tender mercies" the Lord blesses us with.