Thanksgiving

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Lord, behold our family here assembled. We thank Thee for this place in which we dwell; for the love that unites us; for the peace accorded us this day; for the hope with which we expect the morrow; for the health, the work, the food, and the bright skies that make our lives delightful; for our friends in all parts of the earth.

Let peace abound in our small company. Purge out of every heart the lurking grudge. Give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere. Offenders, give us the grace to accept and to forgive offenders. Forgetful ourselves, help us to bear cheerfully the forgetfulness of others.

Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind. Spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies. Bless us, if it may be, in all our innocent endeavors. If it may not, give us the strength to encounter that which is to come, that we may be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath, and in all changes of fortune, and down to the gates of death, loyal and loving to one another.

As the clay to the potter, as the windmill to the wind, as children of their sire, we beseech of Thee this help and mercy for Christ's sake.

Shane & I hosted Thanksgiving again this year. It's something that we really love doing! We had a small group this year and a very yummy spread.
Sam with Aunt Jade.
Little Lady Jules with her banged up knees.
Uncle J and the S's
Silly Pop Pop and Sam.
Gigi and Sophie.
Yum yum!
Gigi made a yummy treat for the kids.
We also (finally) set up the GeoTrax set that they got for their birthday. They all love it but I think Sam could literally play with this ALL DAY. He sometimes gets upset if a sister tries to play with a train, but a reminder that it's ok for them to play too, and he's just fine. Sam has been really sweet and silly lately. Last night Sophie randomly said, "deedle deedle deedle. Belly." Sam CRACKED up. It's still cracking him up today!

Saturday we went to Topeka and helped Gigi put up her Christmas tree. Then we visited the Bailes. They have three cats and now Julia has a new obsession that we suspect she may be allergic to. She really loved Black Knight and he's a sweet cat that let her pet him and follow him everywhere. When we went downstairs to play and the cats had had enough and "went to take a nap," Jules was very sad until her Aunt Joy brought some stuffed cats that looked like the real ones. Sadly though, Julia's eyes got very red and puffy so she's probably allergic!

The kids have a new favorite song. "Up on the Housetop." They sing along and try to snap to the "click click clicks." They've been seeing pictures of Santa Claus ("Ka-Claus") and seem to want to see him, but when asked, they will not go and sit on his lap.