Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Well, Thanksgiving week has been a pretty great one this year. It started out with a mini vacation from the toddlers, thanks to Grandma, where Peter and I got to relive the joys of having only one child. I also got a ton of Christmas shopping, errands, and cleaning done. It was a pre-Thanksgiving miracle!

We also made the goal to participate in a little service project this Thanksgiving (new tradition!). This year we made a few blankets for a local nonprofit, who were collecting them to send to refugees in Europe. We took the kids to Joann's where they picked out the fabric and then we (and by we I mean, basically mom) made some tie blankets. I'm glad we were able to spend some time remembering those in need and beginning to teach our children the importance of helping others.

This year I originally planned on hosting the big dinner until a couple weeks ago when my Aunt offered to host. I took her up on her offer and boy, am I glad I did. I would not have wanted to try and plan an entire meal with the whole wisdom teeth drama unfolding all the sudden. Instead, I got to bake my favorite part, the pies, and enjoy the rest.

I went with 4 pies this year: apple crumble, chocolate satin, pumpkin, and Grandma's cheesecake. (My Grandma Langlois' recipe; it really is the best cheesecake ever.) I had a little drama with the pumpkin pie. Maybe it's because I tried to make it late Tuesday night (okay, 9pm, but that's late for me these days!) and my brain wasn't working right, or maybe the recipe on the back of the Trader Joe's can of pumpkin is just lame, but the first attempt did not turn out at all. The crust burnt (no thanks to the fancy pie crust protecter I went out and got) and the pie itself just looked kinda gross. It was like some of the ingredients didn't mix all the way or separated out. After a night of fretting over whether I could actually present that to people as legitimate pie, I decided to try the Libby's pumpkin recipe and toss the first. I'm very glad I did; the second pie turned out amazing! Also had some drama trying to peel some very hot sweet potatoes and some marshmallows that completely melted by the time dinner was served (we called it sweet potatoes with a marshmallow infusion). BUT, overall, pretty easy cooking load.

Dinner was amazing and the company was wonderful.

I made Ellie wear this cute pumpkin dress I got her, but she insisted on wearing princess Rapunzel over it.

Aunt Lizzy helped Jude make a gingerbread turkey

And since it is rather customary to talk about the things we are grateful for at Thanksgiving, here are some of the things that I feel particularly thankful for this year:

-My ward family (ward is the LDS name for church congregation). I feel like I've been the ward service project this year with all the help I've needed! Between the terrible morning sickness and boatload of doctors appointments, the birth of Lucy, and all the fallout of the transition to 3, my ward has very graciously and selflessly offered their help over and over again. My wonderful relief society sisters have been more than happy to watch my kids, take my kids to the park, cook us dinner, even scrub our floors! I think it's safe to say I would not have survived my rough pregnancy without them!

-Baby Lucy. For all the craziness, physical and mental toll it took to get her here, it was all worth it. Lucy is the sweetest, cutest little girl and I love every minute with her (even at 2am...most of the time). Out family would not be complete without her.

-International Netflix. Peter somehow fixed it so we can watch Netflix from other countries, and let me tell you, the US really gets the short end of the stick when it comes to Netflix selection. From the better selection of kids' shows to the long list of new shows we discovered while binge watching after bedtime, we just love you Netflix.

-Wonderful neighbors. Constant playmates for our kids, random summer bbq's on the greenbelt, an easy group text to find a last minute missing ingredient for dinner--I love you and will be forever grateful for our amazing neighbors and your wonderful friendship! It's made all the difference living here!

-"Swetchy pants." As named by an in-law, pants that you can sweat and lounge in. My sisters-in-law turned me on to the beauty of wearing socially acceptable workout clothes this summer and it made my uncomfortable pregnancy so much better. Also turned me into a full-fledged suburban mom who gets dressed into gym clothes to go to the park (or Target).

-My iPhone. Nothing makes a middle of the night nursing session more bearable than the ability to scroll through facebook instead of jealously staring at your husband peacefully sleeping right in front of you for twenty minutes.

-My Savior. Without Him, none of this would be at all possible. Some days leaning on His strength was all I had to survive till bedtime, and only my faith in Him left me fearless when faced with uncertainties of pregnancy and parenting three kids. Christ's atonement has given me far more than I will ever deserve and it has empowered me to do more than I ever thought possible.

And now...