Thankful

On Thanksgiving last year, I was 40 weeks pregnant and hoping the big feast would kickstart labor (it didn't).  Quinn has just been born a few weeks earlier, so I gave him the cutie pie outfit I had planned on dressing Gavin in had he made it in time for the holiday.  It was a lovely celebration, and though I had desperately hoped Gavin would be in my arms and not in my belly by then, I was pretty thankful we didn't have to spend Thanksgiving at the hospital.

This year's celebration was special in a different way.  It was Gavin's first Thanksgiving, and it was nice that he was old enough to eat some of the traditional holiday fixings!  His favorite foods were turkey, stuffing, and tiny bits of pumpkin pie.  :)  He and Quinn had fun toddling around the playroom and visiting with family.  Gavin especially loved swinging at the park with Aunt Erin and reading books with Gigi.  It was so nice having Grandma Nancy in town this year, as she hadn't been able to come last year on account of my due date being so near.  The food was great, the company was great, and we were able to reflect on how thankful we are for the many blessings in our lives.  This year has been filled with some serious ups and downs, but generally speaking, we are lucky to have a strong marriage, a beautiful son, a roof over our heads, and opportunities to better ourselves through education, social and family relationships, and work.

Here are some photos of perhaps our greatest blessing, Gavin Robert, celebrating his first Thanksgiving with my family:

A huge THANK YOU to my parents for again hosting such a beautiful celebration.  Feeding nine adults, two babies, and five dogs is no easy feat!  :)  Here's to many, many more Thanksgiving feasts together!