Oh So Grateful!

Time to report on our Thanksgiving (less than a month late!)...

We were happy to host Turkey(less) Day this year in our humble 1800 square foot, dining-room-less home, all in the spirit of Thanksgivingness (it just didn't seem right to have our feast at a hotel). Papa Sam (Luke's dad) and his new wife, Lucinda, joined us from chilly Colorado, along with Great Grandma Q (aka "Crazy Grandma"), Luke's Uncle Karl, Aunt Tammy, and Uncle Leon, Mia, Les and the Wise cousins, bringing the feasting total to 14.

We were able to delegate a lot of dishes, including the turkey, to other family members to bring. I held onto my favorite green bean casserole, Pearson-style stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn bread and three pies. We borrowed some long tables and folding chairs from my parents and set them up in the living room so everyone could sit together.

It's no surprise to have a ton of food on Thanksgiving, however, when I say tons of food, I am only slightly exaggerating. All so yummy and abundant! A good time was had by all late into the night. Plenty of wine, good company, chatting, picture-taking, video-filming and laughing.

(forced to drink coffee within the baby mug... all in the name of love)

(just a joke... no underage drinking, here... though it would be the Q way, no doubt)

(wearing the hat Great Grandma made him... meant for a normal size head!)

Flint impressed everyone with his sweet, sleepy demeanor and stayed (mostly) calm and collected all night (there were a few "episodes" of "hunger"). Lyla "entertained" her cousins by locking them in her room and forcing them to play with her. And much like the time we hosted a couple years ago, all children ended up in the master bedroom, though this time rather than jumping on the bed and wrestling, they snuggled up and watched a movie together. Oh so cute!

Thanksgiving is my favorite. Delicious food, crisp weather, warm home, full bellies, happy family! My only disappointment from the day is forgetting to fulfill the Pearson Family tradition (all those dern Quattrochi's made me lose sight of what's truly important) of putting the baby on the turkey platter (that, and there was already an actual turkey on the platter and I wasn't about to add Flint to the main dish).

The day after Thanksgiving, Papa and Lucinda took Lyla, along with the Wise-guys, to the Gaylord to see the Ice show. They had lots of fun - Lyla talked on and on about the icy slide.

Another great perk to the holiday weekend was having my favorite man home for five straight days. It hadn't been that long since Luke had gone back to work from paternity leave, but boy did I miss having him home with me and the kiddos! I am thankful for all he does for the happiness of our family. As a grown-up, there is a lot to worry about in life, but my hubby alleviates so many of my worries. He makes me smile every day (even when he makes me mad... don't ask me how that works ;p), helps me get through all tasks - big and small, mundane and complicated. He loves me unconditionally, loves his children with every nook of his immense heart, and works his buns off to keep us all comfortable, safe, healthy and happy. And he's not too rough to look at, either.

I am also thankful for my two beautiful children. Lyla is our delightful, independent-thinking, brother-doting, Mommy-snuggling, Daddy-cuddling, crazy-dancing, pretend-playing, loud-singing, jibber-jabber-talking, unique and special little monster. Flint is our long-sleeping, much-eating, impressive-pooping, sweet-cooing, ceiling-fan-ogling, fast-growing, sister-tolerating, Mommy-snuggling, Daddy-cuddling, floppy-ear-having, wild-kicking, heart-melting, unique and special little stinker (literally). As I sit here typing this, a perpetual smile has invaded my ever-sleepy expression, thinking about my two favorite kiddos, perfect in spite of each imperfection, wonderful in spite of any difficult moment. They fill me with joy and give my life the most and best meaning.

I am also thankful for my two fantastic parents. My mom and dad have been the best support of all - always and forever. Yes, they are there to take in one or two kiddos when I need a hand, welcome me into their home just about every day (because being at home can be somewhat of a challenge for me), offer me much-needed advice on a regular basis, give me hugs, kisses, and tell me how much they love me. They do all those wonderful parenty-things, and more. I know I am the competent and confident mother I am today because I try my best to mother the way my mother did. And while I don't "father" my kids being that I'm not a father, I have learned as much from my dad about trying to find a balance between "work and play," structure and affection, to give my children a happy home, a life of learning and lots and lots of love. As a teacher, I know one of the best "methods" is modeling. If I can manage to model from my two favorite parents, I can only hope Lyla and Flint will one day try to do the same for their children, having learned just the same that their Mama is just plain awesome. And hopefully they will visit me as often as I visit my parents!

I am also thankful for our other dedicated family and friends. Not to lump "everyone else" into an auxiliary category, but I simply can't blog about all the brilliant people in my life. And of course just because there are lots of them doesn't make any one of them any less special and important. Our Q Family is very fortunate and we recognize that. Not a day goes by that I don't take a deep breath and realize how very wanted (and sometimes just needed!) all my favorite people are. Through sleepless nights and stressful days, sometimes it's hard to think about all that's right, but it really is. Heck, I am even grateful for my stress. I am pretty sure it means I'm living life! And what a great life it is!

Happy Thanksgiving!