This year we are spending Thanksgiving at home sweet home. None of our East Coast family could come out (my Aunt just barely left!) and our in-state family all made other plans, so it will just be our family. The kids are a little disappointed that we aren’t seeing anybody, but we have a lot of fun things planned for today and the rest of the weekend and are going to make it a special few days.

The orange rolls and cinnamon rolls are in the oven…We told the kids that there would be “something good” for breakfast, and they have guessed everything from pancakes to the bag of marshmallows that is on top of the refrigerator for the sweet potato topping. (Umm, no. I’ve never given my kids marshmallows for breakfast).

So in these few minutes of quiet, I wanted to get a post done for Thanksgiving.

One of our traditions is to have our kids write their “letters to Santa” on Thanksgiving, but before they can write want they want for Christmas, they have to trace their hand, make the turkey and write five things that they are thankful for.

Although I can’t trace my hand for this, here are my “five things”.

-I am grateful for my husband. I am grateful that I am married to my best friend and true partner. The person that he is and the relationship we have, have largely defined the life I am living, and I could never have imagined it being so wonderful. I am so grateful he is my husband. I am grateful he is cooking today!!! I am grateful he loves me, and I am grateful his heart is even bigger than Big Daddy himself.

-I am grateful for my children, each and every one. I am grateful that we have two more blessings than we did last year, and that they have fit into our family so perfectly. I am grateful for their special spirits, and that I am lucky enough to be their mom. I am grateful for the love and the joy and the excitement and the fun and the busy-ness and the challenges and laughter and the blessings that they bring into my life. I am grateful for the way that they love, the way that they enjoy life and the things that they teach me everyday. I am extra-grateful right now that Belane is home and her process went so quickly. She could easily still be in Ethiopia for a few more months, and that is hard to think about. I am so thankful she is running around here this morning in her pink nightgown. I am grateful that all of my kids are here with me.

-I am grateful for health. I am grateful that Josh and I have been healthy, and that our kids have barely even had the sniffles this year (knock on wood!). I am SO grateful that Marcus got his feeding tube out and is doing so well. I am grateful that Belane is so healthy…that she managed to live three years in less than ideal conditions with a life-threatening condition, and has thrived. I am grateful she has the opportunity to live a long and full life now. I am grateful we live in a place where we can take our kids to the doctor when they get sick and we have things like vaccinations and medications.

-I am grateful for the love and support of friends and family that our “little” family receives. I am grateful for family far and near that we can count on to back us up, and who love my kids almost as much as we do. I am grateful for my best friend, who is always there in countless ways. I am grateful for the support we receive from friends and neighbors in our community. I am grateful for wonderful friends I have never met face to face, but who have helped carry me through a lot of challenges.

-I am grateful to live where we do. I am grateful we have a home that we love in a town that we love in the mountains that we love. I am grateful we live in a place where neighbors still look out for neighbors and the community has many shared values. I am grateful we live in a place where we can take food for granted, and can prepare feasts today to feed way more people than will actually be at the table. I am grateful we live in a country where we have freedom…freedom to live and worship and vote and work and go to school how we choose.

-Last one (if you are counting, this is six. Sorry, I couldn’t do just five!) I am grateful for adoption. I am grateful that despite the imperfections in the system, that the principle of adoption is based on love. I am grateful for every child who was alone in the world last year and this year is spending this holiday with a family that loves them, even if they don’t look like them. And I am grateful for every child who is alone this year, and will be in the arms of a family next year. I am grateful that there are people who do not care if their children are born by them or if they look like them, and love and define family beyond what people look like and where they come from. I am grateful that children with no one to love them have a way to come together with parents who have the desire to love and expand their family.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. I am hope you all have wonderful days with the people you love.

Oh!! One more! I am grateful that our family pictures came out great…even without the stinking fleece! I should have one to post sometime next week.