Last Lantana Thanksgiving

These past few months have been wild.  We completed a remodel, sold our Lantana house, moved, and we are finally settling into our perfect little country home (I still can’t believe we did it!).  I haven’t had any Internet for a very long time, which also has a lot to do with why I haven’t posted in quite a while.  As much as it kills me to skip out on annual traditions, we did that a lot this year, because of all that moving during the holidays entails.  Something had to give.  We didn’t take family photos (yet), and I haven’t sent out any holiday cards.  Don’t feel left out if you didn’t receive one.  You’re in good company. 

But we are here, and we have not moved far, and things are really good.  Busy.  Happy.  And good.  This is us (the best I can do for now):

We celebrated our last holiday in the Lantana house just two weeks before the big move.  We kept it simple, and I will always remember it as one of our sweetest Thanksgivings.  There is something very warm and tender about knowing that you are doing something for the last time.  Jake’s mom and dad made the trek down to the valley to spend it with us, knowing all along that they’d be returning in just a couple weeks’ time to help us with moving.  We felt so happy to have their company.

Here are three photos of these people that I love.  I couldn’t choose just one, because none of them is really good, and yet, that’s what makes each one perfect.  This is my awesome, loving, real family.

Liam loved everything about his dinner.  We ate a smoked turkey, bacon and leek bread stuffing, roasted red potatoes, balsamic glazed Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and homemade blueberry cobbler and pecan pies.

Bella made me a pilgrim bonnet.

We ate at the big table with the doors open so we could feel like we were dining outside.  We love feeling like we’re outside, even when we aren’t.  Twyla looks so happy that she could cry.  I feel that way quite a bit, although I hardly ever show it.  But then again, that’s why I do the blogging thing; to keep a record of the feelings that go with the memories, so that I’ll always have them, even after both have long since faded with time.

We made a grateful tree, and each wrote on the leaves things that we have to be grateful for in our lives.  The tree was heavy laden with leaves and gratitude.  Among the things my children wrote on their own were:  love, new house, rainbows, my room, cousins, appreciation, food and water, life, family, markers, Grammy and Papa’s house, my bed, good food, my bed, friends, and the Lord.

When our lives our this full, feeling grateful and giving thanks come pretty easily.