B+C+B+C+B+C: Thanksgiving

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Thanksgiving

Cousins: Brianna, Alli, Sarah, Kandalyn

About a month ago, Brian's sister in Richfield called him to invite us to Thanksgiving at her house. I was in the other room during the call, but could hear enough to know what was going on. At that moment I was feeding one baby, changing the other's diaper with one hand, and trying to block out Brianna's tantrum over me taking away the pack of gum I found in her hands. I was half dressed and surrounded by a mess. So when Brian walked out and started to say something involving leaving the house, I just shook my head. No. Way. We have a "just stay home" motto in our lives right now. Short trips are the hardest. I reallyreally didn't want to even attempt 3 hours of driving on a holiday on snowy roads.

But.... Brian's sneaky. He knew exactly how to change my mind. He had Melissa call me personally and talk me into it. Melissa is one of the most genuinely sweet people you'll ever meet. I couldn't say no. So on the afternoon of turkey day we loaded our entourage in the minivan and headed off. Thirty minutes later than planned, of course. Punctuality is a thing of the past in our lives right now.

Overall, I'm really glad we went. Brian really enjoys spending time with his extended family. Brianna loves her little cousins. Brian's dad seemed to genuinely enjoy interacting with the babies and getting them to smile. It's always great to see Grandpa McKell - he's in his 93rd year and still kickin'! The food was delicious - especially Brandi's homemade pumpkin pie. I spent a lot of the time in the back room feeding the babies and/or getting them to nap. It's so tricky when we're out of our environment. At home, I know how to get them to sleep relatively easily. Dark room, ocean noises, swaddled tight, bassinet, done. But when we leave, I just draw a blank. I'm not very good at improvising. We made it through unscathed though. Brianna talked about her cousins for the next several days. And we enjoyed leftover turkey sandwiches the next day. The end.

Oh wait, I'm supposed to post a list of what I'm grateful for, right? Not a bonafide Thanksgiving blog post without it. Well, in this order: God, spouse, children, church, extended fam, friends, Josh Groban's Christmas album.

2 comments:

Marilyn said...: I'm glad you had a good time. I know what you mean about the effort it is to take the babies out of their normal environment. I remember it well, and I didn't have twins. You are doing a really good job with them.; December 7, 2010 at 1:31 PM
Debbie said...: i CAN'T FIND MY jOSHL gROBAN Christmas - maye you better bring yours. Will keep you posted.; December 9, 2010 at 10:52 PM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Thanksgiving

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