thanks·giv·ing

thanks·giv·ing

 [thangks-giv-ing] 

noun

1.

the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God.

2.

an expression of thanks, especially to God.

3.

a public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness.

4.

a day set apart for giving thanks to God.

   
Every day.  That's really what it should be.  I am thankful everyday that I wake up on this earth.  I appreciate what and who I have more than I ever have.  I'll admit that maybe Thanksgiving isn't really my favorite holiday.  I love getting the day off and love getting to spend time with my family.  Oh, and I love dressing.  I could really take or leave the rest of it.  Just a big ole bowl of dressing and my family and I'm good.

My mama loved it, though.  She actually enjoyed cooking, and boy, was she good at it.  Most Thanksgivings were spent with her side of the family - much further away which usually meant a road trip and that was pretty exciting, for at least the first hour of the trip until my brother started putting his legs over the imaginary line on my side of the car.  My grandmother literally lived in the middle of nowhere, with no cable.  I remember Daddy driving down to the nearest town to rent us a VCR and a movie for the night.  I'm not sure we even had a VCR at home at that point so it was a pretty big deal and he must have been pretty hard up for entertainment.  I was sure that must have cost a fortune because we weren't really into lavish experiences like this.  And, then there was the year when Mom decided we would have hens with our dressing. She had an old one in the freezer that she decided to cook for the dog, but poor Daddy ended up with the old freezer burned hen on his plate instead.  It bore strong resemblance to the turkey on Chistmas Vacation.  He had requested the hens but had a real puzzled look on his face when he stuck his fork in it and said, "I'm not sure mine's any good." Mama quickly jerked it off of his plate and said, "Oh gosh that was for the dog!" But, the dressing was always good, and so was the love.  No matter where we were or what else was there.  Everyone was welcomed home and she had no greater joy than to watch people eat her food.

And, we've carried on tradition of making a road trip with our own kids to eat Thanksgiving dinner with their grandparents.  It will be a feast of turkey and casseroles and of course, dressing.  Their favorite thing will be the cranberry sauce straight from the can but regardless of how much food or dessert there is, there will be plenty of love.  And plenty of reasons to be thankful.

I didn't really get into posting every day in November for what I am thankful for because that would require me to commit in the first place and I'm much more into eliminating things from my daily to-do list than adding.  I do like the idea of making a list because it's a very visual reminder. It makes you realize how quickly you can fill that list or if you're slow at it, then you probably need to make one every day or several times a day. I gave it a shot, all at once in no particular order:

• cancer research
• God's grace
• that my husband still puts up with me and brings me my keys 30 minutes away after the 3rd time in 4 months and doesn't even yell
• Bailey and Martha Kate Jessop
• perspective
• heated seats
• technology that allows instant communication and the ability to allow doctors to see into the core of your being
• that even if my son may be a little embarrassed to hug me in front of his friends, he still crawls in my lap every night
• a daughter that wants to be near me, like me,  help me, and mimic my every move
• smartwool socks, Ugg boots, and goose down
• forgiveness
• the ability to walk, and even run if I choose
• friends - both near and far and worth the drive
• that people I've never met or seen in a long time tell me they have prayed for me and the joy that I get when people realize that their prayers are very much heard
• vacation
• that my husband cooks on Sundays
• Selma - when she cleans my house it's the closest thing to a fairy I can think of
• being loved
• loving back
• Target
• that my husband truly enjoys playing guitar for kids on Sunday morning
• vacuum cleaners
• coffee
• doctors that genuinely care
• family 
• that winter is only a few months out of the year
• prayer
• that he chased me and I married him
• drugs that work
• dressing

On Thanksgiving this year, I will spend my morning drinking coffee and perusing the ads for the sales on Friday - the only day or reason I read the paper.  I will watch the annual Thanksgiving Day parade on TV.  I will eat my fill of dressing surrounded by people who I love and who love me.  I will celebrate the with the fans of the two biggest rivals in the SEC as we all freeze our tails off to find out who gets to hold on to a big gold egg this year.  But, most of all, I will give thanks.  I have way more than I deserve.  

Happy Thanksgiving!
Kimberly

Just crabbin'

I spent last night chasing crabs.  In my house.  In the middle of the suburbs.  Nowhere near the ocean.  I swear I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.
I was awakened in the middle of the night by Lucy, vibrating next to me and the sound of rocks dropping on the floor.
Stephen, "what was that?"
Me, "I don't know."
Stephen, "what's wrong with this crazy dog - she's shivering."
Me, "maybe she's cold."

Stephen attributed the noise to the floors creaking and offered to let the dog out, which consisted of him walking downstairs and going to the couch - without the dog. I was becoming impatient about the sleep I was missing and I finally shoved her off the bed.  She ran to Kate's room and hid under the bed.  I then proceeded to pull her out and carry her downstairs - crazy dog - yelling at Stephen for not letting her out the first time.

Now, it's 3 am and I'm borderline mad because I'm counting the hours now and the dog is still vibrating and I can't sleep.
THUD.
Stephen gets up and rustles around downstairs then turns on the light on the stairs.
"Oh my gosh!"
Me, "what fell?"
"Dang hermit crab is on the stairs."
Me, "WHAT!?"

The hermit crab had managed down 11 of the 13 stairs - one step every 15 minutes or so, which explains the last hour of rocks dropping on the hardwood.
Stephen goes to return him to his home.
 "How many of these things to we have?"
Me, "Two. How many are in there?"
"None."
Me, "Lovely."
He flips on the light in Bailey's room pulls the covers off and shakes the kid.
"Did you let these hermit crabs out tonight?"
B - "OH MY GOSH! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"
Me, "One was on the stairs, where's the other one?"

Bailey runs through the house through our room to the playroom, turns on the lights and points to the table, clearly panicked.  Never seen the kid move so fast.
We all start throwing stuff around as I imagine finding a stinky dead crab in a painted mermaid shell sometime over Thanksgiving break and become disgusted in addition to my anger over the lost sleep.
Stephen found the little booger on the other side of the room.  She had apparently been having her own fun climbing around and falling which is explains the rest of the noises coming from the playroom.  Bailey explained that he had let the crabs out for some exercise and must have forgotten to put them back.  Of course.  All crabs need exercise.  In our home.  Well, they should be pretty tired by now. I am.
Crabs were returned, kid went back to bed, dog stopped vibrating, and well, I was left wide awake.  How we didn't step on the stupid things, I don't know, but I am glad that the little fella took the stairs route rather than my bed for his exercise routine.

Kate is certain that Santa is bringing her a guinea pig.  We have reviewed Santa's live animal clause and I am certain that he is not.
Poor Lucy was exhausted.

wrapping it up

Bailey and I were watching TV last night and he asked me, "why doesn't anybody celebrate Thanksgiving?"  It's true. When I was shopping for Halloween costumes, the Christmas wreaths were on the next isle.  It kind of creeped me out a little.
I will say we have enjoyed a glorious fall - the weather has been fantastic and I'm not sure if it is just my heightened awareness or appreciation for everything but the trees have been exceptionally pretty this year.  I try to catch the sunrise most days over my dogwood tree in the backyard.  For about 5 minutes it looks like it's on fire - an awesome display of God's artwork.
We managed to work in pretty much every fall festivity - by Halloween, I was pretty much festified all I wanted to be.

 I was pretty proud of Bailey for designing and carving his pumpkin by himself, and I love the way his is staring at Kate's with the one big eye - typical.

We did Daisy scout festivities, church festivities, neighborhood festivities, and of course trick or treating.  I was really praying that the rain would continue on Halloween and we could settle for popcorn and a movie, but no such luck.  Kate wore her super girl costume to 5 houses and headed home - she's not big on distance walking even if it is for candy.
I drug my kids to the cotton field so I could take a quick picture and used Uncle Ed's hayride festivities as bribery - thanks Uncle Ed.  They acted foolish for the pictures, of course.  Bailey had his disgusting-I-don't-want-to-be-seen-with-her-look the whole time and Kate posed like she was on the cover of Teen Beat.  He gets really bent out of shape with her antics and pretty much every picture session ends with them hitting each other and her crying.  I've taken dozens of pictures of friends kids where you tell them to stand, hug each other, and smile and they do it.  Quickly.  Mine? Never.  As punishment, I made them get dressed again the next day and go back there - still accomplished nothing because it was almost dark but they thought it was worth the effort to see the deer running through the cotton fields.

And, of course, there's football season. We will wrap it up with the Egg Bowl this week - nothing says thankful like college football.  I consider the end of football season somewhat of a holiday around here.  I do enjoy the atmosphere for a game or two and the time we get to spend together  but after so many weekends, I can honestly say that I won't miss the drone of sports talk radio, the halting of any Saturday activities, and the really late night drives home.  That being said, I wouldn't trade those times for anything.  I love the bond that Stephen and Bailey share over MSU football and the way Kate loves Bully and dances to the Maroon Band.

This fall has certainly brought a lot of memories, new experiences, and moments to treasure.  As we look forward to this week of Thanksgiving, I for one, plan to celebrate it fully.  I have a lot to be thankful for, as we all do.

Vacay

One of my favorite things in life is to watch my kids experience new adventures.  I especially love taking them places that I have been and watching them see and feel it through their own eyes.  I gain so much perspective.  Everything is new and big and exciting to them. I have two types of kids - the adventurer - ready to go on a whim, doesn't ask how or why or when, just packs her bags, and the homebody - excited about going but asking when we're coming home.  Vacationing is always interesting.

This year we did Chicago.  We tossed around Disney but after Bailey analyzed the safety of all the rides and panicked everytime one of us got on a ride at Six Flags this summer, and Kate rode the only roller coaster they would let her on 8 times and was upset that she was too little to ride more, I decided that we might need to grow a little.  Stephen and I have been to Chicago twice before - he's a huge Bears fan and I'm a huge fan of shopping - so it's the best of both worlds.  We have only been for weekends - once right before I was diagnosed and then last year as a "whew, what a couple of years" birthday surprise from Stephen.
This trip was different and incredibly fun for all of us.  We have always taken the train into the city, so in the spirit of adventure and frugality, we decided to do this with the kids.  After 4 suitcases, 2 backpacks, a stroller, and about a mile walk, I made the executive decision that sparing the expenses on this may not be worth it and we would take a cab from then on.  Well, that and watching Kate fall down a flight of stairs in the train station, landing in a helpless pile of backpack, hair, and tears.
Kate took Chicago by storm in a stroller like a princess on her thrown, and Bailey was not incredibly thrilled about all of the walking that ensued.  We frequently found him trying to hail a cab - he's quite resourceful.

The boys went to see Stephen's beloved Bears at Soldier Field while Kate and I enjoyed gourmet chicken nugget dining experience at the American Girl Cafe.  I will admit, the American Girl jazz is a racket but at least wholesome fun and I am just as hooked as she is because my first love for fashion came from dressing my dolls.  I do not love football, but the Ultimate Tailgate is pretty fun and we all went down before the game to see the crazy Bears fans decked out and throw the football for some free junk.

We took a walking tour through Millennium Park to see our reflections in the Cloud Gate.  We were all equally fascinated at the structure and how our reflections change depending on where we stand.  Lots of silliness was had as the kids pretended to be lifting it up and made faces at themselves, but I stared at the reflection of our 4 smiling and waving faces and gave thanks that we could experience this life together and then marveled at how dang good we look in spite of it all.

We visited the Field Museum to say hi to Sue, the T-Rex.  She's pretty cool in the world of dinosaurs,
anyway.  The Field Museum is full of taxidermy.  I've never seen more dead and realistic creatures in my life.  Bailey was of course, very intrigued and Kate's attention was captured with the first 100 or so birds and wildlife but then turned to how soon we could get to the gift shop.  My favorite line from her was, "Mommy, if these animals are all dead, why are their eyes open?" Umm, well...
We took a cab to Wrigley - something Stephen has always wanted to see but it also is in close proximity - if you count a 2 mile walk with 2 kids - to the Chicago Music Exchange which was his real motivation to go there.  It is the mecca of guitars and I was a bit concerned that he may fill out a job application and not be coming home with us.  Two curious children in a store of very expensive guitars makes for an excellent deterrent to buy so fortunately we did not bring one home.

And, of course, we did Navy Pier.  Probably the most popular tourist attraction but the Ferris Wheel is pretty cool so we rode it 3 times.  It's a great view of the city and the water and a great way to sum up the trip.

The city is big and different from anything our kids had seen.  Stephen asked me what my favorite part was and I said, "seeing what I've already seen through their eyes."  We are not city people but it's fun to experience and Chicago does it really well, especially in the fall.  The weather is perfectly fallish and Michigan Avenue has the biggest pumpkins I've ever seen.  It was the perfect way to kick off the busy fall season ahead.
Taxi cabs, planes, busy sidewalks, lots of walking and new adventures are fun but nothing compares to curling up at home with two cuddly and clean kids to watch a movie.  That's how we ended our fall break and Bailey said, "I love nights like this."  Me too, buddy. Me too.

I miss coach pitch...

Among many activities this fall, Bailey has been in the throws of fall baseball.  We've encouraged baseball because, well, at almost 9, he's just a hair over 4 feet tall and 49 pounds, so football is pretty much out of the question.  Truth is, he loves it - walks around swinging in the air constantly, memorized all the baseball players names and positions on the Mississippi State team, and begs his daddy to throw a ball every chance he gets, but for a mama it's been tough to watch.  Now, I have no athletic ability and know nothing about sports - couldn't care less, but kid pitch is a different game.  For a few seasons of coach pitch, I've been nervously excited as he got up to bat hoping he'd get a hit, but this game is more about calling the balls and strikes and knowing when not to swing.  There was one game with a girl pitcher on the opposing team that could eat Bailey's lunch and struck out the entire team, pitching a no hitter - girl's got a real future.  All the boys in the dugout were scared of the chic, and so was I.  But, Bailey was the first and one of the few to get on base because of his rather short strike zone. He was pretty proud to be short.
But, most of the season, including last night, he's been used at target practice.  Getting hit by a ball, gets you on base, though, and he knows the drill.  As soon as the ball hits him, he tosses the bat and goes to first, like that's how you play the game.  It's made him a bit gun shy - can't blame the kid, but he keeps playing.  He got hit twice last night - once on the cleat and the last time on the arm.  I watched it and then saw him run to first with his arm hanging limp, paralyzed by the sting, the first base coach, his daddy, trying to get him to shake it off.  I knew it wasn't happening and I met him at the dugout to inspect the hit.  It's really just a bruise - I know it hurt, but he was tough.  I got him the hot chocolate a little early and he went back out there.
And, then it hit me.  I miss coach pitch.  The predictable pitches where my kids know how to line themselves up and hit the ball.  It's not the game, it's the growing up.  As a parent, you hope you arm your kids with the ability to make the right choices, remember who they are, use their manners, be good friends, stick with it when it's important, and bail out when the outcome will reflect negatively on their future.   Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful to be here to run to my car for the dollar for the hot chocolate in the middle of the game, and talk through tough choices that mean keeping their commitments, punish for being disrespectful, praise them for accepting differences of others, and for walking away or not chiming in when friends are being mean to others.  But, wow, what a job!
But with the growing up, also comes with more opportunities to be proud of them.  Bailey begged to go to work with me on fall break one day to see one of my therapy buddies who he has befriended.  They are a little different physically, but have a lot in common and have a great time together.  I was so proud of him and told him later that he made his day, and he said to me, "well, he made my day too."  And, last Sunday, when I was teaching my 5 and 6 year old Sunday school class about how God keeps his promises, I asked the question, "tell me a time when you know that God helped you or someone else with something."  I got lots of answers like "my hamster died" and "when I was scared, " but my little girl sitting right next to me raised her hand and said, "my mommy was sick and her back hurt so she couldn't walk, and God took care of her."  I had to stop that lesson and say the prayer.
So this Thanksgiving season, I'll start with being thankful for the little signs that God gives you that you've done something right with your kids - like when you son has a panic attack when his sister gets out of his sight, or when your daughter chooses to paint her brother's name on a pumpkin for him before she chooses one for herself.  As I clean out closets and realize that Bailey's shirts no longer fit on the toddler hangers and my little turkey hands that will hang in my kitchen this month are steadily getting bigger, it just means that their arms are longer too so when they hug me, I get to feel them wrap completely around me.  And, it gives me hope that they can stand at the plate, and be prepared for big girls with wild pitches, even if the strike zone is a little small.