Turkey and the fixins

We spent Thanksgiving with my family this year.  Everything was so yummy, I just LOVE food.  We ate a delicious dinner and played games all night.  Everyone in my family can cook really weel.  Dondi has a tradition with her in-laws of majing noodles with gravey and we now incorporate that into our dinner.  Melody always makes the best mash potatoes, and Chani the best deserts.  My mom makes everything perfectly and made such savory turkey.



our spread, in the clean up phase.



Maile has sores on her mouth from a dry mouth she keeps licking.



  I enjoy just kickin back and spending time with my family.  Kiana's favorite game is Uno and she dragged everyone into a few games of it.  Steve played Catan with the boys and the rest of us shared a lively game of Phase 10!  The girls take every opportunity to wrestle with any willing opponent, and there was plenty of matches.

In thinking about Thanksgiving and all my blessings, I came across the talk by Pres. Monson about the divine gift of gratitude.  There are two quotes I liked.  "A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly father for His blessings and to those around us for all they bring into our lives.  This requires conscious effort- at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude.  Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don't get around to it.  Someone has said that "feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."  I have so many wonderful people in my life that I forget to thank and need to take the opportunity more.  So many people help me, teach me, and are great examples.  I definitely couldn't raise my children without tons of love, help, and support, and most of all the support my Heavenly Father gives me and all my Savior has done to pay for my pain, hurt, sins, and sorrow.

Pres. Monson also said, "My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven." I need to touch heaven more often!  I am truly blessed and am so grateful for all I have and for all the great people Heavenly Father has put into my life to help me.