a night of thanksgiving

when we were invited to a night at the danielsons', i knew we were in for a beautiful evening(thank you frank and paige for an amazing time!!).  what i didn't know is that it would be one of the greatest nights of friendship i've experienced in a long time.  the food was fabulous and the whole setup was just plain gorgeous, but to be honest, my favorite part was when we gathered in the sitting room to share all we have to be grateful for.  frank and paige kicked it off with the reminder that "our cup runneth over."  i immediately felt the same way, looking around the room at dear friendships that have been a true gift of hope this year.  when it was my turn to share i was able to get out my gratefulness for such deep friendships and a mom who taught me the importance of those.  as i went to share how thankful i am for my sweet husband and boys, i could barely speak.  i could feel the tears about to fall so i kept it short.  but what i wanted to say was... i am a lucky girl!  i married up and i know it(so does my whole family).  my husband gets me in a way no one else does.  he has the gift of helping me see why i am the way i am(the good and bad).  he is honest and faithful.  he plays with our boys in a way that only a dad can.  stew is the man that puts firm boundaries on work and life so as to keep our family his first priority(we learned that in premarital counseling...  anyone can be a minister, but only stew can be dad to our children and a husband to me.  thank you, doug and kim!).  stew has the gift of serving behind the scenes without taking credit(something i lack).  he cleans and does laundry(i fail at putting clean clothes away).  his gentleness and kindness towards others has been such a great example for me and for our three boys.  

 this thanksgiving i am reminded what a gift i have in my friends, my family but especially my husband(he does have faults, but i'll save those for another time;). 

 life can be hard and it's good to be surrounded by jesus loving people, reminding me of what's truly important.  may this thanksgiving be one where you are reminded of the sweet gifts jesus has given you.   

one of the two gorgeous dinner tables.

6 boys between the two of us and we're still smiling- that's something to be grateful for;)

how cute are these two?!  they did an amazing job carving the turkey!  

before the meal, we had these awesome fellas clean up some of our mess.  a good man knows how to clean!

they weren't kidding around with the carving!

i am so grateful to call each of them friend!

our good looking husbands!  love that they all let us play so much!  clearly they all subscribe to the motto: a happy wife is a happy life;)

had to take another one once everyone arrived:)  

melissa captured this one during dinner (not sure when, since i was sitting across from her).

is there any food better than homemade whip cream?  i think not.  if you're looking to really put a kick in your baking(or whip cream) you have to pick up this vanilla bean paste.  seriously over the top!  

stew made this baby from scratch and it was delicious!

funny how it's so much easier to enjoy a sweet two week old(baby cooper!)when they belong to a friend(not that i didn't enjoy mine, but i was too tired to remember it!)!