JonDavid had his 1st birthday the week before Thanksgiving. We had a party for him, and I will post some pictures soon. Here is a video clip of the happy birthday song:

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Are you full? I often ask this question to my children when we are finishing a meal, wanting to make sure everyone has had enough to eat. At Thanksgiving dinner, I can easily get full; usually a little too full! Thanksgiving is a time that we contemplate things for which we are thankful, or full of thanks. There are so many things that fill my life with richness and joy, I should be thankful and feel full all year round.

When thinking of the Thanksgiving holiday, food is one of the first things that comes to mind. Food is a necessity of life, and I am thankful for having that need met. However, I have much more than just what I need. It is such a blessing to be able to fill my belly and the bellies of my family with delicious, healthful food every day. Food is very convenient to get. There are grocery stores full of food, with an amazing number of choices. How thankful I am to have such a bounty.

Beyond the physical blessing of food, my life is also full of the goodness that comes from family and friends. The relationships that we have fill us emotionally. I have people with whom to enjoy good, fun times. I have a support system to be able to handle problems and sorrows. Thanksgiving is not just a time to eat, but a time to enjoy the company of those we love. Family and friends truly make life full.

Finally, even if I had none of these other blessings, my life would be full because of my faith. Faith in God brings spiritual nourishment, peace, joy, love, and purity to my life.  I wonder about people who celebrate Thanksgiving, but do not believe in God. Who do they thank? Themselves? Other people? “Mother Nature?” I have faith that leads me to thank God, the Creator of all things and the Giver of all blessings. Without faith, life would be empty.

I am so thankful for so many things. I have an abundance of food, a wonderful family and great friends; with faith, I enjoy the ultimate in feeling full.

This post is an entry into Scribbit’s November Write-Away Contest.

5 Minutes for Books is hosting Kids’ Picks, a chance for bloggers to share what their kids are reading. Jacob (age 5) and Skylar (age 3) had trouble narrowing down their favorites, but here are their top 3 picks from the books we have read lately, followed by their statements about what they like about each one.

Jacob:

In A Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories, retold by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Dirk Zimmer.

I like it because it was scary stories!

Froggy Gets Dressed, by Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz

I think it’s funny where she says “Your underwear!”

Arthur’s Thanksgiving, by Marc Brown

I like the part where they all dress up like turkeys.

Skylar:

Dora the Explorer: Follow Those Feet!, by Christine Ricci, illustrated by Susan Hall

Because I like Dora!

Who Said That? and What Do I Eat?, by Kathryn Smith, illustrated by Daniel Howarth

I like all of it!

All of these are books we checked out of the library. Who Said That? and What Do I Eat? are Dial-A-Picture books. There are questions and clues on each page, and you turn the picture wheel to find the correct answer. Both kids really liked reading them.

We took a “field trip” Wednesday to see a play at the Paramount Arts Center. It was a musical production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This was the first play that Jacob and Skylar have been to. Our friend Cara went with us, which was fun and a big help to me! The Paramount is a really nice theater. They do several performances designed for students throughout the year, and even provide study guides online for those who attend. There were a lot of students from area schools there, as well as homeschoolers. Jacob and Skylar really seemed to enjoy the play. They talked about the lion and the wolves for the rest of the day. Even JonDavid watched for a while, but I did have to get up with him toward the end (which is why I made sure to have another adult with me). I think the music helped keep the kids’ attention, too. It was a fun trip, and hopefully we will get to go to some more events at the Paramount in the future!

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I recently wore a hole through the knee of my last pair of jeans. I have also worn holes in my khaki pants, so I was quickly running out of pants to wear. I don’t spend much on buying myself clothes, but I think we would all agree that pants are a necessity. So, it was time to do a little shopping.

The seemingly simple task of shopping for jeans had its complications. First of all, whose idea was it to stock the small sizes on the top shelf? I wear a 4 petite. Do you know what petite means? It means I am short. So, it makes perfect sense to put the jeans that I am looking for on the top shelf stacked 8 inches high, right? I wear a PETITE…I can’t reach the top shelf! So I had jeans falling on my head as I stretched up on tip toes trying to pull the correct size out of the stack on the top shelf. Of course, the other problem is finding my size to begin with.

Then I had to figure out what style of jeans to buy. No, you don’t just buy jeans anymore. There are low rise, mid rise, stretch, boot cut, straight, flare…the list goes on. There were signs hanging by the displays explaining all the variations of jeans that were available, and I had to stand there and read it to determine which ones to look for! I don’t think I have ever had to have instructions about buying jeans before.

Finally, I had to sort through the jeans with holes in them. I kid you not, there are jeans for sale that have holes in them, and they cost more than I have ever paid for a pair of pants. Yes, brand new jeans in a department store with more holes in them than the ones I am replacing. Apparently mine did not really need replacing…I did not realize that holes were so fashionable. The same evening I was shopping I saw a girl working in a restaurant wearing some jeans like that, with holes at the knee, on the pocket, etc. So, just so you know, don’t worry about patching holes or getting new jeans if yours get holes in them; apparently that is completely unnecessary now.

I did finally have success and find the right size in a style that did not include holes. I also found a pair of khakis. And just so you know, khakis, from what I can tell, should still be holeless.

I took some video of JonDavid and Skylar recently. The last video that I posted of JonDavid crawling was when he was doing the “commando” crawl. He has since transitioned to crawling on all fours, and he is fast! He is also starting to sit on the rocking horse now, when he can get a turn. Some in the family may recognize the rocking horse…it has been around for a little while and has been used by several kids, I think! My videography is not that great, but I blame it on a baby who wants to grab the camera and relying on a 3-year-old to be my assistant.

The loose tooth is still hangin’ in there! Here is a little video I took of Jacob wiggling his tooth.

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