Much to be Thankful For

This Thanksgiving, the Jackson family had so much to be thankful for.

First, look at that face! Elise is such a joy to us every day. Even when she is testing us as parents, we are thankful that God gave us this wonderful gift. Being parents to Elise is a blessing that should be counted as great!

Second, we are soon to welcome a new baby to the family! While "Bananas" Foster did NOT grace us with "its" presence on Saturday like Aunt Lindsay had predicted, we're really looking forward to cuddling with "it" when "it" arrives (and looking forward to calling "it" a HE or a SHE finally, as well!)

We are also thankful for family this year. We were blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving with the Sweaney and Halleran families this year, as well as some of the Jackson family (we missed those of you who couldn't make it!) And even though our Stevens get-together was canceled due to Nan's health, we are SO thankful to report that she is on the mend and should be back in tip-top shape and ready to serve us all our MUCH MISSED dumplings at Christmas!

I really wish I would've taken more pictures at Thanksgiving that would've gone along with more of our "thankful" bullet points, but I was too busy enjoying time with everyone! Elise here is modeling her new princess outfit that Uncle Dave snagged for her at a garage sale--among a lot of other awesome items. I also should have taken a pic of the doll he got her for her bday: it's a head taller than she is!

Finally, we are thankful for the reason for the season: our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While we have all sorts of fun Christmas traditions including Elise's own tree (thanks, Nan & Pop) and Elf on a Shelf (post to follow), we are always sure to remember why we are celebrating and to COUNT OUR BLESSINGS that Baby Jesus was born on Christmas Day. Elise has been tapped to bring "Baby Jesus" to the manger at our church's "Herald the King" service on Wednesday at 7pm. If you would like to join in a wonderful kick-off to the Christmas season, we'd love to see you there!