Thanksgiving to Remember

Well, this Thanksgiving we spent time thinking what we were thankful for and also spent sleepness nights taking care of those kids that we are "thankful for!"  We joined my family in Nebraska including seven cousins (four babies and three toddlers).  My poor parents are probably still trying to catch up on sleep after the flu bug spread through the house and kept babies and parents up most of the nights.  Here are some pictures from the Jones family circus!

Four peas in a pod!

You can imagine how much rest everyone got this week!

Great Grandma Jones

Grandma and Papa Jones w/ the toddlers

Zach teaching Julia how to golf

Kai loves his Grandma!

Isaac and Great G & G Barry

McKinley loves her cousin Isaac!

Going in for the kiss!

Adelain

Erin & her girls

Uncle Zach & Kai

Izzy & Julia

Izzy & Kai

Feeding the ducks w/ Megan & Amelia

Kai ate more bread than the ducks did!

Gilbertson family

Playing dress up

We miss Izzy already!

Isaac helping out in the kitchen!

We returned back to Texas and enjoyed getting all of the Christmas decorations out.  As you can see Jared got smart and put a baby gate up around the Christmas tree after the kids broke several ornaments and Isaac tried to scale the tree!  

Jared and I also enjoyed a date night at an outdoor skating rink in Frisco.    Our Texas friends should check it out!  Another recent highlight was attending a parenting conference at our church.  It was a good reminder that "controlling behavior" is not what the goal is, but to point our children to the Lord and the purpose they were created for.  It's been a challenge to teach two year olds that life does not revolve around them and to really identify heart issues as cause of their disobedience.  It is very humbling for us as we have to examine our own hearts!  I'm so thankful for a patient God!

We are counting down the days until Christmas and looking forward to a visit from Jared's parents.  It will be special to host our first Christmas.  It should be memorable!