Much to be thankful for!

For those of you who read Facebook regularly, probably saw a lot of postings of people listing things they were thankful for over the month of November. I was not one of them, but I am thankful for my MANY blessings. It is the time of year to reflect on those thoughts.

Our Thanksgiving was fairly quiet, as family gatherings go. All of our children and grandchildren, except for Vonda & family met at Dora's, where we had a wonderful dinner. Everyone chipped in, so it was not a lot of work for any one person. The meal was probably the noisiest part of the day. We ate early, so the guys could watch the Cowboys lose the football game (the reason it was not so noisy). Dora's girls went upstairs and played video games and the little boys destroyed Maclay's room. Not literally, but all the toys were out and scattered. The women cleaned up the dishes and divided up the leftovers. Below is a look down at the dining area during the pie eating. There is a perfect landing above the stairs for taking this type of picture.

Then we tried to get the 4 little boys to sit still for a picture with their bug jar quilts. Too close to nap time for much cooperation. It is like herding cats to get them to sit still for even a minute.

But they are all pretty cute. These are the 2 best of about 10 shots.

And for those who are not on facebook, Jennie had her ultrasound yesterday and this time the baby cooperated with the doctor. It is definitely A GIRL!!! Hayden has been saying "sister" ever since. So cute!

Vonda had a really crazy last week. On Monday they had a huge snowstorm. It was heavy and wet, and a lot of it. Austin was at Erinn's and got snowed in. Vonda was at work and could not get home, so she stayed at the hotel next to her work. The kids were let out of school early, and Robert barely made it home. Vonda let her boss know that she was close-by in case others could not get to work. Her boss told her to come back over and get something to eat, and as she was getting her coat on, the power went out. She walked over anyway, and helped them put things away and had some hot soup. She went back and had a bath by candlelight and went to bed in her clothes, as it was so cold. The next morning she went over to help unload the Thanksgiving shipment at the restaurant and still the power was out. They have an enclosed receiving area that is secure, so much if the stuff was left there. It was colder than inside. Later that day they got a refrigerated truck to keep the food in until the power came back on. She and Austin both made it home that afternoon, but said there were broken tree branches all along the way, and the power company was trying to restore the power lines that had been broken by the storm and the trees.

The kids did not go back to school on Tues or Wed, but they never lost power. They were thankful for that, but the water pump froze up and Robert had to put a heater next to it to thaw it out and keep it working. Fortunately it happened while they were using the water and could immediately get it taken care of. Robert did not go to work on Tues, but did on Wed.

It was 36 hours for some and 72 for others without power. The restaurant was about 36 hours, so lots of folks ate there. The power crews came in shifts to eat, and by 4 pm on Thursday, they were out of turkey and lots of other things, but people were good and just thankful they could have a hot meal someplace.

So, I am thankful that they are all safe and sound. I am thankful for a nice warm house, food to eat, and that our storms have been minimal and our power has not even flickered.

Hope this posting finds you all well and safe too.