It’s been a really great few days. A lot of time spent with the family and I love that. It started with dinner for my dad’s birthday, then a quiet Friday night at home with Dave followed by a family walk Saturday morning before we headed off to Grand Rapids to be with a BFF’s family for an early Thanksgiving Dinner. This particular friend’s family has included me in special events for years and then they so graciously accept my husband and children into their home for weekend sleepovers! We are so lucky!
Have you ever heard of the life pie chart? You think of your time and activities in a pie chart visual. How much time you spend with certain groups according to their ranking in your happiness. I used to spend large portions of my time with people, committees, events, etc. that didn’t matter. Why? Because I was trying to prove that I was enough (I was reminded of this while working on a work program today when I came across my personal commandments). That I was the girl who did it all. It was exhausting. It’s taken a ton of practice but now I am selective about how I choose my time. I am not selfish with my decisions, I still find ways to give back and make a difference in different areas of my life. But I do these things because I want to, not because I feel pressured, or guilted into. I think about balance and the importance of my marriage, family and friends. My point is, spending time with family and good friends, is worth a HUGE chunk on my pie chart. These people are so kind and generous and they truly matter to me!
Here were some highlights from the Early Thanksgiving Dinner:
1. Sweet older friend “L” who played with my girls non-stop. She created a restaurant called “Cool Kids Cafe” complete with a menu! The adults were waited on by L and my two littles.
2. Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt I got from Pinterest. My girls came inside with a chunk of moss and a birds nest. One with nature!
3. Playing football on the brisk fall night.
4. The game, Roll A Turkey from Pinterest.
5. The food (of course). Dave and I really made the kids table the place to be!
6. Movie night with popcorn–this might have been our 4 1/2 year olds first movie night. She’s watched Cinderella but that’s all and we didn’t make her popcorn while we watched it. I have a thing about young children and movies that I probably need to get over 🙂
7. Our family of 4 (1/2) bunking in one room. Always hilarious.
8. My girls classic dresses. I loved how timeless they were!
9. Coffee in the morning with all the over night guests, including a special catholic priest who blessed our family and when he did so, the baby kicked his hand!
10. Being together and being present.
Find more Thanksgiving Activities on my Pinterest Board here.