Thanksgiving '07

Today we've been thawing out after a great week in the wintry wonderfulness of Wyoming. I mean thawing out literally since when we got home at 12:30 last night, our house was 50 degrees. When I set the AC at 76 degrees before we headed out the door I didn't expect for North Texas to be freezing cold - even to have had a little snow - while we were gone.

Our Thanksgiving week was amazing. We have been going to Jackson Hole for 9 years now and this was my favorite trip yet. (Other than maybe the first time Curtis came with us.) It snowed on the second day and the Lord didn't let it melt until the day we left. For the majority of the time we had white ground, pristine blue sky, and the best scenery you could hope for.

This was Jackson's second trip to our mountain cabin, which is an hour outside of town and nestled into a national forest. Jacks was only 9 months old when he made his first trip. We had a good time then, but he couldn't really do much. Letting my baby crawl through the woods was not really going to happen. But my toddler had a blast stomping through the snow in his "boot shoes" and sliding down hills on a sled. As much as he hated his winter gear when I first bought it, he LOVED getting dressed to go outside. For him to actually cooperate in the process of dressing is a miracle. I didn't see real snow until I was in college, so it thrilled me to no end to see my little boy loving it.

Mornings were a bit interesting since Jackson slept in the same room with us. Once he opened his eyes for the first time, that was it. There was no slow wake up process. He would say, "Mommy?" and then if I didn't stir immediately he would start saying, "Bibby? Bibby? Pappaw?" And then Bibby would come to the rescue and let us sleep a little later. Bibby is amazing. We all love Bibby.

Kay, Jerrell, baby Jayk and their whole family (Aunt B, Uncle Roger, Jane and Wes) came with us to Jackson Hole. Our parents have been BFF's since they were our age and we have gone through every stage of life together. This was our third trip to Wyoming with Kay and Jerrell and our first with both of our little ones. We stayed up late every single night playing UNO or picking each other's brains about parenthood, ministry, and everything else under the sun. (We figured out a few days in that sitting next to your spouse in UNO is not a marriage builder.) We enjoyed being with them so much.

On the last full day we all went snowmobiling while the grandmas watched the boys. I have been bitter for two years that on our last Thanksgiving trip out there I was pregnant and couldn't snowmobile with everyone. God help anyone who would try to stand in my way this time. It was a lot of fun, but it took me probably 45 minutes to stop being scared and to quit obsessively praying for our safety. (To be fair, they had given us a 10 minute speech about how dangerous it was going to be.) I had done it before, but this time I kept asking myself if I was taking an unnecessary risk that might leave my kid without a mom. Who would want to leave her child motherless for the sake of entertainment? Maybe that's why people think moms are boring. Or maybe it's because they talk about things like breastfeeding and potty training and they spell words like d-u-m-b and s-t-u-p-i-d. I don't know. All I can say is God help all of us moms.

I cannot forget to give my God a standing ovation for helping Jackson be as good as he could possibly be (while awake) during our airplane rides. Curt and I worked hard for it, but he was great. Sunni let us borrow Ava's airplane bag and it did the trick. Among other things, it had some books about airplanes and travel and a glorious mini-magnadoodle. Oh, how my child loved the magnadoodle! I saved the biggest bribery for the last leg of the journey, which was our late night flight from Salt Lake. M&M's can get you a long way, people. Let's just say that he ate so many of them, I could smell the chocolate on his breath for hours.

I have so many things to be thankful for. Here are a few:
-My parents who provided every single thing for our vacation.
-Both sides of our family being in good health, of sound mind, and in fellowship with Christ.
-God's faithfulness to bring things full circle.
-God's ability and willingness to write an even better story for our lives than we could make up ourselves. (Ephesians 3:20)
-An adorable, slightly precocious, very energetic little boy who calls me Mommy.
-A handsome, God-fearing, hilarious husband.
-A cute house and two dependable cars.
-Two amazing sets of grandparents who love our kid. Jackson's aunts who are so much fun.
-Friends who cry with us, who pray for us, who laugh with us, and who just do life with us.
-A God who so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Thank You, Lord!

Pictures to come...