Sunday, November 25, 2007

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...

23 comments:

jennyhope said...

This is hilarious about spelling the words out. I crack myself up because I will catch myself spelling outloud even when Morgan is not around. Too much! We are so glad you had a wonderful time and BRING on the UNO!!

Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

I can't even fathom how much fun your clan had!

What a reminder that no matter the setting, being surrounded by people we love and love us back despite our quirks is the greatest gift next to salvation.

So glad you had such a grand time..:)

Lisa



Lisa

R said...

Welcome back! Sounds like a great trip. We used to make 2 family trips to Jackson Hole every year when I was in grade school--once in summer and once in winter. Winter was BY FAR my favorite! I keep telling Hubsy he and I need to get out there. He'd LOVE it!

Jackie said...

Happy belated Thanksgiving. Sounds like the trip was a BLAST!! Okay- I am so wishing I could go snowmobiling...always wanted to, but never seem to be near snow! :) I am glad ya'll made it there and back safely and had a blast in the process. Post some pics when you get a chance! and catch up on rest soon!! have a great week!!

Sunni at The Flying Mum said...

I've been stalking your blog all night to see if I could see some snowy pictures! But I love this post. I spell at least 10 words a day. What does that say about what I'm saying?

Today I spelled t-r-e-a-t. Because a certain somebody goes whacko if we mention feeding the dog a treat.

I'm glad y'all had a dreamy Thanksgiving. Thank goodness for Bibby in the morning time. Snowmobiling sounds like so much fun! Don't worry, I prayed obsessively the last time I was on a jet ski. We're glad you're back!

Erin Ward said...

I'm glad you guys had such a good time! Can't wait to see pictures of the little guy playing in the snow.
And no real snow until college? You poor soul.

AbbyLane said...

that vacation sounds amazing with your whole family and playing in the snow!! :) glad ya'll had such an awesome time..can't wait to see those pictures! :D

i'm not having to spell words quite yet with nannying..but it is crazy how much you have to think about to make sure you don't say something that will create a bad habit (even if the word is not that bad...for a little one it can be!) i have found that we say things are "silly" a lot :)

MamaCass said...

It sounds like ya'll had a wonderful time. I have been wanting to see pictures since we talked about your parent's place when we were at the zoo. It looks so beautiful there! And you had snow! How perfect! My favorite is Jackson on the sled. He looks like he is in his element. So cute! Glad you guys had a good time and arrived home safely.

Cindy-Still His Girl said...

It is just wrong to have that much good hair in one family! :) Is everyone in the pancake picture from Texas? That's a whole lotta hair. Sounds like a magical week. GORGEOUS photos. You're right; the mountain shot needed to be enlarged. It was stunning.

Anonymous said...

When my husband was in pilot training, we'd beg the guys to talk about something other than flying. THey agreed only if we'd spare them from words like "nipple and engorged". I laughed out loud about spelling things.

Allison said...

Oh Amanda, Thank you for sharing! What a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am now looking into Jackson Hole....I so long for snow!

Dionna said...

Oh, Amanda. I love reading about your family but even more than that - I love how you see how blessed you are. You don't take it for granted. I am so happy for you in the love you are surrounded with.
I could relate to the "snowmobilling" thoughts. We have four wheelers and I battle the same thing. Safety, safety, safety! Aaah - life will never be as carefree once you become a mom. :)

Anonymous said...

Great post! May those warm fuzzies carry you along this week!

Nancy Mon said...

Having played UNO with Jerrell at staff retreat, I can only imagine how much fun y'all have playing together.

So glad you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Big Mama said...

Glad y'all had such a good time. One thing I've learned from being a mama is how to spell really, really fast.

Unknown said...

Beautiful - thank you, Amanda.

ocean mommy said...

Sounds like an incredible trip. And OH the picture of "the Grand" is incredible.

My girls have started to pray for snow every morning before we start school. They say they are trusting God for a blizzard this year. I don't know why, we homeschool and it isn't going to get them out of their schoolwork!

Glad you had a fun and safe trip!
blessings
steph.

Lindsee Lou said...

Eph. 3:20...Amen, sister! That is the verse for my life! Or, at least the one I cling to. It also made it to my thankful list this year!! :)

Glad y'all had such a good time. Don't you just love thanksgiving?!!

Lindsee

Marc and Charity said...

Sounds like a fun time! thanks for the pics! The scenery is amazing!

We are flying out tomorrow night back to Wales and I bought some more M&M's for the flight...you are right, they worked like a charm coming over! ;) You can pray for us if you think about it...thankfully it's only a 9 hr flight going back.

Janelle and Ella said...

Such a sweet post! Sounds like an amazing trip in such a beautiful place!
I was cracking up with the spelling of things! Us mothers are definitely a special group of people and I love it!

Michelle said...

Sounds like it was a blast! We played lots of UNO too! Try this: when a 7 is played the person who plays the 7 can change hands with anyone they want, when a 0 is played all hands are passed in the direction of play! This adds a fun twist! Also a Yia Yia was at your Thanksgiving, we too have a Yia Yia!

Anonymous said...

We had snow where I live in TX too. I still get excited to see the snow. I didn't grow up with it either. I can't spell anymore since my 6 yr old usually will say out loud whatever I spelled! It makes you think harder! Being a Mom has made me pray obsessively whenever there's a hint of possible danger (It's hard to believe I ever drove fast or rode on the back of a motercycle!). It sounds like a wonderful time at the cabin!

ThreeGirlyGirls said...

Hey Amanda! Loved reading this, but I'm so intereasted to know about this airplane bag thing. What is it? We are getting ready to take a big flight from NC to AZ and I have one the same age as Jackson and I'm very nervous about flying with her. If you don't mind sharing, I'd LOVE to know what all was in it!! =)