Day after Thanksgiving.....

The day after Thanksgiving Jason and I took the girls and a friend (Emma brought Alexa and Lauren brought Hannah) to Polar Express at the IMAX Theatre in the Science Center in Des Moines. It was awesome!

After the movie we drove thru Starbucks and got hot cocoa to take with us as we drove through Jolly Holiday Lights.

Great event for a great cause! We are so blessed to have the opportunity to do these fun things with the girls!

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Colossians 1:15

Thankful

Thanksgiving always reminds us to be thankful. I am happy to say I have many things to be thankful for!!

While we were celebrating Thanksgiving with family we gathered in the living room before we ate and Emma and Madison said a prayer, then we all went around the room and said what we were thankful for! There were a lot who said family, my nephew Mason said food and water..and later while we were eating lunch he said "shelter, I should have said shelter too"! Love it!

As I looked around the room I realized I was most thankful that, for as long as I can remember we have always celebrated Holidays together. Lunch at noon. No invitations. Anyone is welcome. I am also very fortunate to have all of my grandparents. And my girls have all of their grandparents. My Grandma and Grandpa Lingren are the staple of all our Holidays. I am very grateful for them! I am very BLESSED!

If you asked each grandchild who was there favorite, each one guaranteed would tell you they are! They have a way of making each grandchild feel special. There door is always open. There is always an open invitation to their house! And of course grandma's chocolate chip cookies! I hope my grandchildren think of me that way someday!

Here are a few more pictures from Thanksgiving.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118:1

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

We picked out our Christmas Tree a few Sunday's ago-a big 9ft Fraser Fir tree and it is beautiful! We absolutely LOVE Christmas ~I get my Christmas decorations out right after Halloween! "The earlier the better " is our motto for getting our Christmas tree,! As soon as we see them out we make our plans to go get one! After we got it set up, the girls and I did a Gingerbread House. This year was extra fun as the girls were able to decorate by themselves!

Here are some pictures of the girls decorating the tree and putting the star on top.... Happy Holidays!!

One last thing. Emma finished her memory work for the entire year!! It is such an accomplishment and we are so very proud of her!!

God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. John 3:16