A Thanksgiving essay

I love thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays.  You gather with family and eat turkey and ham and green bean casserole (my favorite) and so on. Everyone thankful (or most people are)  so here are some things that I am thankful for and why........ 
Loving parents, they are there for me all of the time. I am also thankful that they are not divorced. My cousins are so cool too, they are like my best friends,  they will always be my friends forever and always. They can be older or younger but they are awesome. Siblings, that are annoying sometimes don't get me wrong, but they keep me company and joy and I love them lots. My aunts and uncles because they are fun, and cool. My friends because they keep me company at school and are very nice to me. I am very lucky to have such good friends.  And last but not least my grandparents, they take me shopping and swimming and the children's museum. Thank you.
Food It keeps me from starving and some people don't get 3 meals a day like me. I can't imagine the hunger that some people have to deal with. Grandmas french toast, is THE BEST FRENCH TOAST EVER! She makes it like every time we visit.
Dance I love it it is fun for me and I am grateful that I can do it every week and strive to be better. Vacations are the best, you spend time with your family and you become closer. (And you might get to miss some school!) 
I am thankful for my soft warm bed, I am warm at night and I don't freeze especially during the winter. My warm house and I can share a room with my sister and it is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Books, I like to read and they bring fun for me and that I can read and not everybody can. Happy thanksgiving!
Madison

Cereal

Behind a plate of waffles, Aliya holds her pencil and reads from her workbook. "God promises forgiveness and life forever with Him to everyone who asks Him and believes in Jesus."
In the depths of her bright mind, she says something like, "So people will die if they don't believe in Jesus." I love to challenge the articulation of my own theology, so I process out-loud (hopefully accurately), "Well, I understand that we'll all live forever. If we've asked Jesus to be the boss of our life, we'll live forever in heaven. But if someone choose to not make Jesus the boss and be their own boss, then they live forever in hell. I can't imagine how horrible that would be." As visions of heat, flames and darkness overwhelm me, she says, "Yeah, and they don't even get breakfast!" My mind's eye
jolts to burnt toast, Captain Crunch and the Newsboys. "Is that true?" This my dear is where my theology is uncertain.

Knows

There have been several stand alone incidents lately that as a biased mom I think, "I never want to forget this moment and this is a really cute story." I've not written on this blog for over a year. With the advent of Facebook and texting, I just didn't think it was necessary, but maybe I want to write to preserve for myself and for the practice writing.

At Breanne's second-ever swim meet in Northfield, Aliya was entertaining herself. (She's really good at that.) She made this quasi-acrostic of her own name. With five members of our family, it works perfectly. Each letter represents a member of our family. If you can't read the speech bubbles, I'd love to interpret. Mom is the first A and is saying, "I Love L." Who is L you ask? Derrick is L and he's saying, "I Love A." Here's where the Ahhhh, so cute ends. Breanne is the I and she's saying, "Stop it." Madison is the Y and she's saying, "Don't do that." Aliya is the last A (apparently getting hit) as she says, "Owww!"

A kid doesn't comprehend the complexity of marriage, doesn't know the obstacles and determination that accompany marriage. Sure, they see their parents get along and they see their parents argue. But what no one sees is the workings of the heart, the choices: to forgive, to change, to give, to pray, to commit. I can't help but praise God that in a world where so many kids are fearful that their parents might divorce or already are divorced, Aliya knows, Mom loves Dad and Dad loves Mom. That's a gift from God!

Treasured

And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. Luke 2:18-19

As I finished writing personal notes in Christmas card to friends who I don't connect with on social media, I pondered how you sum up the year without writing a book (which I aspire to, someday...) Here's where I landed:

• Most days, the girls like us (though not always the tweens).

• The girls keep us busy but it's fun.

• Though it can be overwhelming at times, we are so thankful for the privilege to be their mom and dad.

Then I recalled reading Luke 2:1-22 earlier in the morning: Mary treasured. Here's a teenage young woman who the angel told would birth and parent the Savior to the world (Luke 1:26-28). She knew the basic facts, yet she didn't know all the details. She trusts her God. She praises the Lord from the bottom of her heart (Luke 1:46-55). At risk of being stoned (pregnant before marriage), and surely ridiculed, she carries the Holy Child in her womb. Then she and her fiancé find out they must travel to Bethlehem, nearly 100 miles (nine months pregnant mind you) to pay taxes. The trip does her in; she goes into labor and the only place they could find to deliver was in a stable, likely a cave. (Thank you merciful Bethlehemite who gave them at least some shelter and privacy!) The endorphins after giving birth are powerful, and I recall feeling on top of the world (actually, I told Derrick we could have 100 more babies). And here Mary sits, so thankful for this child she delivered yet knowing this Baby would in fact deliver her from eternal death. Then come these shepherds who've been visited by an angel of the Lord and sung to by a choir of angels. They have big stories to tell and they're telling everyone about this Baby Mary holds in her arms, wrapped in rags, laying in a feed trough. And at that moment, the past nine months of ridicule and shunning fall out of her mind and all she can do is treasure: take note of every little detail as to not forget a thing. Everyone around her was admiring this saving child, wondering how this baby would save mankind from eternal separation from God, but Mary, though not sure how, was recalling all the details God had worked out so far, thanking Him and actively trusting God's plan to save mankind through this Baby.
So I got to thinking, do I treasure like Mary or do I wonder like these who heard the shepherd's vision of angels? It's easy to wonder: will she ever remember to put on deodorant without my reminding; will they be best friends when they grow up; will Derrick and I have a common denominator when they leave the house; will they grow up to walk intimately with Jesus? But what's better is to treasure our journey so far and be thankful for the privilege of being a family.

A not so surprising Disney adventure.

Waiting in line at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Spring Break in Tennessee with 5 Giffey boys.

Precious memories and times with Auntie Kayla and Uncle Bryce.

Bill Sykes and the work house kid. Who knew my husband could be a villain?

Building relationship with cousin Evie, playing on the farm.

Drum and Bugle Corp Competition at TCF Stadium.

A Twins game in September.

Madison's Jazz Class winning first place at three competitions. The look on her face: priceless!

Daddy Daughter and Mommy Daughter Dances at the Spring Show. 

Oodles of Dakota County Fair projects.

Family times in the Swine barn and four piggies to fit and show. 

Annual hiking adventure with Doug and Sarah McGrail in the Big Horn Mountains, WY.

A gorgeous fall night for a photo shoot with my golden heads.

Sarasota beach! (Mom's favorite!)

I hope you will choose to treasure as well! Merry Christmas: Immanuel, God with us!

Elf & Gingerbreadkid

It was one of those proud momma moments for me. as I watch Breanne totally in character for her first performance of Elf last weekend. IMO, she's quite a talented young woman on the theater stage. She keeps us hopping lately with play practice, Christmas parties, band and honor choir. At one point, she ate every meal for 24 consecutive hours in the car on the way to her next destination.

The Macy employee

 "Gingerbread, gingerbread, gingerbread rock. Gingerbread rhymes for gingerbread times. Shaking and baking, it's holiday fun. Now that gingerbread time has come." What a delight to see Aliya take stage with her first grade class. She was a shining star...or baker should I say?

All this talk of the gingerbread kid that ran and hid, makes me want to eat chocolate gingerbread cookies!

I am aliya the rock star!!!!!!!!!!

Really?

I about choked when I uploaded Aliya's Veteran's Day school picture earlier today; really, I haven't posted a thing since June? Good golly. Maybe this is indicative of the phase of life we now enter. It's not little people running around you in circles, but rather three young adults (well, maybe not Aliya yet) directing your time, money and emotions down paths I'm not sure I'm ready to navigate again: school dances, concerts, youth group, shopping in juniors, state fair, algebra and geometry. (Okay, so Derrick really never left those last two.) Enough ranting. This is our new reality and really, we wouldn't want it any other way.

In July...let the fair projects begin. Madison would go on to receive Grand Champion in Food Revue and Breanne an Award of Excellence.

A beautiful very first fair ribbon for Aliya at the Fashion Revue.

The van was loaded with fair projects this year, but we didn't have to make two trips.

Madison loves showing pigs at the fair. And really liked trimming them too. Before long, she'll be cutting dad's hair.

Our annual trip to Montana led us to Wyoming. (Don't worry, it was on purpose.) We spend two nights with Doug and Sara in the Big Horn Mountains. We saw moose and snow and Derrick caught some trout. Fabulous!

The girls' first Minnesota State Fair trip with 4-H. Their club's Share the Fun skit won at the County Fair.

Lifelight with Moriah Peters in the background.

A beautiful 7-year old had a four days of birthday parties in a row. Plus, we got to canoe and paddle board. 

Halloween with cousin Evie.

Meeting precious cousin Nora.

Lots of fun playing with Evie.

Thanksgiving with the DeWildes.

Madison...a grandma's girl.

Cousin craziness include flashlight tag in the basement this year.

Salute

Aliya's first grade class salutes our Veterans.