Giving Thanks...

with a great and full heart!
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November is a wonderful month in the Grant household. Not only do we celebrate Thanksgiving, a favorite holiday full of wonderful traditions all its own, but Jayden’s and Abbie’s birthdays are both in November. So, we celebrate and give thanks for the little blessings in our lives all month long!
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We celebrated Jayden’s 3rd and Abbie’s 1st birthdays together this year, and what fun we had! Unlike Jayden at his 1st birthday (who wanted nothing to do with messying his hands with cake!), Abbie wasted no time diving in to her custom-made cake from Auntie Bell (Michele and I have been friends since we were about Jayden’s age). As did Jayden, who more than made up for lost time, not only chowing down on his own cake but “helping” feed Abbie too (I think more got ON her mouth than IN it).

The cakes before...

...and after



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Jayden and Abbie both thoroughly enjoyed opening all those presents (check out the look on Abbie's face):


We’ve had some fun moments in the Mambo-Combo, a birthday present from Grandma Margie & Grandpa Art, which is now a favorite play place and story-reading spot:


And the Lincoln Logs, a birthday present from Meemaw and Papa for Corey and Justin, I mean Jayden (*wink*wink*), which he’s had fun putting together with his dad and uncle (does it seem strange that Jayden is nowhere to be seen in this photo?):

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For the second year in a row, Corey’s parents came down from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to help us celebrate the kids’ birthdays (and they drove straight through on the way down! WOW!). They spent a week with us and we had a wonderful visit. I am so thankful for the families we have. We are both blessed with wonderful parents who have enjoyed long and loving marriages. What a treasure as we start our own family to have such wonderful examples to emulate.


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In the spirit of our month-long celebration of thanks, here are just a few of the many, many things we have to be thankful for this year:

*Jayden, who, despite a rocky start, is a totally healthy, vivacious 3 year old boy who is the absolute life of the party:



*Abbie, who is a happy and healthy 1 year old with the brightest smile and most infectious giggle:
...and the fact that Jayden still loves to shower his baby sister with kisses:


*Grandma Margie, who gave Abbie a bath after the party to wash off a-l-l that frosting:


*Grandpa Art, who lugged the mini-junker all the way from Idaho and cherished cuddle time with his youngest grandson:


*Papa Rick, who is young enough at heart to laugh at Abbie’s giggling baby doll:


*Meemaw Sharon, who loves snuggling with her baby girl (and boy):


*Great-grandma Souza, a 10-year cancer survivor who is happy, healthy and l-o-v-e-s my kids:


*Great friends, both old and new:


*And Corey, who is a wonderful father, a loving husband and a really great friend:


I could go on and on about all I have to be thankful for. God has been good to us, so good to us. Even when life isn’t as cushy as we’d like it to be, the bottom line is that our needs are met, we are a family, we are healthy, and we have each other.



What more do we need?