Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

What a glorious day - to be thankful for all that we have in our lives. We will have a big family dinner with our daughters and their families - and talk to our son and daughter-in-law in West Virginia several times during the day.

I am thankful that Don and I have been married for 45 wonderful years -
they go fast - and are full of such wonderful memories.

I'm thankful for Don - and that he survived the ordeal of open heart surgery this summer - and that he is doing exceptionally well and is completely back to normal - with even more energy than before.

I'm thankful all the family photos did not burn up in the fires. (me - age 2)

I'm thankful for growing up in Alaska where a girl can have adventures every day . . .
(I'm wearing the white blouse)

I'm thankful for my big brother Jimmy - I miss him terribly!!!! He was my protector.

I'm thankful for my little brother, Jeff - he left us this past summer and we all miss him.

I'm thankful for family pictures!!! (me on the far left)

And I'm certainly thankful that we don't wear our hair like this anymore!! (4th grade)

I'm thankful for Don's parents - what a wonderful gift they brought to this world.


I'm thankful for a little girl frosting cookies (Beccy - 3 years old)


I'm thankful for the wonderful teen age years . . .

I'm thankful for a daughter who grew into a wonderful, thoughtful and clever woman, a superb mother and a sweet auntie.

And I'm ever so thankful she found her wonderful Jason . . .


I'm thankful for a little boy who can still charm the
socks off just about anyone. (
Rusty - age 1)


I'm thankful for the wonderful and super talented man he grew up to be . . .

And I'm thankful for the wonderful Jamie that he married
(and that we got to go to WV for the wedding)



I'm thankful we have photos of Rusty and Jamie when they live so far away.


I'm thankful for our youngest daughter (Lori), one of the cutest babies you have ever seen . . .(of course all my babies were extra darling)


I'm thankful for a silly child who could lick the frosting off a cake and look you straight in the eye and say - yes it was very good, when asked if she had eaten the frosting . .

I'm thankful that she grew up into such a fine creative woman, a good mother to Jahn and a fun auntie for Ben . . .

I'm more than thankful that she found her fabulous Jason . . .
who brought Jahn with him into our family


I'm thankful for three children who would dress up and sing christmas carols
for us when we lived out in the country on a farm in Kansas.

I'm thankful for Don's aunt who treated our kids like they were her own grandchildren .

And grandsons - I'm extremely thankful for grandsons . . . (Ben - 1 year old)

Who grow up fast and wear bobbly hats . . .

And play with Miss Kitty . . .

And sing songs . . .

And ride bikes . . .

And do important things on the computer . . .

And laugh in the summer . . .


Yes, grandsons - I am extremely thankful for grandsons!!! (Jahn - age 2)

Grandsons who love bridges . . .

And ride bikes . . .

And run the bases at the Bellingham Belles Baseball Game . . .


And bake pies with Grandma . . .

And paint their faces with Grandpa for the Super Bowl Party. . .


Our favorite christmas gifts - two fabulous grandsons to play with and adore!!!!

I hope your thanksgiving is as wonderful as ours -- and give your family a hug - they are the most precious thing you'll ever have!! And to our friends across the world - a wonderful weekend too - as we here in the US celebrate our Thanksgiving with family and feasting and good times.


21 comments:

Pat said...

Joanne...what a WONDERFUL post!!! I know how long it takes to do a post with photos and I appreciate that you took the time to do this. You so very effectively let us see all the blessings you have in your family. Happy Thanksgiving to you and to all of your family! IF I remember, I may refer people to this blog post tomorrow.

Dorothy said...

JoAnn, that was a lovely post. Thank you for sharing all those lovely family photos with us. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

luv2quilt2 said...

Thank you for sharing your blessings with us for Thanksgiving. Family means everything. I have spent my entire life in WV and it's a wonderful place to live, but it sure is far from you. I know you must miss your daughter.

Crispy said...

Awww what a lovely post Jo, you are truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving my dear friend.

Crispy

Lili said...

Such a beautiful way to show your thankfulness! I particularly enjoyed seeing the older black and white family photos. There's something about them that is comforting and surprisingly familar! Must be the snow, or the hairdos! Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours!

Jocelyn said...

What a wonderful post Joann. Wishing your and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

Your post was incredible.

Such a wise and loving heart you have, m'dear!

I bet your darling family is very thankful to have YOU!!!

Barb said...

Love it!!!! You do have alot to be thankful for...loved all the pictures.

JoyceAnn said...

Beautiful post , enjoyed seeing all the pics. Family is the most important thing to be thankful for , it's # 1 on my list too.

Happy Thanksgiving , hope your day is blessed with everything your heart desires.

~ Hugs ~

Kaye said...

Pat told me to come and read a wonderful post and she was right. What an amazing tribute to your family. You did an awesome job. Hope you had a Good Thanksgiving and that its the start of a Blessed Holiday Season

*karendianne. said...

I took this post in yesterday and I starred it on Reader so I'd come back to it. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to tell you how much I loved the post and appreciated the time you took to put it together. :)

Thankful for YOU!

Christine Thresh said...

That was a lovely Thankgiving post. I really liked seeing all the family photos and reading the captions.
The photo of the family around the table is a classic.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for sharing your blessings with your readers. We each have so much to be thankful for each day, but sometimes in the busyness of life, we forget to thanks those we love for being a part of our lives, your blog did that today in a beautiful way.
BarbM

Julie said...

I loved all your photos - especially the old b&w ones. You certainly have two handsome grandsons. My family has gotten so small. Only six of us now, basically. I'm glad you have a lot of people to celebrate with.

Lila Rostenberg said...

You defintitely have a wonderful family! I love the old photos, especially of you!

Julie said...

What a wonderful tribute to your family. I love the family photos! Thanks so much for sharing.

Shell in your Pocket said...

I love old photos!
sandy toe

Judy S. said...

Great photos, Jo. Thanks for sharing them along with some insight into your life. Glad you had a nice Thanksgiving; it must have been extra special knowing that your DH is as good as new. Blessings to you and yours.

Browndirtcottage said...

Well Ms. Joann...I certainly did
enjoy this post...especially the
first photo of you and Don. All
of your old photos were so much
fun to look at. I must earmark
this post...it has all your family and history in here....I.LIKE.
I also got caught up on everything
else that has been going on...wah
wah...poor Mr. Tacky Santa...I wonder if you will receive a
ransom note??
I really enjoyed your MeMe.....
makes me excited and a little
scared to know what you are REALLY
thinking....Ha!!

Heike said...

JoAnn!
What beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing, I loved looking at them. What a bunch of blessings :).

Elenka said...

Good grief, woman, you have a lot to be thankful for. (1 week til Hubbie's surgery....)