Friday, December 12, 2014

Family Triditions # 27: Thanksgiving 2014

Each year we start off at the beginning of November creating our Thankful Wall. As part of our night night routine we all put something we are thankful for on our giant chalkboard wall.
The boys are just learning to spell but Silas was determined to write "I love Mama and Dada" on our wall!
Our Christian character trait in school this month is Thankfulness. We are still using that Focus on the Family Canada curriculum. It suggested making thankfulness scarecrows.
They are so funny. We keep them in our desk and whenever we are sad or complain we take them out, hold them up and say something we are thankful for... you know, because thankfulness "scares" away an ungrateful heart.
Thanksgiving Day has kind of become our get together time with some of the missionaries we know all around Petén. I wish I could have invited more, but we wanted to keep it a little simpler this year.
 
Jimmy brought me some firewood from the farm and he and Silas made candle holders for our tables! I used the little pieces for place cards along with some rosemary from my herb garden.
 
Jimmy found butternut squash. I had never had it before. Wow, it is delicious!!! Before we consumed it, we used it as decorations. 
 
I cut out turkey parts with my paper cutting machine (I added that just so you don't think my 5 year olds can cut like that... they are normal) and Jonah, Silas, and Eden helped make candy turkeys for the kids' table.
Jonah really likes drawing. He did most of the eyeballs. The boys requested a 5 on theirs, since they are five... silly boys. 
We counted down the days to Thanksgiving on our calendar. The boys were as excited about everyone coming over as they are for Christmas day!
 Here is our spread of food! Of course we had turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, salads, rolls, pumpkin pie, and apple pie!
And here were the first 2 through the line... just kidding. They just look guilty in this picture! 
 With the help of the namecards we put all the ladies at one table 

  and all the men at the other.
And then nobody moved for hours, haha! I think the conversation and fellowship was good! 
 
 We had a lovely day.
 
 
  We liked it so much we decided to have another "Thanksgiving" with the students a week later. It was kind of our last hurrah before the second year students come in a couple weeks. 

When we said we were having turkey the students were thinking "street turkey in soup... why is that special?" We bought a whole frozen turkey from the store. It is actually cheaper than a street turkey and you get more meat. 

In their culture, men don't usually make their own plates, but we asked if they wanted to, so that I wouldn't give them something they weren't planning on eating. That is what they chose, haha... I understand! They ate everything on their plates though, and even asked to take some cornbread stuffing home. So... either they liked it or they are just really really polite! R and P played Risk after lunch with Jimmy and H played Old Maids with the kiddos!
I am so thankful for the life that God has blessed us with. Life with family, purpose, and friends. A life that includes fellowship with our Creator. It is really hard not to have a grateful heart where we live. There are moment when I get caught up in my first world problems and then I look around me and realize how foolish. Perspective and Thankfulness, a little does of those can change every situation. Let's just keep celebrate all year!
I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...