Thankful for Thanksgiving

There is so much to be thankful for! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is spent with a lot of the Thorne family which is always crazy fun. We have a tradition where each of us goes around the table(s) and says what we are thankful for in the past year. We have the annual Turkey Bowl (the flag football game), board games--mainly Taboo, and lots of desserts. Just imagine 30+ Thorne's playing Taboo! It gets LOUD and crazy!! I love it!

I'd say that most of all Blake and I are thankful for each other and Gavin. Our lives have changed significantly this year, and will be changing in the coming months. Throughout all that we have our little family-- which is stronger today than it ever has been. Not that our strength brings any more ease to life, but the way we function is closer. Our strength is not of ourselves at all, but by God's grace. In the past year we have been thankful for the joy we have experienced and we have been thankful for the sorrow (now THAT is the hard one--and not something that comes first nature for me!) When we hug and kiss our boy we are so grateful we have him. I know that his presence has given us the focus to not dwell on ourselves (so much) and to keep going.

We wish Carol were here to see how wonderful he is, for her to spoil him rotten, and to give us that motherly comfort we need during this time. (We all still need our mom's!!) We wish G-ma was here so we could call her on her birthday after Thanksgiving and plan our reunion for New Years. I wish Uncle Alan was here so I could have visited him in California too. Even though they aren't here, I can't help but think of Thanksgiving's past and be happy we had that time. Life is a vapor, a minutiae of time, a speck, and fragile. So for today and this moment of time, I am thankful for another day of thanks giving!!!

Gavin's 2nd Birthday!!!

Gavin on his birthday!!!




First house we went to and he started in on the candy!



My mom paid him a visit on his birthday. He loves his granma!



Ready to tackle the neighborhood!


Opening presents! He would freak out with each one, it was hilarious!




Gavin was having too much fun beating the horse, and you can see by his lips he is saying Nooooo to Luke who wants a turn.



The most.amazing.cake. ever!!!


More pinata beating!


The birthday boys!!


I think this was one of his favorite things!


He rode the horse all by himself. I couldn't believe it!





My little cowboy!!


Granpa came to the party and Gavin was SO happy to see him! He loves Granpa!


We had mustaches for the kids. Of course, the adults had to get some stache action on too! LOL


Rachel put together a clothesline of pictures of the boys from newborn to just a couple weeks ago.


The one of Gavin biting Luke's ear had everyone laughing.





We had a surprise baby shower for my cousin and this is the diaper cake I made. It has a bottle of champagne in the middle of it as a surprise!




Happy Birthday to my sweet little man. You are so loving, tender-hearted, sweet, funny, crazy, strong, intelligent, stubborn and wonderful!!

Gavin's birthday was so much fun. He had a joint party with his cousin Luke who is 5 days older than he is. They loved playing together with their pop guns, beating the pinata, eating cake together and opening presents.

This birthday was not easy for us. Initially, we weren't planning on having a big party. There was just no way that we were emotionally up to it. So, my amazing cousin Rachel said she would plan most of it and that was just fine with us. Well, a couple months ago I started to get involved in the party planning and felt like I was in a place where I could actually do something to contribute. I didn't do much, but at least I was able to pitch in and help her. She did an amazing job on the party. I can't even describe how much she worked on this thing, AND she is 35 weeks pregnant with her 3rd baby, AND works part-time as a nurse on the night shift!! I'm telling you, she is incredible!

It really was a wonderful day to spend with the family. I've learned that it's never going to be the perfect family I envision, but it's going to be enough to fill my heart with joy and love. Blake and I wish so badly that his mom could have been there. It's hard to think that this is the first of many of Gavin's parties she won't be at physically, but in spirit, we know she is with us. Last year, his party was the last time we saw her. Sometimes I wonder why it was that day and I feel bitter about it. A day that is meant to be a celebration, now has a sad memory to go along with it. But then, after I process that, I am amazed at the sovereignty of God and how He planned for us to be able to enjoy and celebrate with her on Gavin's 1st birthday. He didn't take her home before the party or at the party, but He gave us that day with her. And that makes me happy and joyful!

It's also hard not to hear G-ma's voice telling Gavin what a sweetie he is on his birthday. My heart hurts every day and sometimes I wonder how I can go on without her.

Thank you Blake for being the best daddy Gavin could have. Thank you God for blessing us with Gavin. Thank you family and friends for loving Gavin so much!!