Happy Thanksgiving!

Seems like a wonderful time of year to take a minute and remember all the things in life that we are thankful for! My list is quite long-we are blessed and fortunate in so many ways. Please indulge me while I reflect on the MANY gifts in my life.

Of course tops on my list is my beautiful family, especially my husband Sam who is everything in a husband and father I could ever ask and more. Always upbeat, funny, smart beyond words, handsome, thoughtful, kind, devoted, giving, supportive, (am I boring ya'll yet, lol?) and above all a wonderful leader for our family and a faithful follower of our Lord.

Great kids-you guys are awesome and surprise me each and every day by how much you have grown and changed and matured. I am the luckiest mother in the world to have four blessings named Ryan, Stacy, Samantha, and Connor.

Now I better just start listing or this could get REALLY long (he-he)

*My family, especially my twin sister Laurie-my best friend in the whole world!
*Sam's family-Sido and Tata and all the uncles
*The town we live in...I LOVE Columbus!
*Connor's doctor's and nurses who have taken such good care of him...Dr. George, Erika, Rebecca, Dr. Berenson, Dr. Mansfield, Dr. Rauschbaum, Ellen-the best speech teacher in the world, we love you...Resa and Debbie-we miss you guys! And all the other countless nurses and doctors who have touched our lives this past year and a half.
*CaringBridge, Blogger, Carepages, etc...WOW-what a world that has opened thru these pages. Meeting all these families via the internet is life-changing and just an incredible way to reach out in such a fast-paced world.
*Samantha's school-I am SO grateful for the warm welcome she has received and the great education she is lucky enough to be getting from her sweet teachers. Thank you!
* A wonderful church that has stood by us and kept Connor in prayers continuously.
*All the support from friends and even strangers-we are so lucky to not only have Connor prayed for, but our other three children-this has been tough for them as well. (This means all of you too!) :-)
*Hospitals close enough to drive to (Scottish Rite) An amazing facility filled with the absolute best doctors and nurses I have ever met in my life.
*Playgroup-this is Connor's only chance to be around other kids and I am so thankful to Ellen & Shannon for making it possible for Connor to attend.

We enjoyed today tremendously-watched the parade this morning, Connor's favorite float was the safari one in the Philadelphia parade on a different channel than the Macy's one. He saw a giant bird on there that he just loved! Then we realized the city looked nothing like NY and that we were missing the "Big" parade and quickly change the channel. I didn't know there was more than one parade! LOL

Dinner was yummy-Mom really outdid herself this year. All the kids had their certain favorites-Stacy liked the mashed potatoes best, Ryan liked the deviled eggs and ceaser salad, Samantha liked the deviled eggs and rolls, and Connor just nibbled on a little bit of everything. But NOT the Thanksgiving cupcakes I made-I think he thought it was too pretty to eat-he just kept staring at it in awe and rearranging the toppings...I tried to get a piece off for him, but he grabbed the bit of cupcake and put in BACK on the cupcake-like to make it pretty again. Awww, so sweet!

I am tired and off to bed, but I wanted to say how thankful we are for all the prayers for our family and the support as well. Love to all!

Debbie

Oh-BTW, I saw this blinkie and thought it was adorable. It is for kids that use sign language.
Connor has the Baby Signing Time videos and that is what "signing time" means, lol.