Thankfulness

I love November for many reasons. It's fall, my favorite season, Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, and a reminder to be thankful for all things. So thing blog I will talk about some important things I am thankful for this year. I am thankful for our family, how God chose Nathan for me, and how He chose us to be the parents of Caleb, Benjamin, and Eliza. I can't say enough about how much Nathan means to me and the kids, so I'll just leave it at that for now. 

I am thankful for these three munchkins. They are each special and unique in their own ways, and we love the little people they are.

I'm thankful that Eliza is so easy going! This girl goes with the flow and takes whatever comes her way...as evidence right here :).

I am so thankful for Tes. She has been a part of our family for almost 7 years now, since Benjamin was 8 months old, Caleb was 2, and Eliza was a newborn. She loves our children like our own, and we could not do what we do without her.

I am thankful for an opportunity to slow down. In early October, I injured a tendon and joint in my right foot and was in a boot cast for a month. The injury caused a cyst to form on an inconvenient part of my foot (on the outside where my shoe rubs), and it had to be surgically removed in November. It's never convenient to be in bed with your foot up for 3 days, and spend a week on crutches when you have 3 little kids and a job, but it is what was needed and I was thankful for the time to slow down and rest like my body needed to. I could not have done that without Nathan and Tes's extra help, to care for me and the kids.

I am thankful for good friends. Heidi and Jake came to visit Heidi's niece who was studying abroad in Jordan, sightsee, and they spent a few days with us. We were thankful for the time we had with these good friends from Virigina that we don't get to see often enough!

I am thankful for the good friends we have made in Jordan these past four and a half years, who have become our family. This year, we spent Thanksgiving with our friends Mike and Cassandra, who we met our second year in Jordan.  They have twins, Sean and Ava, who are Caleb's age and they are great friends.  Cassandra works for the UNHCR, and most of the people they invited to their home for Thanksgiving were Jordanian or from other countries, and for several people, this was their first Thanksgiving. It was a nice evening sharing our traditions with others and spending time with friends. I didn't get a picture of the adults, but here is the kids' table.

Lastly, I am thankful for our families near and (mostly) far. We are blessed to have loving, healthy, and understanding parents, siblings, and extended families. The hardest part about living abroad is being so far away family and friends. We are thankful for technology that allows up to Skype with our parents every week, and keep in touch with family and friends near and far. Happy November! What are you most thankful for?