Our Thankful Tree

 About two years ago, we started the Tradition of having a "Thankful Tree" during the month of November. A friend of mine started this tradition a few years ago too and after reading about her experiences on her family blog, I decided to do it for our family, I have loved it. 

Having this as a family tradition has been awesome! I have felt like it has helped our kids really think about what they are grateful for. I also think that it has made them more aware of the many blessings we truly do have in our life. So each Monday night during our Family Night in the Month of November, we take a moment and record what we are thankful for on our leaves and place the leaves on the "Thankful Tree."

This year, I decided to do a bit more work and make a nice tree and laminate it. Last year, I spent some time cutting out leaves and the tree and it was so very, very time consuming. After the month was over, our poor little tree looked a little bit "loved." I also felt sick having spent so much time on it and then knew that it wouldn't  last until the next year  in storage, so I ended up throwing it away!

This year, I made a new tree and I laminated it. I also made new leaves and laminated those and I just used an erasable marker to write on the leaves. So by the end of November, it allowed me to wipe them clean and put them in storage for next year. I hope it will be well worth it. I wish I had been smarter a year ago. Oh well, you live and learn, right?

It truly was fun at the end of November to see all the things we were thankful for. In fact, we ended up running out of leaves so next year, I will be making more!!

I am thankful for our Thankful Tree and for the opportunity it has provided my little family to appreciate the many blessings the Lord has blessed our lives and family with.

Jingles Comes for a Visit...

For the Past Two years, our family has participated in the tradition of having an Elf visit our family through the month of December. "Jingles" normally shows up the day after Thanksgiving and stays til Christmas Eve. Jingles job is to watch the kids during the day to see if they are being good or naughty and then report back to Santa nightly to let him know how the kids did during the day. On Christmas Eve, Santa takes Jingles back to the North Pole with him. 

This year, Jingles showed up on November 30th on our doorstep via snail mail. He was wrapped up in a brown paper package. Kaleb and Karmindy LOVED getting their package and a personalized letter from Santa! The kids have also enjoyed waking up very early see where Jingles is hiding in the morning. Jingles is always doing something a little mischievous during the evening hours.  On the first night they awoke at 5:30 a.m. to see where he was. Oy Vey. Mom and Dad were sure tired that first morning! It has been a very exciting tradition for the kids and they truly look forward to this fun memory maker!

Fall Piano Recital

Back in July, Kaleb started taking Piano Lessons from a lady in our ward (Tawna Broadhead). Kaleb is loving piano lessons and has improved so much the past 4 months. It has been so fun as his parents to see the improvement in his playing. On November 27th, he had his very first piano recital. The recital was held at our church building in the Relief Society Room. He participated with 25 other kids and each one of them played a Holiday Song. Kaleb was assigned to play, "Over the River and Through the Woods." Kaleb nailed his piano piece. He did a wonderful job and we were so grateful to be able to go as a family and support him. What a special boy he is! It is such a treat to be able to watch him grow and progress at this new talent.

After the recital, we headed to Mc Donalds for dinner (kids choice). The kids enjoyed their happy meals and enjoyed playing on the playground for the rest of the evening. It was such a fun night out with our little family. We are so proud of you Kaleb and the hard work you have been putting in to developing this talent!

Thankful Time at Preschool!

Karmindy has enjoyed going to preschool this month. It has been a fun month of crafts and learning about Thanksgiving time. Karmindy has enjoyed learning about the Pilgrams, Indians, Indian Corn, and the First Thanksgiving. Karmindy makes the cutest little Indian. I love my little Sleeping Bear!