Happy Thanksgiving

It was so nice to finally leave the hospital and come home. The hardest part now is trying to keep Brayden alive! Abby and Connor are so obsessed with him that all they want to do is touch, hold, and be around Brayden. As sweet as it is, they don't really understand how to be soft and gentle. They treat him just like another part of the pack. So between hand sanitizing the kids, catching balls in mid air that are flying past Brayden's head, and assisting the kids as they hold him, I think we are doing an ok job in keeping him alive... for now. 

We were greeted at home with a panther sign from our squadron. We really have an amazing squadron! They also volunteered to bring us meals following Thanksgiving for almost two weeks! I must say, for someone who hates cooking, that is the best part of having a baby in a supportive environment... no meal prepping! As much as we would love to have family out to help us and see the new baby, we are so grateful to have such a wonderful ward and squadron to step in and help us adjust to life as a family of five. 

I took Brayden in for his one week appointment and he has already gained back his birth weight and more. He is now past 8 lbs, and was 7 lbs and 11oz at birth. Lets just say he likes his food, and he likes to eat ALL THE TIME! My prediction is that he will be my biggest kid out of the three. I mean a 7lbs 11oz baby who arrived 19 days before his due date is a pretty hefty baby! He has some amazingly kissable cheeks and a lovable double chin. He is already starting to out grow newborn diapers, I think we will have to move up to size 1 the next time we get diapers at the store. He is doing really well at sleeping and wakes up only three times in the middle of the night to eat. He really is a wonderful baby, but then again we are comparing him to Connor who was by far our most difficult baby. We still can't get Brayden to take a binkie, but we are going to keep trying or forcing it on him should I say. I on the other hand feel great this time around and feel as though I am recovering faster than my other go arounds with this post partum business. I am just so happy to not be pregnant anymore, and look forward to getting back into shape again.

We had a very simple Thanksgiving. It is very important to Kyle that we have Thanksgiving as a family and not spend it with friends. So we stayed home, made our own turkey, potatoes, stuffing, jello, and green bean casserole. The best part was that both Abby and Connor miraculously took naps on Thanksgiving, and at the same time to boot. So instead of having a traditional dinner all together as a family, Kyle and I took advantage of having a meal just the two of us (well, three of us since Brayden was awake and asleep in the baby swing) uninterrupted by kids wanting more water, or food, needing help cutting food, or getting up or down from their seats. Cheers to a nice and peaceful Thanksgiving where we actually got to eat our food warm! When the kids woke up we made sure to feed them and then had pie all together. 

I made turkey hats with the kids and wrote down what they were grateful for on the turkey feathers. When asking them I couldn't help but chuckle at their responses. Of course Abby was grateful for school, my little pony, princesses, pink, and Jesus. Connor was grateful for trucks, books, and trains. It gave us a good opportunity to talk to them about all our many blessings and how grateful we should be to live such a wonderful and privileged life. I told them that they are my greatest blessings and that I am so grateful to have THREE crazy "turkeys" in my life. 

Later that night I got Kyle to buckle and agree to spend the evening with friends. We were invited over to some friends in the squadrons place so we went to socialize for an hour before heading back home to put the kids down for bed. Everyone was excited to see Brayden and we were excited to show hime off. We have so much to be grateful for in our lives. I am grateful for three healthy kids, and a loving husband. I am grateful for all my freedoms and rights, and the gospel in my life. How blessed are we to live abroad and experience different cultures and travel the world. We have a roof over our head and food on our table. We have everything we need and more to sustain life and to enjoy it to the fullest. I love this time of year and the opportunity to stop and celebrate our many blessings during this holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!