Thanksgiving Day 2014

This Thanksgiving, we welcomed two seminary families into our house to celebrate Thanksgiving Dinner together. Thanks to the generosity of these two couples, I only had to cook the turkey! It was amazing to only juggle that one thing. The food was delicious and the company delightful. We are so grateful for the family of believers in which God has placed us here at SEBTS.

The Finns' Thankful List 2013

The Thanksgiving chain is a yearly tradition in the Finn house (here's our 2012 thankful list), and is something we did yearly in my (Leah's) family when I was growing up. We love taking the time to be thankful, and hearing from the heart of our kids as they rejoice in so many things that we take for granted! May we seek to live a grateful life every day, not just in the month of November. 

Nathan

God created music

My mommy and daddy are visiting tomorrow

Garage I can park in

God brought the Whitfields to Wake Forest

My wonderful job at SEBTS

Coming home when trips are over

Bonfire with friends

My four precious children whom I love very much

Getting to see my mom and dad at Thanksgiving

Our great church

Leah

Family worship

Airplanes that bring daddy home

FaceTime w/daddy

Peace and quiet

Coffee

books

Friends that point me to the gospel

Banana chips and honey

Quiet evenings with my family

Good music

First Baptist Church Durham and our Finn Home Fellowship

Chocolate

Good night’s sleep

Morning coffee

Georgia

God created the world

Holding Fuller

Daddy’s home

Having friends over for dinner

Math

Schoolwork

Reading

Spending time with family

Sweet rolls

Playing with friends

Home fellowship

My great teacher Mommy

Mimi and Papa visiting for Thanksgiving

Baxter

Legos

Food

Home Fellowship

All the things I build out of legos

Daddy snuggling with us on the chair

Quiet evenings at the house

Tiny Legos

Mommy

Watching cartoons

A good day and time at the house

Playing with Fuller

My penguin handwriting book

Playdates with friends

My lunchbox

Eleanor

Mommy put nail polish on my feet

Going to the airport today

Playdates with friends

Cartoons

Disney princesses

Watching cartoons

Orangeade

Our neighbors Rylyn, Rhys, and Noah

Daddy’s home

Playing with Augustine

Fun trips

When Daddy comes home

Snuggling with daddy

Fuller

Mommy

And sometimes, our visiting friends (from Louisiana:-) get involved in the 'thankfulness' as well!

Friends

Safe trip here and a new job-Dustin

Sunshine-Jessica

Splitting the cost of gas-Mitchell

Christmas blend coffee and friends to share it with-Matt

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 21 (pt. 2)

After we learned that baby #4 was a boy, we tried to find a creative way to tell our kids. There are so many creative ideas out there, but nothing seemed quite right for us (nothing against those who do those methods, but we wanted something fun for the kids and my in-laws, as well as something easy and preferably not edible since it was Thanksgiving).

We decided to keep it fairly simple, but fun. On Thanksgiving morning, instead of sleeping in, Nathan and I woke up early, and while I worked on breakfast, he decorated the living room. He put blue streamers all over everywhere, and hung the "It's A BOY!!" banner by the window. That way, the kids could see it as soon as they came downstairs, and we could show it off to the grandparents when they arrived as well.

It was a lot of fun to decorate, very inexpensive to pull off (Dollar Tree!), and brought huge smiles to the Finnlings' faces. Remember, they had been convinced that the baby was a girl. The fun decorations helped ease that pain. We also let them tell Mimi and Papa, and Auntie Ruth themselves, and we saved the banner to display when their baby brother arrives.

Georgia is showing off her baby brother's pictures!

Baxter wanted a turn as well! He's growing more excited daily that his sibling is a brother, and he was particularly tickled that we had a picture of his 'boy pieces'....such a male!

The kids could hardly contain their excitement to yell their news to Mimi and Papa!

Showing Mimi and Papa the news

Using FaceTime to tell Auntie Ruth the news (sorry sis, I know you prob don't like the pic, but I love it!)

Date taken: November 21, 2012

The Finns' Thankful List 2012

Georgia

my pom poms

cranberry salad

[Barbie] pop star

shells

leaves that change color

Barbie dolls

princesses

rainbows

camera

clothes

Cosette [Les Miserables])

candy

snuggles with Mama

our apartment house bed [pull-out sofa that we used when the kids were sick]

playing outside

Baxter

cereal

Daddy's home

Legos

dominoes

Cosette

racecars

dreams

Thanksgiving bear

Mimi & Papa & Mommy

a baby brother

our trip to Louisville (and the hotel room)

bonfires

vitamins

Eleanor (we had to guess at some of hers)

popsicles & Gatorade

mornings when Daddy is home

my blue eyes

playing outside

food

Mommy & Daddy

Leah

students who watch my kids

naps

friends who bring meals

pumpkin

Jesus

Nathan

Breakfast (or lunch or dinner) at the Waffle House

sleep

cell phones and text messages

great neighbors

Charlie's Kabob (our favorite restaurant right now)

lunch w/Daddy/Nathan

a healthy baby boy

visits with friends

planes that bring Nathan home

Nathan

Georgia came to the airport

yummy coffee

Hardee's breakfast

thankful to be home

days off work

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 21

It's Thanksgiving! 

Here are few photos of our Thanksgiving day preparations and set up taken with my phone. 

Even more will be coming!

This is my homemade Give Thanks banner that goes up every year :-)

Our completed Thanksgiving chain--I will post our thankful list soon.

It was a gorgeous day the afternoon before Thanksgiving, so we played outside while waiting for Mimi and Papa to arrive

Georgia helped me prep some food items in the kitchen (she's such a big girl!)

Stage 1 of my cranberry salad (recipe found at the end of the post here )

Snuggles with Papa on the floor

Getting the table ready for our big meal!

Dates taken: November 20-21, 2012

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 19

I had a "regular" doctor's appointment today--you know, the standard 'go in, get weighed, check your blood pressure, listen to the baby's heartbeat.' It happens once a month, it's boring, and I wish I could skip it. But I'm a good mommy who wants to check on her baby, so I go.

Today, I mentioned to Baxter that he would play next door at the neighbor's house while I went to the doctor, and he asked to go with me. I didn't think much about it, because I didn't think he was serious. But later, I reconsidered, asked him if he wanted to go, and he agreed. I wasn't sure how well he would do--Bax is an active little boy who tends to get stir crazy after a while. But...

We had a wonderful time! The doctor's office had a few toys that he enjoyed playing with--all by himself, since there were no other kids in the office. I was concerned that we would have to wait for a long time because the doctor I was scheduled to see went into labor. However, we got in to our room quickly and were seen promptly by the 'fill-in' doctor. Baxter was intrigued by the examination room, and wanted to sit beside me on the little 'bed'. He watched closely while my blood pressure was taken, and kept asking about the 'blue stuff' the doctor put on my belly to hear the baby's heartbeat. When the doctor asked if he wanted a brother or sister, he quickly replied a sister, which surprised the doctor :-)

Baxter was as good as gold at the doctor's office. My sweet boy just wanted some time doing something without his sisters. He frequently will 'go and do' with his daddy,  but we don't often have mommy and son time. That is an oversight on my part, and our delightful time hanging out together at the doctor's office was a reminder of that. He is a sensitive, tender-hearted boy who loves his parents and his sisters, and often just longs for a little extra time and affection. I am thankful for our 'outing' that gave me a few sweet moments with my boy.

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 16

I'm thankful for blessings that come from our seminary family.

Just this week, a student in Nathan's class brought us a meal while Nathan was out of town. Just to bless us while he was away. It was a super sweet gesture that we all appreciated.

This same kind girl watched my kids at last minute so I could pick Nathan up at the airport. We had all planned to go, but one of the Finnlings woke up from their nap sick, and I was scrambling. I love that I have a list of SEBTS students that I can call/text/beg at last minute to watch my kids, or pick up ginger ale, or run some other errand for me.

We are blessed with friends and 'helpers' beyond measure.

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 15

I'm thankful for wonderful neighbors.

My next door neighbor, Amy, watches my kids about once a week, and her boys play at my house once a week too. Connor is two months older than Eleanor, and they LOVE each other. She is always ready to 'loan' me a cup of sugar or a tsp of vanilla. I use her outside trashcan when mine overflows. I am grateful for her servant's heart, and for the path we (and our kids) are wearing between our homes.

My 'across the street' neighbor Jimma is an amazing resource for handymen, repairmen, sales people, and my general go-to when I need recommendations for just about anything. She knows who to call when something goes wrong in the house, as well as when the new neighbors might be moving in.  Recently when we were searching for a 'bug expert' to inspect our home, she recommended a company that gave us prompt service and an excellent discount (good thing, too!). I am grateful that she is a native Raleigh-ite (is that the term?) and is such a great resource of information.

My 'around the corner' neighbor, Jennifer, homeschools her children, and her daughter Grace is one of Georgia's favorite people in the world. Jennifer has given wonderful advice about homeschooling, and has shared all kinds of resources with me, from links on the internet, to workbooks she is not using, to educational opportunities in the area for our children. We love our 'field trips' with this family to Marbles Children's Museum in downtown Raleigh, or our fun trips to Jumpin' Beans or Chick-Fil-A for whatever free food we can get. 

We are blessed beyond measure with terrific neighbors and a wonderful, quiet, kid and family friendly neighborhood. Thank the Lord for that, because we were completely clueless about such things when we were looking for homes. The Lord knew what we needed!

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 14

I admitted that I wouldn't be very good at blogging consistently on the Days of Thanksgiving this month, and I haven't been. (I am back dating these so they fall on the days when I thought of them, even if I didn't blog about it on that exact day:-).

Today, I am thankful for my kid's catechism. We use Truth and Grace Memory Books from Founder's Press, which gives suggestions on Scripture memory and catechism questions for children by year, starting at age 2 or 3. The catechism questions are simple and rhythmic and easy to memorize, and provide a great theological foundation for our kids (and for us as we learn with them).

We don't have tons of the questions learned yet, but we know the first dozen, and today that knowledge came in handy. Georgia and Baxter had watched a children's television show that referred to the Greek gods, and after seeing it they were acting it out. Rather innocently Georgia was referring to herself as "god of thunder" or something like that.  I love that my children have active imagination, but I wanted to 'nip this in the bud.'

So I asked Georgia "Are there more gods than one?"

She looked a little guiltily at me, and said "There is only one God."

I affirmed her answer and discussed with her that there is only one God, and that to even play or joke or imagine about lower case "g" gods is to disrespect and dishonor God. Georgia wasn't intending any harm, but with her catechism questions I was able to turn it into a teaching moment.

For that, I am grateful. May God receive all the  glory.

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 13

I am grateful that I am not alone on this crazy journey of parenting.

I am first and foremost a partner with my husband, given these four little blessings by God to raise and nurture and tend and teach for as long as He wills.

It is hard to parent alone. That statement does not even begin to cover how hard it must be. I know that I struggle greatly with it every time Nathan goes out of town, or I travel alone with the children. When I am a temporary single parent, my house is trashed, my kids eat "snack dinners" for every meal, a large amount of Netflix is watched, and I go without showers for days. Because I dislike going to bed by myself (that bed is cold, friends!), I stay up WAY past my bedtime. Consequently, my quiet time in the morning suffers because I can't get out of bed for staying up so late. And so it goes, repeating and growing worse each night Nathan is away. I pray that my brief moments of parenting alone give me great sympathy and compassion for single parents, for it opens my eyes to the myriad of needs they must have.

Can you tell Nathan is out of town? He is attending a conference, and we are hunkered down for a little while until he returns. I am so very thankful that he is my partner in parenting! I rejoice that God gave us to each other to walk this path of marriage and parenting together. I thank the Lord that we both serve Him, and that our purpose and goals in life are united in seeking to give God glory in all things. May our parenting be a reflection of the immense grace we have been given in Christ.

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 12

I am thankful for these three kids, and how much fun they have together.

When Eleanor was born, it was a tough adjustment for me, because it seemed like the big two were always either fighting or getting into some kind of trouble. Of course, it really wasn't that bad, and we passed out of that phase quickly.

As the kids have grown older, they are finding more joy in being together. Georgia and Baxter love to play together, indoors and out, and often make up elaborate stories and tales where each plays a role. Eleanor just wants to mimic anything her siblings do, especially her big sister (see how she is holding her hand in the picture below? She's completely copying!).

Georgia and Baxter have shared a room for a long time now. Two months ago, we moved Baxter into his own room and put Georgia and Eleanor together. This was to help Baxter work through his multiple sleeping issues (again!), but one of the wonderful side effects has been how Georgia and Eleanor interact. G has always been fairly sweet to E and E has always followed her around. But their affection for each other is growing and their interaction is increasing. Actually, all the kids are showing great affection for each other! They hug and kiss each other goodnight, and recently when Baxter was hurt, he wanted Georgia to kiss it, not me. Georgia sings rock-a-bye baby to Eleanor when she fusses-- how sweet is that? 

I am blessed with the close bond these three are forming. I pray that it stays strong through the years, and that their siblings will be great sources of blessing in their life always!!

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 11

Today, I am thankful for family recipes.

My mother put together a family cookbook for me when I got married. I treasure it, and reference it frequently. Many of the recipes I remember from my childhood are in this cookbook, and I have added in many of my favorites as well.

To feed my small group tonight, I made breakfast. I fixed breakfast casserole, tater tot casserole, grits, and my family special recipe, Cowboy Coffee Cake. This coffee cake was a staple in my family for holiday brunches and other special occasions--or just a special treat on a Sunday morning when there was so much rush to get out the door. 

As I made the coffee cake, it brought back memories of Thanksgivings watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Christmases where my brothers would BEG to open gifts as soon as we got up, and my father would INSIST that we had to eat first (he never made us eat first, but it was a ritual 'argument' that they went through). My brothers also were always up bright and early on Christmas day but my parents managed to 'sleep in' until 8 a.m. Every. Year. Then we'd open presents, trash the house, and dive into our Christmas brunch of Daddy's quiches and Mom's cowboy coffee cake. Or another flashback, to a Sunday morning when we thought we were just getting cereal and milk, but we would wake up to the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg and know it was a special treat of a coffee cake. Glorious, wonderful memories.

I want to savor those memories. I am glad my mother saw fit to record many special recipes for me and my sister, as she would not be able to share them with us now. I hope one day to pass along these recipes--and many more that I add to our 'collection' each year--to my children. 

Maybe one day, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg will remind them of wonderful childhood memories too.

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 10

I am thankful for the lovely fall weather we finally got to enjoy here in Wake Forest. It seemed like we went from hot summer to chilly winter with a cold front that came through (also known as Hurricane Sandy), and the beautiful fall weather that we so love here in NC didn't happen. Then on Friday, November 9 the weather warmed up to the high 60s/low 70s and we could not be outside enough! The sky was a stunning shade of blue--the prettiest I've seen in months! 

Leaves had fallen, so Georgia asked for a rake so she could make a leaf pile....

And this is what they did in the pile of leaves--nothing like running and jumping into leaves for some fall fun!

Rolling in the leaves! Eleanor especially enjoyed throwing leaves and piling them on her head

Thankful for beautiful fall days, for fun in the sun, for leaves and jumping and quality time with your siblings!

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 8

I have posted a link to a shorter version of this trailer already, but I want to include it here, during my days of thanksgiving.

Why? Why a trailer for Les Miserables (the movie)?

Because the music is stunning. The plot is a remarkable portrayal of redemption--the bad man finds redemption and new life in Christ, the good man is driven by hatred and retribution and cannot find redemption in his good deeds. 

Nathan and I love musicals. He had never seen Les Miserables performed, and we had a wonderful time seeing it in Raleigh last year. My dad loved musicals, and we would watch the 10th anniversary performance of Les Miserables any time in came on PBS. It is a cherished memory for my time with him.

So for these wonderful things, and because it is an amazing musical, I am thankful for Les Miserables. Enjoy the extended trailer!

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 5

You know that these days of thanksgiving are not in order, right? 

Because of all the 'things' for which I am thankful, after my salvation,

this man is at the top of the list.

We go together like a wink and a smile.

We both knew something special was happening shortly after we met, and I thank the Lord that Nathan had the courage to open his heart to me and take the step of pursuing marriage.

I have spent the past thirteen years pretty madly in love with this guy, and as we approach 12 years of marriage, I look forward to many more years walking this path with him.

Marriage. Parenting. Teaching. Shepherding. Living the Gospel. Grateful for all the ways Nathan blesses me and leads our family.

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 4

Today I am grateful for the local body of believers at First Baptist Church of Durham, NC. We have been members for seven years, and we love our church family. Our fellow members truly are our family--they have shared our joys and our sorrows, prayed for us during our trials and rejoiced in our spiritual and earthly  triumphs. It is a blessing beyond compare to gather with a body of like minded believers each week to worship our risen Savior Jesus Christ.  If you have never heard our pastor, Andy Davis, preach, you should take the time to listen to one of his sermons here.

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 3

These three kids:

Made me a mom

Make my day

Drive me crazy

Bring me to my knees before the Lord

Reveal my weaknesses

Bring me great joy

Light up my life

So glad they are mine!!

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 2

This morning I woke up, and one of my earliest coherent thoughts was:

I am thankful for ginger ale.

So trivial and so very not essential to my life. Yet as I have dealt with more morning sickness during this pregnancy than any others, ginger ale has been a constant companion. Last night, sweet baby "Boomer" (story on the nickname later) made me very sick, as sick as I have felt in a long time. I didn't even want ginger ale or saltine crackers, my normal nausea mainstay. Thank the Lord, the worst of it subsided overnight, and I woke up this morning wanting ginger ale to soothe my empty stomach. I was thankful the nausea and headache were for the most part gone, I was thankful for a husband who bought me a ginger ale late at night, and I was (and am!) thankful that ginger (in its various forms!) is such a comfort for aching tummys.

Days of Thanksgiving 2012--Nov. 1

Last year, I tried to write posts through most of November about things/people/mercies for which I was thankful. I wanted to do it again this year, but I confess, I woke up this morning and realized it was November 1 and I am completely unprepared for having a 'first thanksgiving' post. I am pregnant, and have recently traveled, and my kids are not sleeping well, and honestly I do not feel very thankful at all. 

But I just took a moment to read some of my "Days of Thanksgiving" posts from last year (look for the "Giving Thanks" label if you are interested), and I am fighting back tears. Those simple few posts (I of course did not post everyday) were a wonderful exercise in being grateful for all things, and in all situations. I am reminded that my plans are NOT God's plans, and that HIS plans are perfect. He knows all things, holds all things in His hands, and works all things for His good. Whether it was our Christmas decorating, or the record of our Thankful Chain, our day at home playing in the backyard, or the trip the girls and I did not take to south Georgia last year, God's gracious providence and abundant love to us was evident. 

So today I thank God for His kind and generous reminders of His love and blessings in my life--those reminders which are found in this blog, and in the faces of my children, and which are recorded here on a blog which is this mom's feeble attempt to recognize moments both big and small in our lives.

Praying for you to experience thanksgiving and gratitude that can only be found in the Lord today.

The Finns' Thankful Chain, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends! I hope that your Thanksgiving Day has been filled with rich blessings. This month we have been writing down something we are thankful for each day. Here is our list from November 2011. 

Baxter

My blocks

Crayons

Jumping in the leaves

The floor (where he can play with his toys)

My dinner and my cheese

All my clothes

My blanket

Baxter

My toys

Mommy

My clothes

Eleanor

  

Georgia

Daddy

Cuddling

Rain

My Jesus coloring book

My scooter

Christmas tree

Sleeping Beauty dress

Picnic table that Papa and Mimi gave her

Stairs on the treehouse

My toys

Georgia

My wand

My tiara

Grace

Nathan

Treehouse

Dates with Mommy

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade

Mimi and Papa

Georgia, Baxter and Eleanor

Mommy

Leah

Date nights with daddy

Text messaging

All my kids

The fallen leaves that rustle and crackle when you walk on them

Auntie Ruth

Daddy

Cherry limeades and cherry cokes

Jesus Christ

Sunshine

A warm bed

Daddy is coming home

Music

Hot tea w/honey and lemon