our thankful tree

My friend Emily and I had a craft night back in October. We made 'thankful trees'. We desire to cultivate a heart of thanksgiving in our families- giving thanks to God, acknowledging Him as the source of all blessings. As James 1:17 says, "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like a shifting shadow".

Each day we talk about what we are thankful for and take turns writing them down and putting them on our tree. It's neat to hear what Andrew says... I'm thankful for my firetruck, for playing outside, for my babies (stuffed animals) in my bed that sleep with me at night, for camping with Pop, for my BSF class, for YOU mommy (with a big hug)... but my favorite one has been- "I'm thankful for my daddy because he takes care of us". Love it! When we asked Nathanael what he was thankful for he said with full confidence, "Joy!". He loves her. Joy is my friend Emily's daughter and he gets so excited when he knows we are playing with them. He says "Joy!, Joy!, Joy!" over and over. I think they get along well because the are both so fun and crazy! If Nathanael could really grasp what we are talking about I'm certain his list would go a little something like this food, food, and more food! This kiddo loves to eat! No he would probably say: food, Andrew, Mommy and Daddy, passy, tractor, trash truck, and cars.