"Gratitude is the parent of all virtues" Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here in Phoenix. Miles, Claudia, Amber and the kids all drove down for the fun. It was so wonderful having the family together. Sadly, I didn't get enough pictures and this is all I have from the event. New Years Resolution: take more pics!
I created a some cute turkey napkin ring holders that the kids help make for the kid table.

There was a lot of football and ipad playing.

This is a picture of our completed tree. It was fun to have everyone add more leaves to our gratitude tree. Blake and I even added little pictures to the tree of the people we love. I was really happy with how it turned out.

Last night, a couple of gal pals gave me the idea of implementing a new Thanksgiving tradition in our family by creating a "Tree of Gratitude" (http://www.meandmyinsanity.blogspot.com/)

Blake meticulously cut out the leaf shapes while I built the tree. I am really happy with how it turned out. It is a fabulous idea to have a visual representation of the many blessings in our lives. Each day we will add more leaves to the tree and we can watch our gratitude grow.
I am grateful for the chubby little fingers that carefully formed the words on each leaf. When given the task to think of things he was grateful for, Blake quickly said, "My family, a prophet, church, temples, Mommy, Daddy, Pets, Toys." I was very impressed by his sweet expressions of thankfulness. Each time he fills out a leaf he says, "I'm thank you for." I have to keep correcting him, "Thank-ful." My heart is full tonight as I contemplate the many blessings in my life and reflect on this Thanksgiving season. I am grateful for the opportunity to Count my Blessings, literally one-by-one.
I have been contemplating often Bishop H. David Burton's message to our stake this past weekend. He stated that "Gratitude is the parent of all virtues." He also expressed that to be thankful is to simply express appreciation through words.
To be grateful is to express it through ACTION.
I pray that this holiday season, I will be more mindful of my abundant blessings and express my gratitude through kindness, love, and service.