Oak Tree in an Acorn: Over the River and Through the Woods

Monday, December 8, 2008

Over the River and Through the Woods

To Grandma and Papaw's House We Go...for Thanksgiving!

We had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday spending time with Brian's mom ("Grandma") and her husband Michael ("Papaw") at their home in Plano. Our crew all had bouts with colds the previous week (except for Brian The Invincible), so we were worried that we wouldn't be able to make the trip, but by the day of our departure for Grandma's, we were all feeling good and looking forward to the trip. It took us just 4 hours, which isn't bad considering trips taken previous years during the Thanksgiving week.

We had a wonderfully delicious Thanksgiving feast cooked by Grandma-- even two kinds of turkeys with two different gravies! Only grandmas cook like that! One of the girls' favorite things was Grandpa's appetizer tray with pickles and two kinds of olives. They gobbled up the black olives as fast as they could!

The next morning, the guys watched the kiddos and Brian's mom and I hit the Black Friday sales. It was fun, and we did some damage ;) , but the best part of all was just spending time together and catching up with one another. It reminded me of how I used to go with my own Grandma Sylvia on all day Saturday shopping trips like this growing up. We would leave at 8:30AM for Houston and return sometime after dinner with tired feet but full hearts sharing this time with one another. I feel so blessed to have the parents I have, and now am doubly blessed by my in-laws. They are always so supportive and loving, easy to talk with, and lots of fun! Yes, I'm getting a bit off-topic here, but this post is about Thanksgiving, so I guess I'm just saying I'm thankful for my family. :) See how I brought my ramblings full circle?

Olivia and Grandma made these cute Thanksgiving treats that they put at each persons table setting. They were tasty as well as fun to make!

We made several trips to the playscape at the elementary school just across the street. Eve went down the slide for the first time by herself. Olivia loved swinging on the chin-up bar.

Grandma and Grandpa even babysat for us, so that we could get a mini-vacation in Dallas. We stayed at the historical Stoneleigh Hotel, walked around the area leisurely drinking hot coffee (me) and hot cocoa (Brian), ate dinner at The Melting Pot (a fun fondue place where we would NEVER take the kids), and visited the Galleria. It was our first time away from the kids in a long time. I missed them terribly, but it did good for us to recharge. It was great spending time together and having complete conversations, but by Sunday we couldn't wait to get back to Plano fast enough to give those two girls of ours a big squeeze, and hear all their chatter.

We had an all around great Thanksgiving at Grandma and Pawpaw's house.
We are truly thankful for them.

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Why the title, "Oak Tree in an Acorn"?

Well, really it's all about perspective when raising the girls. It helps me to think about the grand scheme of parenting and remember that what we do now affects how our little acorns will grow. Like an oak tree, we want them to be strong in their words and deeds, be able to withstand life's storms, set and reach their goals, and be people that others can lean on and trust.

We have an oak tree planted in our yard that came from an acorn my dad planted in a pot. This acorn came from a huge oak tree that was planted in the backyard of my dad's childhood home. My dad's father also planted this tree from an acorn he found on his hunting lease in the early 1960's. Our tree is thus a family heirloom, a "family tree".

It was the year of Olivia's birth when we planted our little sapling. It looked so very sad that winter with no leaves; it was, basically, like a stick rooted in the ground. Five years later, though, it stands 9 feet tall, and we continue to nurture it and watch it grow. We hope one year it will produce acorns of its own, and we can continue to pass on this family heirloom. We hope to remember it's example of how each acorn has the potential to be an oak tree, and how our acorns, Olivia and Genevieve, will one day, with help from God, become mighty oak trees themselves.