a week full of thanksgiving

We spent pre-Thanksgiving weekend in Duluth and even though it was a very quick trip we packed a lot in! We we were able to visit with Aunt Marilyn, Gamma D, Aunt Maren, Uncle Charlie, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Birk. Bergen got to visit with Max and Simon at Aunt Marilyn's house and it wouldn't be a visit to Duluth without a trip to the duck pond - his favorite!! It was a fast and furious 30 hours, but full of fun!!

This year we spent Thanksgiving weekend with the extended Leafblad clan. We all gathered on Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving and then reconvened on Saturday for an early Christmas celebration. We were also able to hold a bridal shower for cousin Diana Gillaspie (soon to be Diana Pratt!) to honor her and celebrate her upcoming wedding to Nate in a few weeks! Many of us got to meet the newest family member Baby Mariana for the first time after being born very premature at 28 weeks on Sepember 2nd. . . our little family, however, wasn't able to get too close to her as they are watching her closely for RSV and our germy little kid household didn't want to risk getting too close to her. I hope next time we see her I can get to hold her - she is adorable!! For our Christmas celebration we did the second annual present swap - which always creates some fun excitement and good laughs. And of course, no Leafblad gathering at Tim and Pam's could be complete without a game of ping pong round robin or two!

After seeing so many family and friends over the past week our hearts and minds are full of thankfulness. We feel extremely blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful and amazing people who strengthen, inspire, and support us. Words cannot describe how thankful we are for our beautiful children, Bergen and Annika. Their energy, creativity and pure joy for life continue to leave us in awe every day. And our hearts are full with love and anticipation as we wait for our new arrival come April.

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Also in this season of Thanksgiving we would like to give thanks for our loved ones who have also blessed with new life. . . . Cousins Ryan and Megan are expecting triplet girls in April!! Their due date is only 5 days before ours on April 22nd, but I am guessing, as they are, that their girls will come into the world at least a few weeks before our little one (just not too soon!)! Megan and I were able to compare belly's when we were together this past weekend. . . I *think* she is winning!

We would also like to give thanks for Evelyn and Sophie. . . beautiful twin girls born to our near and dear friends Carrie and Rob!! They were born November 8 - perfect in every way!!