she drew on a piece of paper by herself. she’s drawn (written? colored? what is it that she’s doing exactly?) in my journal or on other pieces of paper that i’ve given her with pens that i’ve given her.

but today she quietly got paper and a pencil out of the top drawer and drew on them. i found it later when i sat down at the computer while she was napping. she reads by herself. and now she writes too. amazing.

just now when i went to get her after her nap, she was sitting with her brow furrowed. then she pointed to the kitties on her jammies and meowed. as if the cats and all their noise had woke her up. what a silly girl.

i had been meaning to write more about our Thanksgiving celebration. but i was looking for a particular picture of the girl from last Thanksgiving. we were in San Diego, of course. and my aunt was down too. we four–Glenda, Barb, Mabel and Kortney–went to thrift stores one morning. i tucked the little one in the sling, and we had a great time. i remember seeing another mama out shopping that day with her small one in a sling. only she had two older children as well. oh my! toward the end of our time out together, we needed to nurse. so i sat down in a chair by the shoes and nursed my baby. when she was finished, Nana came by and snapped a picture. she’s smiling and peeking out of the sling, wearing her pink polka dots. behind us, the store’s Christmas tree is visible. it’s a lovely picture.

i wanted to find it because it was taken last Thanksgiving. and in the circle of the year, we have come back to holidays that Mabel has already been a part of. crazy. and now this year, she really is taking part.

at Thanksgiving she ate so much turkey. she is not a vegetarian! but she also had potatoes and sweet potatoes, brussels spouts, pumpkin pie and ice cream made by her uncle Ben. we enjoyed a very traditional meal. by which i mean the stuffing was Stove Top, the bread was brown and serve, and the cranberries came from a can! and it was so good. at Thanksgiving i really crave those very familiar flavors. lord knows, i’ve stewed fresh cranberries with orange zest and brandy. and that’s good too. but at Thanksgiving, i want what we’ve always eaten.

and that history, that family is something that fills my heart with thanks.