A Rockin' Thanksgiving

The Sports Mama over at You Don't Have to Like Me has awarded me this wonderful trophy for my bloggy display case.


(thank you for your kind applause - and yes, that's me in the picture)

She'd mentioned in her blog how her kids are rather old for cribs, so she's taking it to mean that she rocks the house. I think I'll adopt that slang term for the award's meaning as well because I'm a thief like that. Plus we just don't have cribs anymore. Thank goodness. We lived in Cribland for so, so many years. And we were fortunate enough to choose a sturdy, well-built crib the first time around and it lasted through all 4 children. Barely, as it was missing a bolt by the time it got to Micah, but it did the job and never wiggled or bowed. The only job it couldn't accomplish was keeping the kid contained. He was a jumper.

How on earth did I get off on that?! I was talking about my award. The one that says that I'm a rockin' mama. It's such an honor to receive. And especially at this time of year. I have so much to give thanks for, and now I can add this to the list. You know what else is on my list? My bloggy friends! And I get to award this along to someone. As much as I love receiving bloggy trophies like this, the best part is passing them on. I get to rock someone else's crib, too! How awesome is that?!

Here are some people who rock my crib, and in return I'll rock theirs:

Cecily at My Chaos My Bliss - you're such a dear, and I love your family.
The Mom at The Burgh Baby - I love Alexis and Meg, the "package deal."

There are so many great blogs that I read, and I'd love to pass this to everyone. But there are rules attached to these things and they've gotta be followed or the Bloggy Police will come confiscate the trophy. I can't take that chance. These things are that important to me. They rank right up there with the handprint turkeys that I collect from year to year and put in the scrapbook to watch the kids grow. And the Pilgrims and Indians made from toilet paper tubes and proudly displayed as centerpieces on the Thanksgiving table.

These things rock my world. It's all the love of the giver wrapped in their paper tackiness that makes them so special. Sadly, these things don't last forever, but I feel the love. And those are the trophies that I have from the kids. I love them. In fact, just this year I've added a jack-o-lantern to the collection. It's a brown lunch bag stuffed with balled up paper and tied at the top. It's painted orange (in most places) and has misplaced shapes glued on for the face. The smile is upside down and looks like a freaky fang-filled frown. But Micah brought it home from preschool, and points it out on occasion as something he recognizes. He doesn't acknowledge his own things very often and this obviously means something to him. For that reason, it means so much to me. As any mom worth her salt, I have it proudly displayed front and center on the table.

Luke's most recent scrapbook contribution was the picture he made for Easter. He's quite an artist and we're very proud of him. He actually received a real trophy for a coloring contest at school. But my fave is the one of Jesus on the cross, and the Easter bunny looking on. That kid knows what it's all about. And that even the Easter bunny is in awe over what Jesus did for us. It made my heart proud, and earned a place in history.

So what are some of the tacky trophies bestowed upon you by your children? I'd love to hear about them!