Thanksgiving is such a funny holiday from a kid's perspective. There are no presents, no characters to relate to, and nothing extraordinary happens. To them, it is just another family dinner where the grownups have a good time and the kids get away with mischief. At least that is how I remember it.
Parker and I sat down and talked about last Thanksgiving. He remembered making a pumpkin pie with his grandpa and was excited to talk about his great-grandparents and their visit. The best part was that he doesn't seem to remember that we were not with him. His sentences often started with "Mom, remember when..." That is what I was hoping all along. That he could be filled with so much happiness and goodness that he would not notice the sadness of missing his parents or understand the anguish that we felt by both having a very sick baby and being separated from our boy. A three-year-old doesn't need to be thankful or understand the meaning of the holiday. Right now, all he needs to do is live it and feel the goodness that it brings.
P.S. Parker was so cute at the park. He would do one thing and then listen for Matilda, race over to check on her, make her laugh, and then run off to play one more thing. He ended up spending more time running and checking on Matilda than actually playing.
