Before all the madness of cleaning, cooking, drinking wine & gobbling up all the food begins, I thought I would take a minute to reflect on my thankfulness this year. I have so many reasons to be thankful, but I narrowed it down to my top 10.
1. I am thankful for my 12th Thanksgiving with my husband.
This man is seriously the best man I've ever met, and I feel so blessed to be his wife. He works so hard to support his family, which gives me the opportunity to stay home and raise our boys. Not to mention, he's quite handsome! He's my best friend, my biggest supporter and I'm so thankful for him every day.
2. I am thankful for the newest addition to our family, Gavin Lee.
I'm pretty sure it comes without saying, I am beyond thankful for this fiesty little redhead. We struggled for 18 long months, wondering if we would ever be able to conceive another child. From the second I took that positive pregnancy test, I knew I would never take this new life for granted. He might be my reason for permanent bags under my eyes, stress me out to the max and make me wonder if a 3rd child will ever happen, but he is also hilarious, sweet and beyond adorable. And that red hair?! He's my perfect little rare unicorn!
3. I am thankful for my firstborn wildchild, Christian Michael.
He's crazy. He's wild. He's my first ginger boy. He taught me what unconditional love is. Before him, I didn't get it. I didn't understand what being a mom meant. The second I held him in my arms, I got it. It's a feeling like no other, and can never be repeated. Everything with him was a first, because we were in completely new territory. We learned boundaries together. He brought Dustin and I closer as our new role of mom and dad. I found a whole new love when I saw Dustin holding his firstborn son for the first time. He makes me question myself every.single.day, but then he says, "Mom, I sure do love you, alright," and everything is right in the world.
4. I am thankful for my momma.
I tell her this all the time, but I seriously don't know what I would do without her. She is the strongest person I know, and an amazing role model. If I ever have questions about anything, I know she'll have the answers, after a sarcastic response first, of course. ;) She is the best Mimi to my boys, and would do anything in the world for us. I always said if we had to move away, we would have to get a room for her, because she would have to come with us!
5. I am thankful for my girlfriends.
I know I've mentioned them on my blog before, but geez I love these ladies! There is nothing more therapeutic than a girls night and a
6. I am thankful for my home.
This month marks 2 years in our new country home. Dustin and I have been through every type of living situation together, from living with our parents, college dorm rooms, apartments and our cute little house in the city. Now that I'm back out in the country, you couldn't pay me to move closer to town. I love having friendly neighbors, with tons of kids Christian can grow up with. I love looking out my back porch and seeing trees, hills and cows. I love that the boys will be attending the same great school systems Dustin and I attended. I can't wait to create many more years of memories in our home, and I hope the boys always remember that it's not about the size of the house, but the warmth and love within it.
7. I am thankful for my family.
Even though my family is spread out all over the country, and will never be fully complete with the loss of my brother 7 years ago, I am beyond thankful for them all. Not everyone is blessed with a large family, and I am very grateful that I am.
8. I am thankful for a healthy year.
We had a big health scare this year, as I mentioned in my Cystic Fibrosis post. I am thankful for positive news and no other major health scares. Although, my grandma is currently in the hospital with a couple infections, she is feeling better and will hopefully get to go home soon...another positive. For now, we are all healthy and happy, and that's something huge to be thankful for.
9. I am thankful for the new lives about the enter our world.
I mentioned this before, but two of my very best friends are both due on December 28th. From the second they told me they were expecting (on the same day!), I was beyond excited for them. There is nothing like bringing your first baby into the world, and I can't wait for them to experience it. I seriously cannot WAIT to get that phone call that they are on their way to the hospital...although, hopefully not for a couple more weeks...those babies need to bake a little longer!
10. Lastly, I am thankful to live in this beautiful country.
I get it. This country isn't perfect. There is a LOT of bad right now. However, I truly believe this is still one of the greatest countries to live in, and I am proud to be an American. The horrific things going on in the middle east...the starving & dying children in third world countries...I am so thankful every day to part of a beautiful, free country. Where I have the right to believe in whatever I want, without fear of persecution. People can choose to see the bad things happening every day, pick apart our country, burn our flags, complain about our laws and systems...but I choose to see the good. Some people think that's me sticking my head in the sand. I don't look at it that way. I look at it as enjoying my life. Enjoying my blessings. I do not for one second think there's anything wrong with being an optimist in a world of pessimists. I cannot WAIT to turn on Christmas music tomorrow, hang ornaments on the tree and create wonderful memories with my boys...simply because I can. I choose to be happy, and because I live in America, that choice is completely mine to make, and no one can take it from me.
SO there you have it, my thankful thoughts from 2014. I encourage everyone to think of 10 things that you are thankful for in life. Life can be downright hard sometimes, and it's easy to overlook your blessings. Count them often and smile!
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