30 Days of Gratitude

Day 24: I am thankful for holidays. I love a good excuse to get family together for a yummy meal. I also love that Aaron gets to be home from the office.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 22: I am thankful for sub jobs. They give me a little pocket change for the upcoming holiday season. I especially like subbing for teacher friends!

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 21: I am thankful that I had the opportunity to go to college and get my degree. I am also thankful for those people that supported me along the way - Aaron, Mom & Dad, Aunt Michelle, Nini, Melanie, Arika, Shae and many, many others.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 20: I am so thankful for my parents. They welcomed me into this world 25 years ago.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 19: I am thankful for clothing. Though it may not be stylish or stain-free, I have appropriate clothing for the seasons.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 18: I am so blessed to have food in our fridge, freezer, cupboards and bellies.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 17: I am thankful for a warm house on this cold and blustery November day. There were some flurries today and it was so cold and windy that it made it hard to breath. I was very thankful for a warm house and a pair of slippers.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 16: Today, I am so happy that Ellie has become friends with Sophia. It is very nice for us to get out of the house every week and the girls have so much fun together and through play, are learning how to interact with others their age and to share. Sophia asks about "my new friend" all the time and Ellie gets so excited when we turn into Sophia's neighborhood. They even enjoy talking on the phone!

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 15: I am so thankful for my kids. I am so proud of them each and every day. Ellie is so polite. She says her "pleases" and "thank yous" without reminder. And Grant is growing up so much everyday. He started crawling on all fours, pulling himself up and he even took two steps by himself this past weekend. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed by the number of hours I spend cooped up at home, but I love my time with them so much. Especially Saturday mornings during swim lessons. It is difficult to put on a bathing suit in front of all those other moms that look way better than I do (and this chilly November weather isn't quite swimsuit season), but I love my solo time in the water with them and I'm so glad that they are learning and having a great time too.

Checking In

I didn't have a 30 Days... post ready this morning. I'll try to get one up later today. My grandma Nini was transported to the hospital yesterday for pain management, but is back at the nursing home. I'm not even sure I posted that she was in a nursing home in the first place. Things have been very hectic and I'm running all over the place which isn't usual for me (we go out for a play date on Wednesday and to swim on Saturday, I try to save gas money when/where I can).

My MIL is going to be here at 10 and I need to get ready to go. She is going to watch the kids while I get Nini settled back into the nursing home and make sure they keep up on her medicine. She was in excruciating pain yesterday. She has made up her mind that she is ready to go and I hate that. I know it is not my decision, but I am not ready to say goodbye. If you read this, please say a prayer for her. I would sincerely appreciate it.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 13: Today I'm thankful that we have everything we need, even if we don't get everything we want. (I "borrowed" this from my friend Mel, because I need to have this in my head and heart. Times are hard with only one income and the holidays right around the corner.)

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 12: I am thankful for those who have served our great nation and those that are currently serving in our military to protect our country. These people and their families have sacrificed much so that we can have freedom. God bless our troops and veterans.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 11: I am so happy to have experienced the gift of music. I have been singing, dancing and playing piano as early as three years old. My mom encouraged me and helped to arrange lessons in the early years. In school, I was a member of the band, drumline and show choir. I had two years in college that I devoted to music and then when I transfered to a big university, I continued to dabble in music, all the while teaching piano lessons and accompanying choirs and praise teams.

Tonight, I'll attend a holiday piano concert. My mom and I have gone every year for my birthday for over 12 years now. I am also thankful for this special time together.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 10: Today I am thankful for my mother-in-law. JoAnn has recently stepped up and started watching our children while I get in a few days of subbing. It is extremely helpful because I have to hand over my whole paycheck to pay for a sitter otherwise. Most recently, JoAnn has helped watch the kids when I spent the whole day at the hospital with my Nini during her surgery. She showed up within an hour of my call, no questions asked, and had dinner on the table when I got home hours after I promised I'd be there.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 9: I am so happy to have my grandmother in my life. For almost 25 years now, she has been a pillar of strength and role model for me. Nini is such an amazing woman and I cannot even begin to imagine what life will be like without her. She is so strong and is currently battling stage 4 cancer. It has spread from her breast into her left arm, hip and groin. On Monday morning, her femur fractured and a rod was placed to improve her quality of life. I pray that she recovers quickly and painlessly. I pray for remission. I pray that my young children will be able to remember their special time with her.

she makes my kids so happy. it makes my heart sing.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 8: I am so thankful for the amazing doctors at St. Luke's Hospital. Yesterday morning, my Mom was caring for my grandmother Nini and they heard a crack. An ambulance picked Nini up and rushed her to the ER where it was reported that her femur had fractured. She was given her options and she chose surgery to place a rod down the length of her femur. Her doctor was so kind and I am happy that her quality of life will be better as a result.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 7: Today I am thankful that Ellie is daytime potty trained. We have been working hard at this for 7 months and I so proud of her. I love that we're able to go somewhere and not have to pack extra diapers for two kids. (And we are close to nighttime potty trained too! Many mornings she wakes up dry and asks right away to go use the potty!)

((Edited to add - As I was leaving today, went to give her a hug and a kiss. I found Ellie exiting the bathroom while pulling up her underwear and pants. She had used the potty all by herself! I'm so proud of this little girl!))

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 6: I'm so thankful for such amazing friends. This week I got to meet up with my best friend Mel from college. We had lunch together with our oldest daughters and our babies. It was nice to be able to spend a few hours together and catch up. I'm also thankful that my friend Brandie had the opportunity to go back to school and pursue what she loves, cosmetology. I got to spend all of Friday with her getting my hair done. It was so great to get to talk and relax. Seriously, hair dressers are the best therapists!

Very pregnant me and Melanie at our graduation ceremony last December. It's hard to believe that was almost one year ago. Also, I miss my very long hair - though I love my new cut thanks to Brandie! :o)

30 Days of Gratitude

I am thankful for adoption. Without it, we wouldn't have a daughter to call our own. Without it, we wouldn't be a family of four.

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 4: I am thankful for Grant. He's the baby boy I didn't know that I wanted. I never imagined myself being the mother of boys. I wasn't even sure I knew how to care for a boy, but that unsure feeling was washed away when the doctors placed him on my chest. It was the most amazing feeling - a true "love at first sight."