My husband's in bed, with nothing to do, but hold on to his bucket 'cause he's got the flu!
Darling Claire sleeps, no movement to see, as she is so tired from playing the Wii.
Sweet baby Avery, giggling and talking, still so excited from her day of first walking!
Poor little Ella, sipping water from a cup, "just a little bit" so as not to throw up!
So what about mom? Sit in peace for a minute. Relax and look for the good that is in it.
My poem is short, but it isn't wasteful. Take a minute to stop and think why you are grateful.
My Gratitude List:
1. Baking with my girls. We had so much fun baking bread and cookies this year! We made our usual Strawberry Bread and it turned out great. So we decided to try something new as well. We "made" my Grandma Johnson's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. We followed the handwritten recipe from January 5th, 1974 to the letter. I even checked everything twice as we did it. Well, all I can say to those of you who received them, sorry! It's the thought that counts!2. Gingerbread houses. Thanks to my good friend Ashley, we made real gingerbread
houses for the first time ever this year! She "preassembled" the houses and brought ALL the decorations! (She really is too good to be true!) Then, after a slight "discussion" over who gets which house, we decorated. Oh, to watch our little designers at work! Ella ate her way through most everything and still managed to make quite the house. Claire concentrate
d and studied the aesthetics of her house to make sure it was just perfect! Jack, Ashley's son, took advantage of as many decorations as possible. In the end, they each had a beautiful and unique house. The best part, I didn't stress about the mess! I watched as sprink
les flew, frosting smeared and gummy drops rolled, but I did not make a fuss! I just smiled and snacked and cheered them on. How nice it is to be in the moment and not miss a thing.3. Friends and Family. I want to thank you, my friends and family. This has been a hard year in some ways and a great year in others. Things haven't always gone the way I wanted, but thankfully haven't gone the way they could have either!
My girls are healthy! Last year at this time, Avery was battling a respiratory illness that she just couldn't kick. So far this year (except for the flu tonight) we have been 100% healthy!
I'm in love with my husband! I don't say that enough, but I am. I've reaffirmed this year, that despite his many, many flaws : ) he is the man for me. God knew what he was doing when he planted me in Ames, at the park, when that sexy man was playing softball! As they say, the rest is history. Not only am I blessed with a man that is "on my side", my children have the best dad too!
The possibilities are endless! That is my motto for the next year! The possibilities are endless! Our life will change in the next year. There is no doubt about that. But, today I can see it as an exciting adventure that God is leading my family through, not as something dark and scary.
And when my optimism fades, I go back to you! My friends and family! The ones who stand by me in the happy times, the scary times, the crazy times and the best of times.
These are just a few of my favorite things!
God bless and come back in a few days to hear all about our Christmas! And tell us about yours! We'd love to hear about your favorite things too!
