Thankful in 2010

I have been so blessed in 2010. That is an understatement because the Lord has been so good to me and my family! I have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season and I thought I would just share a few with you!

1. My husband. Tom has been such a faithful, loving, hard working husband and has never failed to give 100% for our family. I could write 100 blog posts just on his love, patience, and kind heart. I just love that man!

2. My children. I am thankful that they cry, that means they have the ability to feel emotions. I am thankful that they fight with each other, that means they have spunk. I am thankful that they always need a snack, it means they are growing. I am thankful they have tons of energy, that means they are healthy. I am thankful that they make messes, it reminds me that they are home for me to enjoy. I am thankful that they get dirty, it means I get to watch them play in the tub. I am thankful they get tired, that means they go to bed! :0)

3. Our health. Even though we are currently all sick with colds, I am grateful that we are generally healthy and don't have any major health problems to deal with. My kids don't have allergies that we have to worry about on a daily basis. They aren't hospitalized regularly. We only visit the doctor's for regular routine check ups and minor issues. Praise the Lord!

4. Our home. If I am honest with you, then I can say that I am often envious of others who have large houses with lots of land. We have a small little ranch on a quarter of an acre, but it's perfect for us! Yes, I would love to have a bigger house and more land some day, but for now I am so grateful for the roof over our heads! Plus, having a small house means less space to clean! 

5. Laundry. I am grateful for tons of laundry to do every day. Piles and piles of clean laundry means we have plenty of clothes to keep us warm and protected. 

6. Dirty dishes. When the sink is piled high with dirty pots and pans I have to remember that it means we ate a huge yummy meal and probably had plenty of left overs for the next day. I hate doing the dishes, but if I didn't have those messes to clean up then we would be hungry. (I'm also soooo thankful for my dishwasher!)

7. Good friends and my sister. As a stay-at-home mom I don't think I could survive my day without good friends to chat with, get together with and have play dates with. Not only do my children love getting together with other kids, it keeps me sane. My sister is also one of those people that I can kill an hour on the phone with and not think anything of it. We get together all the time and spend time in our jammies just chatting and playing referee with our kiddos. It's chaotic but still fun. (Both my sister and my sister-in-law are going to be giving me a new niece and nephew soon too!!! I'm extremely grateful to them for that!) :0)

8. Long hot showers. At the end of my crazy, chaotic and stressful day taking care of 3 kids under the age of 3 I REALLY look forward to my long hot shower before bed time! I'm grateful that we have a shower, plenty of soap and clean water. We take these things for granted and in other countries they are a luxury. Long hot showers also save us tons of money in therapy and trips to the spa! ;-)

9. Chocolate, fresh fruit, warm apple cider, pizza, peanut butter cups, ice cream, home made bread, squash, chinese food, cold milk and cookies. Okay, just a few of my favorites! :0)

10. My new business. I have started a very small and simple photography business that has taken off! I started just taking a few friends photos for fun and they told a few more friends and it has just continued to blossom. I am now getting phone calls from strangers to have their pictures taken and it's very exciting. My hobby has turned into a little business and it has been so much fun for me. It gets me out of the house for a little while, it brings in a little bit more money, and I thoroughly enjoy it! Thank you to everyone that has supported me and has spread the word! 

I hope you take time this Thanksgiving to reflect on all of the blessings you've been given and how they have impacted your life. It's the simple every day things we take for granted! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!