Thankfulness #1

1. Thanksgiving Day: I am thankful for my family and traditions and a whole day to celebrate both.

Thankfulness #2

2. I'm thankful for making friends.

Thankfulness #3

3. I asked the kids what they are thankful for.
Ivy said, "going to the mall."
Jamey said, "Dada. Arm. Book."

Thankfulness #5

5. Today I'm thankful for fun times with family this weekend. We did normal weekend stuff--nothing special--but we were together, and it was fun. Our kids are hilarious!

Thankfulness #6

6. I'm so thankful that Jeremy got up with the kids at 6 am and let me sleep until I woke up at 8:30 am. It's the latest I've slept since Ivy was born. It was glorious to know the kids were up doing things and I wasn't. And they're so much cuter when someone else gets them dressed.

Thankfulness #7

7. I'm thankful for the holiday season, the anticipation of Christmas, and making lefse (which does scare me just a little). We're putting up the Christmas tree in a week!

Thankfulness #8

8. I'm thankful for being able to stay home with my kids. I love playing with them, reading to them, teaching them funny things, and watching them play together.

Thankfulness #9

9. I am thankful for fresh starts.

Thankfulness #10

10. Oh, I'm very thankful for Kindle for the iPhone. I'm quite a ways into Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, and I'm loving it. In fact, the kids are lucky I managed to get dinner made. If my husband wasn't such an encourager, I'd skip my run tonight to read. But he won't let me.

Thankfulness #11

11. Today, I'm thankful for Coke and Peanut Butter M&Ms. It's that kind of morning.

Thankfulness #12

12. I'm thankful for a day to myself. Jeremy & the kids are spending the day with his mom. I went for a run, took a long hot shower, and am now stitching and watching Anne of Green Gables. I might nap later.

Thankfulness #13

13. Today, I am thankful for a really great run this morning. We did the 33rd Annual Key Biscayne Lighthouse Run. Jeremy and Amy did the 10k in 1:01. I did the 5k in 38 min--pushing the kids in the jogger. I felt great for the first two miles, and then Ivy kicked her shoe about 25 yards to the left, so I had to stop to pick it up, totally ruining my pace. That last mile was tough. But I thought I'd finish in 45 minutes, so 38 isn't too bad.

Thankfulness #14

14. I'm thankful for Handel, Chopin, Strauss, Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, and the 20 hours of classical music on my computer. It's perfect morning music.

And I'm thankful for Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees, because that's perfect running music.

Thankfulness #15

15. I'm thankful for encouraging phone conversations with friends and family far away.

Thankfulness #16

16. I am thankful for parks and the kids there who have fun toys and love playing with my kids. It's so great to see Ivy & Jamey make new friends and play together.

Thankfulness #17

17. I am thankful my mom taught me to write things down. I have a fun book of her memories and my milestones from when I was a kid. Now I'm writing them for my kids. I'm thankful for this idea to jot down funny things they say and do, my feelings about them getting bigger, and every once in a while we trace their hands. Not only does this preserve these memories for them & their kids, it helps me remember all the reasons I love staying at home with them.

Thankfulness #18

18. I'm thankful for Ebb & Flow. Ups & Downs. Good & Bad. Better & Worse. Like I was recently reminded, "it came to pass" not "it came to stay."

Thankfulness #19

19. I'm thankful that we attended a church we like. Jamey lasted about 5 minutes in the nursery, so we sat in the crying room. Ivy loved the Sunday school class.

Thankfulness #20

20. Today I am so very thankful that it's 52 degrees. Sorry to everyone in South Florida, but I've been praying and hoping for cooler weather for about two months now. All this heat is more than this MN girl can handle. I love pulling out sweatshirts and long sleeves and pants. I love it! I hope this lasts until March!

Thankfulness #21

21. I am thankful for my very flexible schedule. For the last several days, Ivy has resisted any "out of the apartment" activity. No beach, no park, no mall, nothing. She just wants to stay put. So we are. Maybe she's fighting off a bug, maybe she just wants to stay home and color. Who knows? But I'm thankful that I don't have to force her out the door for anything and that I'm getting a lot of stitching done while she lays low.