Thanks for the Blessings

I realize it's super cliche to make a list of all the things I'm thankful for today.  I also realize it would be super cliche to list things like my husband and children, my extended family, our home, our health, my husband's job and the fact that he's a man who is not afraid of a little hard work, clothes on our backs, and food on the table.  I'm thankful for all of that -- those are truly the biggest blessings in my life.  But I'm thankful for so much more as well.

I'm thankful for the sound of a baby's laughter and the way Kyan tells his sister, "you're my best girl."  I'm thankful for children who sleep through the night and that 2/3 of my little ones are potty trained.  I'm thankful for social media that allows me to keep in touch with friends and family who live far away.  I'm thankful for boys who love their Mama and are still little enough to ask, "Can't Daddy just sleep in my bed so I can sleep in your bed with you?"  I'm thankful for Coke Zero and Diet Dr. Pepper.

I'm thankful for third row vehicles that aren't mini vans.  I'm thankful for the city of New Orleans, all the wonderful food it contains, and that I'll be there in two and a half months.  I'm thankful I was raised in a way so that I'm still close to my cousins even as we've gotten older.  I'm thankful the Razorbacks are having a good season.

I'm thankful for Goodnight Moon and I'll Love You Forever.  I'm thankful for my creativity and for TexMex food and for Disney Pixar.  I'm thankful for the relationship I have with my stepdaughter, a relationship that is right now better than it's ever been before, and I'm thankful for how much she absolutely loves and adores her baby sister (and her little brothers too -- though sometimes that love and adoration doesn't show through as much!)

I'm thankful that my blog does not generate any income so I am, therefore, not faced with the decision of just how moral it is to pimp out my family for clicks. I'm thankful I was born in raised in the south, even if we don't have basements.  I'm thankful to live in a country that affords us basic rights and I'm thankful for people like my husband who fought to preserve those rights.

I'm thankful for this picture from last Thanksgiving:

And I'm thankful for the memories of that day, for the last Thanksgiving we spent with our PawPaw.  I'm thankful we had him for as long as we did and that our faith allows us to know he's in a better place.

And most of all I am thankful for these four goofy little people.  Thankful they are in my life, that I can kiss them and hug them every single day, thankful that they're mine and that they make me want to be a better person.