Well, here goes! I have seen many others express their gratitude on Facebook and blogs, and I just couldn't resist! Although it is a bit lengthy, here are my top ten:
1. The Gospel. Well, that is pretty much the greatest blessing, isn't it? Knowing that we are here for a purpose and that we have a purpose after this life...that is the best gift! To know that our children are ours forever, and that the hard work we do every day isn't for nothing is just priceless! I love knowing that we have a Savior that atoned for us. I love the blessing of the restoration of the gospel and the Church in the latter-days. When my kids have questions, I know the answers and I can say it with confidence, that I know.
2. My husband. This is a man, who got his Master's degree on four hours of sleep a night helping to take care of newborn twins. This is a man who doesn't mind working all day, and then coming home to work all night helping with the house and kids. This is man who thinks the gospel and his family are the most important things in his life. I would pretty much be living at the funny farm without him and that is not a joke! I can not do this alone...way, way too much work involved! I'm thankful he entered my life 13 years ago next month, and I'm thankful we are where we are today. I love him very much.
3. My children. Oh how I love them! These four people are why I was born. It is beyond the work I ever expected, but so worth it. It really does go too fast. One minute they are infants, and the next they are getting baptized. I appreciate and love every thing about them. I love how they are all different and contribute to our family and society in a different way. I love how they love each other...even though they quarrel or wrestle, they stick up for each other and think of each other. I love that. They are great little spirits I've been given to raise.
My Mom and Step-father, Dave
My Mother-in-law, Leesa and my Step-father in law, Mike
My Dad, Val and Brandon's Dad, Jeff
4. Parents and Grandparents. Where would we be without them? Sadly, we have both lost our fathers and I have also lost a step-father, but we'll never forget all the memories and wonderful contributions they have made to our lives, which are just too numerous to mention. Sometimes we shed some tears here or there, as we watch our children grow and think about how much their grandpas would enjoy certain parts of their lives, but we are confident they they are very much aware and part of their lives even if we can't see it. My grandparents have all passed on. I never knew my grandpas, but I knew my grandmas, and I loved them both. I miss them both to this day. They were both VERY strong, wonderful women and mothers and I'm grateful I grew up knowing them. Brandon has four wonderful grandparents...STILL LIVING!!! They are all doing well, and we love seeing them. I have loved having a relationship with grandpas, that I never have had before. They are great men. Our moms are wonderful blessings in our lives. We couldn't make it without them! They do so much for us and love our children. Our kids also love their Grandpa Mike. Thank goodness for him! He is very good to our children, and I am so appreciative of that. We are also so grateful and appreciative of aunts and uncles and cousins who love and accept our kids and are close to them.
5. God Bless the USA. I love this country. What a immeasurable blessing it is to live here and be able to practice our religion freely. I'm grateful for the struggles that went on so that we can worship freely and vote.
6. Good teachers for our children. This has been a big one for me, especially this school year. Zach has progressed by leaps and bounds these last three months! He came from a small-group Kindergarten and started out his 1st grade year with three hours of resource...after a month the teachers wanted to see him go down to an hour and that is where he is now! He is doing absolutely GREAT! I have cried many tears of gratitude for his wonderful teacher who has been so in tune to his needs and just loves him. She saw how smart he is and his great potential right away and has been a great blessing in his life. All the people that work with him this year have exceeded our expectations. We are also grateful for primary teachers and others who just love our children! That's the best gift I could ever have.
7. My health. What a blessing it is to be able to take care of my children every day. Yes, I am frequently tired, and that was before I was even pregnant! Now it is even worse! ;) But I'm overall healthy and able to take care of my children and that is something I am thankful for every single day.
8. Our home. I have cursed my home for its many levels and a basement laundry, MANY TIMES! It's can be difficult to keep clean and it seems we need more room every day. However, it IS home, and a good one at that. The kids have been very happy here and we are grateful to have a nice place and area to live in!
9. Social Networking and Blogging. Through Facebook, I have found so many old friends and new friends and reconnected with people. Most of them have been friends and family I have often wondered about and I'm so happy to see pictures of them and get to communicate with them on a more frequent basis. What a great blessing that is! I am also grateful for my blog, those that read it and being able to read other blogs as well. I enjoy seeing all the creativity and thought that goes into many posts. I appreciate uplifting comments I receive, many of which have many times made my day!
10. This is just for fun...DVR! What would we do without our DVR? It is perfect for us, because we can't watch the shows we like until later when kids are asleep, and it is so nice to program it in and forget about it! When we do watch our shows, we can skip right through commercials and it takes much less time. We record shows and movies for the kids, so we all enjoy it. I love this invention!
Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!
