Thankful Thursday

I'm so close to crawling everyone! I get right here and then rock a few times and crash on to my tummy!

This Thursday (and everyday for that matter) I'm Thankful for....

Our home. Our Country. Clean water. Food.

In the midst of the earthquake recovery in Haiti, it's been such a reminder to me of just how blessed we are, how lucky we are to have the most basic things, a bed, a home, a drink of water. I am so thankful for where we live, and even though our country is a mess in some ways..(hello...did you watch the State of the Union address) we are still so stinkin' lucky in others. It makes all of our worries seem so trivial and small. ( And while our worries are much less than the Haitians, our Heavenly Father still cares about our worries and our hearts, no matter how small, another thing I'm thankful for!)

Having a baby girl to keep me awake all night.

I know I talk a lot about sleep, more accurately the lack of sleep, on my blog. And in "real life" this is also a constant conversation with my family and friends. This morning at 2am, I was tired and cranky and not looking forward to going into Norah's room and dealing with her being awake....again... I suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of thankfulness that brought a smile to my face. (This was obviously from God because I certainly don't usually smile at being woken up for the 3rd time.) I realized that while sleep is nice, having Norah is nicer. I am so thankful that I have a happy healthy beautiful little girl. I am simply happy to HAVE her. I am not just happy to have her when she's happy, or when she's laughing, or when she is healthy. I am not just happy to have her when I'm well rested. I am simply happy, thankful, and blessed to HAVE HER.

Being a stay at home mommy.

Being at home is much harder than I thought it would be. It is more exhausting than any job I've ever worked. I care so much more about this "job" than any I've ever had. Me caring more is obviously good, but it also makes it harder work. Because I'm not just content to watch TV while Norah sits in a bouncy seat (maybe this would have been a harder temptation if Norah actually ever just "sat" in a bouncy seat, or anywhere) I'm not going to let Norah cry it out while I put earplugs in and try to get some sleep. Everything I do I have to think about and wonder how it's teaching or allowing Norah to learn and grow. This isn't easy...it's emotionally and physically exhausting, but I LOVE IT. I am soooo thankful that God has blessed me with a hardworking husband, a successful business, and Ryan and I's entrepreneurial spirits that have allowed me to stay home. I pray that I can continue being a stay at home mom at least until our kids are in school. I will cherish and be thankful for every day that I do get that opportunity. I am so lucky.

Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with you. Sometimes I get overwhelmed in the day to day mundane tasks of life and forget how lucky I am. Writing it out and seeing it helps me keep it at the front of my mind.

Psalm 107:1 Give Thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever.

Norah is trying to pick up her monkey and get on her knees at the same time, hasn't quite mastered that yet.

Standing up like a big girl! (My foot is behind her in case she falls, she's still a bit wobbly, mainly because she gets sidetracked by Bailey or toys and forgets to hold on!)
Blurry, but adorable.
So serious.
Watching the Australian open of course. It was a nail biter.
Hmmm...will Andy Roddick pull this match out?