10 things...

...I am thankful for. Sometimes people tend to overlook Thanksgiving. Stores especially overlook it.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas! It is one of my favorite times of the year! BUT, it seems that we go from Halloween to Christmas nowadays. I went to get some turkey decorations or fall sprinkles for cupcakes and all they had out was Christmas stuff! SOO, out of respect for the day of thankfulness, I decided to blog about a few things that I am thankful for. And for the record, I am thankful for so many things it is absolutely impossible to name them all!

1) My child....duh.  Honestly though, he is perfect. Literally perfect. I could not ask for anything more. He is healthy, smart (like mommy, haha), sweet, funny, lovable, snuggly, cute, smiley and I would not trade him for the world. I honestly believe there has never been a child as great as he is (as I'm positive every mother feels the same ;) I never dreamed that being a mother would be so wonderful! I know that I am blessed beyond measure and thank God every single day for this little miracle!

2) My husband. And yes, he knows he comes in second in everything now! Kidding! I am so thankful to have someone who is my best friend to spend the rest of my life with. We just "get" each other...which is probably scary. To top that off, he is one of the best daddy's I know of!

3) Jobs. I am including both my job and Leon's job in this but really it is two totally different things. It's more like a 3a and 3b.

• To start, Leon's job (which I'll call 3a) Leon spent the past 2 years working every single weekend and going to school at night during the week so he could one day get a "normal" job. We missed a lot of birthdays, parties, family get-togethers, football, and church during those two years. Now, he is actually happy about his job, which is more than most can say. AND, we get to do things on the weekends together!
• Now, 3b....MY job. I only started this job 3 weeks ago and I am already SO thankful for it. I was fortunate enough to stay home for the most part of the last 7 months, but now I am back at it. It is so nice working for an independent pharmacy. I never knew that I would like it this much. The people are fabulous and I have a great schedule that allows me to be with my little guy as much as a working mom could ask for. Sure, I would rather be home with him all of the time....it is still my dream to stay home with my babies, but for now, I am thankful for the job I have.

4) My family and wonderful parents. ALL of them! My mom is one of my best friends and I don't know what I'd do without her. I have such a great "step" family that I rarely even use the term....they are just my family and I love them dearly. Family is there when no one else is...they kinda have to be!

5) Rainy days at home with my boy. Well, any day at home with my boy...sunny, rainy, cloudy, hot, cold, whatever!  One day, I'm sure rainy days won't be so great because he won't like to be cooped up inside, but for now...he is happy and so am I!

6) Diet coke. How did I go nine months (ok, well ALMOST...I did cheat a little) without it? Amazing what you will do for your child that you won't do for yourself! The caffeine free stuff is just not the same. I know that Diet Coke is no comparison to how thankful I am for my baby or my family, but I am thankful for the little things in life too!

7) Good friends. I may not have an abundance of friends, but I sure love the ones that I have!

8) Holidays off. This goes back to 3b, but after working nearly every single holiday at the hospital (they don't close!!), I am thankful to be able to spend time with my family. I just can't imagine waking up Christmas morning and leaving my baby to go to work. It wasn't so bad before I was a mother because I felt like I was WAY more fortunate than those I was taking care of...not like they really wanted to be in the hospital on Christmas...at least I was getting paid. Now, however, I am thankful that I have found a job where I can still put my family first.

9) Good health. Nothing like the stomach virus, a bad cold, or a headache to make you appreciate feeling good! Good health is something that I don't want to take for granted....So many bad things can happen so I am thankful that all is well at the moment!

10) Vacations. I LOVE vacations! I am thankful that almost every year, I get to go to my favorite place...the beach! I'll take any vacation, big or small. These days I consider Starkville a vacation. It is so nice to get out of the every day routine and go somewhere different...adventurous or relaxing. I'll take either!

Ok, I know I said only 10...but I have to at least mention that I am thankful for all of the fried turkey, ham, dressing and all the fixins I had today, [stretchy] PJ's that I am now wearing, and having an obnoiously loud kiddo screaming playing happily in his jumperoo (see below).

Oh, and chocolate peanut butter Bugles....DEVINE.