Thankful Challenge - Day 15

Day 15 - I'm thankful for P.E.O.

P.E.O. is a philanthropic educational organization of which the women in my family have been members for 4 generations. The philanthropic side of P.E.O. raises funds to provide scholarships and low-interest loans to women who are interested in furthering their education. There are several types of loans and scholarships available to women in all walks of life - traditional, non-traditional, and even international students. P.E.O. also owns Cottey College, a two-year women's liberal arts college. It really is a fantastic organization.

Beyond the philanthropic side is the sisterhood. Like a sorority, we are all sisters and have rituals and secrets, but we are not attached to college and we don't have alumnae because membership is on-going. My mom has been a member of our chapter since before I was born, so I have literally grown up in P.E.O. I really value the relationships I have with women who have watched me grow from an infant to an adult. The women in our chapter genuinely care about each other and have pure hearts. I am constantly amazed by how gracious and sincere they are and it inspires me to be the same.

Last night, our P.E.O. chapter threw a diaper shower for Brenna. What a blessing. We now have piles and piles of diapers in all sizes - Steven was shocked when I came home and asked him to help me get them all in. I brought Brenna to the shower so everyone could meet her, and I didn't even have a chance to hold her - she was in someone else's arms the whole time. Someone even remarked that she would be a 5th generation P.E.O. I feel so blessed by their unconditional love for my kids.

P.E.O. and the women in my chapter are truly such a blessing in my life and always have been, even when I didn't realize it yet.

Thankful Challenge - Day 14

Day 14 - I am thankful for my Jackson's third birthday.

Right now I'm watching Jackson give kisses to the Woody doll his Uncle Chris gave him for his birthday. On the way home from school, he told me that he wanted to "go home and play with Buzz," which is a present from his Daddy. Today I am so thankful for this little boy and everything about him. I am thankful for his health, enthusiasm, energy, words, love, and sense of humor. He is so sweet and I just am full of love for him. We had his party yesterday with his family, friends from Gymboree and play group. It was lots of fun and he has asked me all day if he can do it again. I am so happy that he had so much fun at his party - it really made all the planning worth it.

Happy Birthday Jackson!! I can't believe you are already 3 years old!

Thankful Challenge - Days 12 and 13

Day 12 - I am thankful for craft fairs!

For the past three years, my Mom and I have been craft fair buddies. We have our favorites (Plano West Snowflake Bazaar, JJP Pacesetter Bazaar, and Junior League's 'Neath the Wreath) and we also try to find smaller ones that could be fun too. It is so much fun and we always find some unique presents and enjoy spending time together. This Saturday, we also ran into my sister's best friend from elementary school and her mom, my seventh/eighth grade history teacher, and another girl I went to school with from the time I was in Kindergarten until we graduated from high school. I hadn't seen any of them in probably 10 or 15 years! I loved catching up with each of them, and each new person we ran into was such a nice surprise.

Day 13 - I'm thankful for a baby who sleeps through the night.

Brenna really has her Daddy's eyes in this picture! I am so grateful that she sleeps through the night already. She goes to sleep around 9:00 at night and then I wake her up at 11:00 to feed her and we head to bed until the morning. It's so perfect and I feel so much better than before I was getting 8 straight hours of sleep each night. This little baby girl spoils me, she is so sweet and easy-going.

Thankful Challenge - Day 11

Day 11 - I'm thankful for my freedom.

First of all, Happy Veteran's Day. Where do I even begin? In this country, I am free to pursue an education, speak out against the government, follow the religion of my choice, vote for our government leaders... the list goes on and on. Sadly, this is not the case for billions of people around the world. I was pregnant with Jackson in this picture. My Mom was in town and we stopped to get a picture after giving her a tour of the ship.

I was a senior in high school when the attackers hit the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. So was Steven. He decided to serve in the military, following in his father and grandfathers' footsteps. I took this picture at ground zero in 2006, during our honeymoon to New York City. I never, ever, ever, ever would have chosen that life on my own, but I am so glad I supported him and joined him during his tour in Japan. Military life, while difficult, was such a blessing. It opened my eyes to the sacrifices our service members, their families, and the civilians who support them have to make daily. Believe me - they are real sacrifices. But, they are not sacrifices made in vain. They guarantee our freedom and the freedom of our children. For that, I am thankful every day.

Thankful Challenge - Days 9 and 10

Day 9 - I'm thankful for our church family.

I know I've already shared this picture (very recently!) but it's the best representation I have for this item. I cannot emphasize how much we are blessed by our wonderful church family. The nursery, children's ministry, and preschool ministry provide our children the opportunity to be loved and led by wonderful role models. I cannot imagine a better team of women (and men sometimes too!) to care for my kids. Steven and I are blessed by serving in the youth department. The youth are so much fun and they crack me up. I am so impressed by their desire to learn and connect with their faith. An added benefit is that it gives us a great pool of babysitters to choose from! I just realized while writing this that the only people who have watched my kids are church members and family members. Steven and I also have met lots of caring, fun adults at church. It's so great to have this whole community of believers to connect with - something we definitely need in our life!

Day 10 - I'm thankful for my husband's job.

This summer, Steven called me on my way home from playgroup and asked when I would be home. He then told me that my mom was coming over. I got this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and asked what was going on. He told me that he wanted to wait until I was home to tell me. I was so scared that something had happened to someone we loved. Finally, since he knew I was thinking the worst, he told me that he had to find a new job. I was so relieved that it didn't involve a family member, but of course the prospect of finding a new job in this economy is very scary. I knew of people who had been searching for months or even years with no luck. Steven found a position with Liberty Mutual in just 13 days (which, for the record, felt more like 13 months). I am so grateful that Steven found this job and was hired so quickly. I know that he works hard for our family but I also know that a lot of other hard-working people don't have the same luck or timing or whatever it was that made this line up so perfectly. I am also so grateful that that phone call was about something that could be fixed and not the illness or death of a friend or family member. The photo was taken at the Samaritan Inn Gala, which benefits the only homeless shelter in Collin County. It is a fantastic organization. All of the people at the table are Steven's coworkers and their spouses. We had a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to know them.

Thankful Challenge - Day 8

Day 8 - I'm thankful for my house.

Ok, seriously, how cute are those puppy mittens?

Our house is the one in the middle. This picture was taken in February during our big (for Texas) snowstorm. We bought our house two years ago in September of 2009. I can't believe we have lived here for that long! In addition to having a roof over our heads (which many people unfortunately do not have), it has almost everything I wanted in a house. I always wanted to have a guestroom, so we bought a four-bedroom. Six months after we moved in, my Mom had to stay with us for 6 weeks while she recovered from an injury. Several other people have come to visit us and I am always so grateful to have a cozy room with a bed and blackout curtains to make their stay more comfortable. With four bedrooms, each of the kids has their own room. Steven and I have a large bedroom. We have our bed on one end, and a "living room" of sorts on the other end. Every morning Jackson comes into our room and snuggles in bed with us, then turns on the TV and watches cartoons while we get ready for the day. It really is the perfect set-up. Of course, there are some things I would change. Sometimes I go to other people's houses and I forget how blessed we are to have our house because I wish that I had crown moulding, more windows, higher ceilings, granite counter tops, etc. I forget that we live in a great school district, have a beautiful view out our back window, and plenty of space for everyone. We don't really use our family room upstairs, but I know that when our children grow up, it will be the perfect place for them to hang out with their friends. That's the best thing about our house - our kids feel that it is their home. Jackson told me a few weeks ago "I like my house!" just out of the blue. That warms my heart. This home is a place for our family to grow and keeps us safe. I am so grateful for that.

As a follow-up from yesterday: just to prove how much of a Starbucks junkie I am, my MIL called me today and told me that she was surprised that Starbucks wasn't the #1 thing for which I was thankful. #1 was my kids. Yep.

Thankful Challenge

I have seen some people on Facebook doing the "Thankful Challenge." I really like that idea because I feel like it is so easy to find time and energy to focus on what we DON'T have. I don't have this car or that house, I don't have an iPad, my kids don't go to that school, etc. So, I am going to play catch-up and squash 6 things that I'm thankful for into one blog post. Then I'll try to update at least every couple days with things for which I am thankful.

Here goes!

Day 1: I am thankful for my kids.

Jackson is turning 3 this month and Brenna is 3 months (she was 2 months in this picture though). I cannot explain what a blessing these sweet kiddos have been in my life. They have redefined who I am. I remember finding out that I was pregnant with Jackson while I was watching Jay Leno (Miley Cyrus was the guest) and Steven was out to sea. Then we waited a little bit to have Brenna and we tried and tried for months to get pregnant. I remember feeling like I was missing someone I had never met. Brenna was worth the wait and has absolutely filled that void. I am so excited to watch them grow and I am blessed beyond measure to have these sweet, wonderful children.

Day 2: I am thankful for my husband.

Steven and I have been married for almost 6 years. That is totally unbelievable to me. He makes so many things possible. I never would have lived in Japan without him, I wouldn't be able to stay home with my kids without him, and he works so hard to provide for our family. I don't know what I would do without his love and support. We have been through so much together and I am excited to see where life takes us in the future.

Day 3: I am thankful for my parents

These pictures were taken right after Brenna was born. I like to tease my parents by telling them that they have become so much smarter in the past 10 years (since I was in high school). In reality, they were always great parents, I just didn't realize it. They worked hard to provide a loving, safe, secure environment for my sister and me. Even now, they are there to lend a hand whenever we need it and to offer advice and comfort. They are fantastic grandparents and great role models in so many aspects.

Day 4: I am thankful for my in-laws.

Steve and Terri really really love their dolphins. But they also really really REALLY love their grandkids. I love how much they value their relationship with my kids and with me too. They have always gone out of their way to make me feel like part of the family. When we came back from Japan unexpectedly, they offered so much support in order to get us back on our feet. I really lucked-out.

Day 5: I am thankful for my refrigerator.

Several weeks ago, my Dad came home from the grocery store and opened the refrigerator door to find it completely full. I walked over to help him re-arrange and his reaction really surprised me. He said "Wow, how lucky are we that we have too much food in our refrigerator!" It really struck me. I have never had to worry where my next meal would come from and, honestly, I hope I never do. Having said that, people in my family have had to worry about that, and people in our own communities make decisions about buying food or paying for electricity every day. I am so thankful that we are able to have both food in our refrigerator, and the electricity to run it.

Day 6: I am thankful that Starbucks has brought back their red cups and holiday drinks!

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I am a Starbucks junkie. It is kind of a problem. I usually order an iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte, but my winter treat is a Peppermint Mocha. Mmmm, warms me through and through. Of course, it is also a great reminder that Christmas is coming.

Day 7: I am thankful for baby cuddles.

I am typing this with one hand because Brenna is holding on to my thumb while she sleeps on the Nap Nanny next to me. She is so soft and snuggly and I know she won't be a baby forever.

What are you thankful for this year?