Day 31

Children

I am grateful for children, more specifically, my children. Even more specifically, Brady.

Children are true gifts from God. How sweet they are. I am very blessed to have one to hold and cherish everyday.

Brady is wonderful. I don't know how, but everyday he does something to make me fall in love with him even more. Even just sitting in my lap calm and peaceful does the trick. I love his toothless little grin. I melt at his innocent little laugh. He has me wrapped around his finger. I thank God everyday for Brady. I pray that I may raise him right, that he can know of Gods love for him. I could hold his warm, smooth, sweet smelling little body in my arms forever.

People say what a sweet little angel he is. They say that he is so good. It's good they say that to remind me what a blessing he is after we've both had a long day or week and are frustrated with each other. I pray that he will forgive me for all the things I've done wrong, and all the many more things I will do wrong. I want him to always remember that no matter how frustrated I get, I still love him. He's lucky he's first because I will always marvel at the new things he can do. He will set the standard for his siblings and I have a feeling he will set it high.

I love my little bumpkin. He's a great child to break us into parenting.

Day 30

Friends

I am grateful for my friends, both here and there. I am happy that I know I am loved by others that aren't bound by familial ties. I am thankful that there are people that I can talk to, who can comfort me and let me know that I'm not alone. I am thankful for all the game nights, especially those filled with laughter. I am thankful for those who have stuck with me, even when I'm not so pleasant. I love you all. I truly cherish your friendship. I miss you that live far away. Thankfully I have the internet, so some of you don't seem that far. Friends are our chosen family. God bless you and thank you.

Day 29

Music

"All we need is music, sweet music."

I love music. I love singing. I love dancing to the music. I feel my most sincere prayers are uttered when I am singing. The Lord has blessed me with a great talent. I loved to be in theory class. Too bad it was early in the morning. I miss singing and learning about music. Although, I am new finding joy in singing to my baby.

I love the way I feel inside when singing; the way emotion of the song seems to run through my veins; the way my body is just engulfed in a sweet melody. One of my most favorite things is to sing songs from my choir days. The art that is involved in each piece speaks to me. I loved to delve into the lyrics of the songs, into the way the words played off each other and the way the notes told their story.

A deep and heartfelt "Thank You" to my music teachers; to my fellow choir members, who provided the other voices to bring those little black dots on paper alive; to my parents who helped me fully experience my high school music days; to Carl for letting me sing at the top of my lungs in the car; to Brady for quieting to listen when I sing; to all those composers and songwriters who have provided the soundtrack to my life. And most of all, to God, for giving his children a way to express their feelings and thoughts when words just aren't enough.

Day 28

Education

I am very grateful that I have a High School Education, and then some. I cannot imagine life without knowing how to read or write, or do math equations. There is so much more that I learned in school that I won't even begin to list it all. As much as I may not have appreciated it then, I am very fortunate to have been able to go to school.

I am also grateful for the education that one doesn't normally obtain while in school. The valuable lessons that life teaches you. You know, the ones that you have to experience for yourself in order to fully understand? Yeah, those usually painful lessons come in handy once in a while.

Some of the things I am happy to have learned about over the years are:

How to...

• crochet and provide myself with a way to be crafty. (gimme some yarn and a hook and away I'll go!)
• choose what foods are better for you, and which are not. (Fast food, bad. Home cooked dinner, usually better.)
• be okay with not getting everything you think you want. (Still working on that one....)
• read a map and get to where I'm going. (I think I finally know how to get to the library all by my self!!)
• listen to the needs of my family. (whether spoken or not.)
• do laundry. (yes, it does make a difference what cycle to you use.)
• exercise. It is important to help your body stay healthy. (I'm pretty sure toting a 17+ pound baby around counts as exercise.)
• use Sign Language. (It really really helps when you get laryngitis.)

So, thank you to all my teachers, formal and informal.

Day 27

Bed, Bath and Beyond Coupon

I am so happy that we recieved a new Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon! I gifted our stash to my sister when we moved, figuring we'd load up again. Much to our dismay, we didn't recieve a single one until May. Today we got our second coupon. I don't know why they came so quickly before. We got a new one every other week or so. Now we can purchase bar stool number #2 and #1 won't be so lonely anymore.

PS, if any of you have excess coupons laying around, I'll pay you the postage to costs to take them off your hands. : )

Day 26

A Flat tire

We were on our way to Memphis to attend the temple there. I had been looking forward to this and we had already been postponed the previous week. A few miles past a town called Trumann Carl heard a noise and said he felt the car shaking. Our glove box has been the culprit of coming loose and giggling all its contents, so he thought it was that. After noting that it was secure, we pulled over. Well, well, what do ya know? A flat tire. We change the thing with surprisingly great team work and no bickering. There went our night at the temple. We attached the spare, which was low on air, only 8 lbs of pressure. We turned around and headed for Jonesboro. We went to Wal-Mart because they were the only place we knew that was open for a new tire. So, (here comes the thankful part) we had to wait for the fix. While we waited, I didn't have anything to do. I was forced to relax and just not think about all the millions of things that needed to be done. We didn't have Brady with us, so I didn't have to worry about his needs. It was SOOOOOOOOOO nice. I think it really rejuvenated my spirit to be able to browse around the store and have no goal in mind.

Thank you flat tire, for giving me the opportunity to let it all go for a few hours.

Day 25

Darn it...I got backed-up again...

Forgiveness

Today I am thankful for forgiveness. I am thankful that my husband can forgive me for being crazy, and having another mental breakdown. I am thankful I can be forgiven for not getting ALL the laundry done in one day and not having dinner on the table when hubby steps foot in the door. I am thankful Brady can forgive me for leaving him in his crib wailing while I have afore mentioned breakdown. Now I need to work on forgiving myself for not getting all of my to-dos done at the time I think they should be done.