Giving Thanks

Lately I've been trying to be more positive, more grateful, and focusing more on what I have, versus what I don't have. From time to time, I have to remind myself to shift my focus back to these things, the things that really matter. I think we all do that, right? Of course this time of year we naturally shift our focus back to an "attitude of gratitude" and it always feels SO good!


Well, today I feel like gushing about how thankful I am for my little family. Sometimes they all can make me angry, frustrated, sad, and generally CRAZY. But, then there are those tender moments when my heart is so full of love for them......that I don't really have words to express it! I want to dedicate a little bit of blog to each one of them today.

JONAS



I am thankful for Jonas because:

--Look at this kid! He loves to laugh. Even when he cries, it's a kind of sad little laughing sound. He laughs and smiles at everything! And, he has this funny, wheezy little laugh that sounds like an old man and it's so cute

--He LOVES Sophie. From the moment they met he has just adored her. At first, before he was mobile, his little eyes would just track her every move. Now he tries to follow her every move which results in him basically crawling in circles all day. He isn't satisfied with just playing near her, he only wants to be playing with her -- constantly. He also loves to wave at her from across the room and yell to get her attention.

--He is the sweetest little snuggler! He hugs, snuggles, and even rubs my arm or shoulder when I'm holding him sometimes....babbling sweetly and smiling the whole time. Just precious.


Sophia

I am thankful for Sophie because:

-- She is so darn smart, shockingly smart sometimes. It's just amazing how quickly she hears, understands, and implements things. If you spend time with her, you know what I mean.

-- She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES animals. She talks non-stop about growing up to be an "animal scientist" and how she will save all kinds of animals; from "deer with bleeding owies that need bandaids", to "kittens that their mother got runned over by a car" (there were some rescued kittens in the PetSmart that this happened to). It's really a passion for her, and I look forward to seeing how it will play out through her life.

-- She can say the sweetest things right when I need to hear them. For example, Thursday was an awful day for me. It deserves it's own post. I was feeling like the worst mom ever. When Danny was tucking her in and it was time for stories, she told him she wanted Mommy to do the stories because "she's the best mommy I've ever seen!" I love her.

Danny, aka "Babykins"

I am thankful for Danny because:

-- He is an honest person. Danny will never lie to you, ever. I can't think of a time he has lied to me. I can trust him implicitly.

-- He is hilarious in his sleep! The best example from the last few months: as I'm rolling out of bed to feed Jonas in the middle of the night, Danny reaches over and grabs me around my waist and says, "Do NOT get out of the boat!" to which I reply, "Danny, I'm just trying to go feed Jonas." He slightly relaxes his grip around my waist and says, "Well, you're showing every indication that you're getting out of the boat." Huh?

-- He still likes to spend time with me. Over the past couple years, Danny has developed a boardgaming hobby. It's a great hobby because we end up spending time together nearly every day playing games and talking, laughing, having fun.

-- He is a great father. Sophie always makes him little love notes and pictures, Jonas smiles at him and jabbers "dadadadadada". He thinks of great solutions to many of our parenting problems. He's so good at teaching them. I'm so thankful to have him as my partner.