Unexpected Thankfullness

Thanksgiving always reminds me that I need to be more thankful.  It's very easy to get caught up in the stressful ins and outs of the daily grind, and I forget all too often to be thankful for what I have.

I'm thankful that I wake up during the night to my girl crying out "DADDY, MAMA COME!".  It's not a party at 2 AM, but it reminds me that God blessed Charlie and me with a beautiful little girl.  I don't always have a good attitude in the middle of the night, but I'm quickly reminded that I longed for that for several years.  Thank you Lord for your middle of the night blessings!

I'm thankful for messes, the many, MANY messes.  Each and every mess reminds me that my four year old is curious, stubborn, and mobile!  Currently there is cereal in the floor where the box was turned upside down.  Also, Libby's sock drawer is completely emptied with it's contents strewn throughout her room.  I don't like to clean, but each mess brings on a new learning experience for both of us.  Thank you Lord for the cleaning blessings!

I'm thankful for the words that come out of Libby's mouth. She's added new words to her vocabulary quite rapidly, and she loves sharing them with others.  The embarrassing ones are used mostly in public. For instance a buggy wheel dragging and making a loud noise results in Libby yelling, "MY MAMA POOP!" I let it embarrass me at first, but now I just say, "Oops, excuse me." Or the fake burping after a real burp.  She'll practice her fake burping skills (she's really good!) until I make her stop.  She then proceeds to tell me, "Mama, I burp!"  Thank you Lord for giving my daughter the gift of speech!

I'm thankful for stubbornness.  Go ahead and look in the dictionary to find stubborn.  You'll see a picture of Libby Rose... and me!  Being stubborn has helped me overcome many obstacles, and it's proving to do the same for Libby.  It's not fun at times being a parent of a strong willed child (sorry parents!), but I wouldn't have it any other way.  It's quite amusing to me that Libby and I don't have the same genetic makeup, but she's my mini me. :)  Thank you Lord for allowing me to raise a strong willed girl!

I'm thankful that I'm tired.  Seriously.  I'm not bored.... ever.  HA!  I love the duties that being a wife and mother bring, even cleaning (I'm not great at that so don't expect my house to be clean!).  I'm thankful for my job as a teacher.  I don't like even calling it a job.  It's my passion.  I'm thankful for my small business and how incredibly busy it keeps me, but I love it!  At the end of the day, I'm thankful to climb in bed and think about all that has happened.  Thank you Lord for keeping me busy!

In all seriousness, I'm working on being more thankful for the things that typically go unnoticed or griped about.  I'm a very blessed woman and have so much to thank Him for each and every day