On This, Most Thankful of Days...

I have so much to be grateful for.

First and foremost, I am thankful for a kind and loving Heavenly Father, without whom I would have nothing.  I can't imagine not knowing of His role and hand in all things in my life.  I am thankful for a Savior, who, through the atonement, made it possible to return to live with our Heavenly Father.

I am thankful for my hubby.

He is a wonderful and amazing man, and I am forever grateful that he is my eternal companion.  We have so much fun together.  I am so grateful that he chose me to spend eternity with.  I am thankful for how hard he works to take care of his family. I am also very grateful for the wonderful father that he is.

I am grateful for these four little yayhoos.

  While being a mom is definitely not easy, it is one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me.  It is thrilling to bring a tiny little bundle into this world, then be able to watch every day as they grow and learn.  I wouldn't trade the experience of being a mother for anything.

I am grateful for parents.

Trent and I have both been blessed with truly phenomenal parents.  I am so grateful for loving and kind parents and parents-in-law who have always been there for me, at the best of times, and the most difficult of times.  It is so nice to know that I can always turn to them, and they will always be there for me.

I am thankful for good friends.  I have been so blessed to have such wonderful friends, and I can't imagine going through this life without them.  There have been many times in my life where a friend has shown up or called right when I needed them most.  Thank you dear friends... you mean so much to me.

I am so grateful for laughter.  We love to laugh in our home (who doesn't, right?).  Trent and I were recently looking through some of our older photos and having a good laugh.  Here are a few that we got a kick out of.

I know life is not always a basket of roses, but it is so much better when you can find things to laugh about.  With four kiddos running around our house, we find a lot to laugh about in a day.  It truly is the best medicine.

I am very, very grateful for the blessings of the temple in my life.

I love knowing that my time with my family doesn't end here on this earth, and that we can be together forever.

I feel so blessed and privileged to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I don't know where I would be without it.

I am thankful for my home.  Not only for the fact that my family and I have a place to live to keep us warm in the winters and cool in the summers, but also because it is a safe haven for us in many ways.

I am also thankful for:
A good job, modern appliances (can you say 15-20 loads of laundry a week?), indoor plumbing, bubble baths, my sewing machine, a car, clean sheets, egg nog being in season again, pajamas (I would live in them if I could), Colorado (I love it here), good books to read, opportunities for education and growth, and for all of the freedoms I enjoy (and too often take for granted).

I love this time of year, and the many opportunities I have to reflect on all that I have been given.  I have so much to be grateful for.