First, I have the absolute greatest daughters. Three of them. And I LOVE them like crazy even when they make me crazy. Honestly, I can't even type those sentences without getting teary eyed. I knew I always wanted to be a mom, I just had NO idea how rewarding it would be. Not only am I blessed with daughters, they have all been healthy and safe. I hear, and know some personally, about children fighting cancer and other life threatening illnesses. We are so, so fortunate that our daughters have their health. I have a close friend who has recently found out her husband's relationship with their daughters had crossed a line into inappropriate. I. Can. Not. Imagine. There is a lot I could handle, but I'm just not sure someone intentionally harming my precious and innocent girls is on that list. I feel certain I would come undone. Completely. I have cried for nights for these sweet little friends of ours whom I love. And it makes me that much more thankful this year that my daughters are safe and secure. And healthy. I want you Alyssa, Anniston and Ayden Claire to always feel appreciated, respected, loved, and wanted. Because each of you are all of those things. I was so thankful for you from the first day I knew I was expecting each one of you. I can not even begin to count the blessings you have each brought into my life.
Second to top the list is Wes. This has been a rough year for us for so many reasons but at the end of the day, I can not imagine life without him. He keeps me going when I don't want to go anymore. He loves me when I'm really not very lovable. And he is an amazing dad. Eleven years of marriage have not come without storms, but we've withstood and I am so thankful for that. There have been many many days he's been taken for granted. If I've learned one thing this year, it's to not take the people most precious to you for granted. Don't just assume they know how important they are to you or how much you love them. Tell them. Show them. Let them know.
Thirdly, I have the BEST sisters in the world! They are all 3 so very different and special. Jill, you make me laugh when laughing is not what I want to do. You are the funniest person I know. (After Bekah maybe...) Kendra, you never tell me what I want to hear- you just say what needs to be said. And you had our niece on Ayden Claire's birthday! Jen, you are wise beyond your 25 or so years... ;) I know I can talk to you and your advice will be sincere, thoughtful and filled with love. We all four have such different personalities but the bond that we share is rare and special. I am so thankful for my sisters- they keep my life exciting and keep me in line and I love them so much! Oh, and they keep my kids every now and then....
I am also thankful for the friends in my life who are like "sisters". When we moved here 11 years ago, I knew one person- Cristy Frazier. And I barely knew her. Now, she is one of the first people I call with great news, sad news, and almost any question because she usually has an answer! My girls consider her girls their "cousins" and love them so much! But I'm also happy to say that I have made several of the best friends ever here. Friends that I can shop with, go to the park with, pack up and take all of our children to the beach together, and even leave my children with them while we leave the COUNTRY! Now that's a good friend!
I'm thankful for so much more, like the fact that we have a Target in Prattville, that I woke up when I was put to sleep for the first time ever this summer, that I managed to go an entire year without the kids breaking my iPhone, that my car saw 100,000 miles come and go, for homemade macaroni and cheese, fabric softener, and volumizing shampoo. I'm thankful that Ayden Claire can say "fork" without leaving out the "r" now days. I'm thankful Anniston finally owns a pair of jeans. I'm thankful Alyssa finally owns a skirt. And although there is so much more to be grateful for, lastly for today, I'm thankful Wes has more gray hair than I do. :)
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