Thankful November- catching up

Whew! What a week it has been! Can't believe I haven't blogged at all- we've been busy and Mark has come down with a bad cold, so I've been spending lots of time taking care of my little family. Each day, though, I've been noticing so many more things I'm thankful for, and I credit this project for that.




This past week, I'm thankful for:

Swimming lessons- I've been taking Brynn to swim lessons for the past couple months and it's one of my favorite times with her. Fun, fun time to be with my baby girl and being SO proud of how well she's doing! I am using the same company that both of the families I nannied for used, so I am pretty familiar with the progression of the lessons and how to hold Brynn while doing all the things we do in the water. I think one of the reasons she's doing so well is that I'm confident with what I'm doing. It's kinda intimidating to think about dunking your baby under water, letting go of her for a second, letting her sit on the edge of the pool while walking away (attended by the teacher, of course)...anyway, it has helped me knowing all the procedures beforehand. Brynn is AMAZING in the water! So much so that last week, even after missing the 3 previous weeks due to illness/being out of town, her teacher said she's doing so well that she can move to the higher level in the next session! It's so fun to be with her in the pool, bonding with such a fun activity!

My (our) health- All 3 of us have had bad colds over the last month, and boy, being sick and taking care of a sick baby is hard! The span of time where both Brynn and I were sick made me so thankful for my otherwise healthy body and made me think about how much of a blessing it is to be in good health. It's easy for me to take care of people- I love to do it, it's in my nature. It's so hard to do that when I'm also feeling yucky and I realize that now Brynn is here, it's even more essential to do what I can to stay healthy for her, and to keep my family as healthy as possible. That means continuing to feed them nutritious food, lots of water and supplements and making sure we all get the sleep we need.

Mark's job- With the crazy snow this week, I'm SO grateful that Mark has a job where he can work from home when needed and that he doesn't feel pressured to try and brave the roads when it's not safe. We can see the freeway from our house and many times over the last few days I've gazed at the drivers out there, praying they get to where they're going without incident. I'm also so grateful for Mark having a job that he really enjoys. Sure, there are ups and downs, but since he's been at his job almost 7 years, the group of people he works with have become good friends and he has many great opportunities for his future there- I'm so excited to see what comes down the pipe this next year!

Our Small Group- Last fall, some friends at church asked us to join a small group they were starting. Now, after more than a year, Thursdays have become one of our most anticipated days of the week because we get to laugh and "get real" with these guys. We're in a very fun time right now- with one couple having a 3 year old, us having Brynn, and the other 3 couples pregnant with their first babies. How awesome to be raising our first babies together and all at the same time!




Our generator- When we bought this house, a generator came with it. I've never thought about how great owning one of these things can be, but we've used it over the last few years and it's especially great now with a baby to think of, knowing she can stay warm at night if the power goes out. Also, since we don't have a fireplace or a gas cooktop, we'd really be freezing if not for the generator!

My brother- I've beat him up over the years, and then he beat me up when he grew a little bigger, we've said terrible things each to other, forgiven each other, made each other laugh A LOT. I love having a sibling to lean on, talk to, de-brief life with. He has grown pretty wise over the years, and can handle my crazy-woman talk when needed. He's a great uncle, fun to be around, smart, talented...the list goes on. =)

Facebook- Yep, I said it. Most of the time, I have mostly distain for Facebook, but one of the things it is good for is encouragement. I've been struggling with what to do with Brynn's nighttime sleeping habits lately, and it has been great to get some insight from friends that I see and don't see often, hear about what they're doing, and report back what I've tried and how it's going. I really appreciate it- I'd love to have long phone conversations or coffee dates with those friends instead of writing messages over FB, but sometimes that's just not possible, so in those moments I'm grateful that I can write a quick little message, run off and tend to what I need to around the house, and come back to see what my friends have to say.

I'm loving this little exercise in thankfulness- I may be behind in blogging each day, but I'm definitely basking in every little moment of my day that I might otherwise have taken for granted, and I'm hoping I can keep my mind focused in this way throughout the year, even if I'm not writing it down every day!