Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Today was a great day for us. We spent the morning at my parents house. The guys went to Starbucks while my mom, sister, the babies, and I went to McDonald's for breakfast. We then just hung out around the house and watched the parade and cooked... And chased Brooke and Nathan, too, of course! At about 2, John and I went over to John's aunt's house, where we shared a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with his side of the family. All in all, it was a great day that was spent with all (well, most) of the people that I love.

Let me just note that Brooke looked absolutely precious in her new Thanksgiving outfit that John bought for her. I didn't take any picture because we were so busy, but she looked very festive! We were proud to show her off to everyone.

I sure do have a lot to thankful for! My heart is so full of thankfulness and joy as I reflect on all of life's many rich and wonderful blessing. God has been so good to us!

I'm thankful for:

~Jesus dying on the cross to not only save me from eternity in hell, but to give me a meaningful life NOW. It's so awesome that He loves me and that He gave me His word to lean on.

~My amazing husband! He is my best friend and I honestly couldn't ask for a better partner in life than him. He has his priorities in check and he takes amazing care of Brooke and me. I look up to him and his great attitude so much. He's an awesome example for me in so many areas.

~My beautiful daughter. Every time I look at her I am reminded of how blessed I am to be her mother. God could have chosen anyone in the universe to raise her and somehow He chose ME. Her vibrant smile and quirky personality make life so much more fun than it ever used to be!

~My parents. They give and give so freely of their time and money to show us that they love us. I honestly don't think there's anything that they wouldn't do for me. Their friendship and love is priceless.

~John's parents. They have welcomed me into their family and loved me as if I were their own daughter. They, like my own parents, would do anything for us. I'm so thankful that I'm so close with them, unlike so many other people are at odds with their in-laws.

~My nephew, Nathan. I love that little boy so much. I would claim him as my own baby if my sister would let me:-) He honestly melts my heart every time I look at him.

~My sister, Alison. She knows me better than I know myself and she is a great help and encouragement to me. I can call her at midnight and ask her a baby question. She's ALWAYS there for me. I can always count on her to make me smile too! She shares all of my memories and laughs from my childhood.

~My DAWG (John's sister, Sarah). She's my buddy and we always laugh for hours when we're together. She's so helpful and I admire her willing spirit. I always wanted a little sister and I finally got one when she came into my life!

~All my other siblings: My big brother, Jared and his wife Amanda, My brother-in-law, Luke, and for John's brother, Josh. They all love and support us!

~To live in the great country of America where I can worship God freely and not fear be imprisoned for my religious beliefs.

~A roof over my head.

~Cars to drive.

~Food on the table.

~Clothes and shoes to wear.

~My gifts and abilities that God has given me.

I'm sure that I could sit behind this computer for hours on end and write about all of things that I'm thankful for, but time won't allow that! Life is so amazing and I just wanted to stop for a minute and count my blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!!