Today I am thankful for smaller pants. 

I realize this might seem crazy selfish , but it is what I’m thankful for today.  Having children can really do a number on a mom’s self esteem.  Over the course of 9 months you gain weight, have your skin and joints stretched farther than ever before, some people have terrible acne (luckily I dodged that bullet) and we won’t even go into all the other things that happen when you are pregnant.  Then you have your baby and she/he is adorable and everyone is so happy for the mom and the baby and everything is beautiful.  Then time passes and the baby stays cute but the mom gets spit up on and pooped on, some days she doesn’t get a shower, many days she has to change clothes 3 or 4 times, she doesn’t get any sleep, and if she is like me…she is 100% unable to lose weight while nursing. 

Everyone assumes that all women lose weight while breastfeeding.  Let me assure you, this is incorrect.  Losing weight while nursing is actually pretty polarizing, either you drop weight easily while nursing, or you absolutely can’t.  I absolutely can’t.  My body goes into starvation mode and holds onto every single pound. 

Wow.  where did that come from?  I didn’t mean to go into quite such a rant, but there you have it.  I have finally stopped nursing and I have lost 25 pounds.  Thank the Lord for smaller pants!!  (And the dedication to dieting 🙂 )

Today I am thankful for afternoon naps.  Ali and Reed both woke up WAY too early this morning (like before 7am!) and we were all dragging into church.

After lunch the entire family went to sleep.  Randy and I each got to sleep like 2 hours (unheard of!) and Reed slept for 2.5hours and Ali slept for over 3 hours.  She would have slept longer if I hadn’t woken her up.  We all needed the rest and we were all MUCH happier when we woke up.

Today I’m thankful that I live in South Texas.  For all the terribly dry and hot summers we suffer through, the rest of the year is pretty fantastic.  We left Colorado and it was 18 degrees.  We landed in San Antonio and it was 80.  I got married on December 3rd and it was 85 degrees and sunny.  Nothing like living in the tropics 🙂

Today is Veterans Day, so it is the easiest post to write.  I am immensely thankful to anyone who serves this country.  I come from a very dedicated military family (my parents met on a blind date when they were in the Navy) and I am lucky enough to be constantly reminded of what an honorable choice it is to serve this country.

Thank you to both of my grandfathers, my grandmother Killiam, both of my parents, all 3 of my mother’s siblings and my cousin Julie Anne.  This country is safer, stronger, and more connected because of what you do.

Thank you!!!!!

Today I am thankful for the evenings we spend together as a family.  I have always been painfully aware of how quickly the kids will grow up and how fast they change.  Consequently, we spend a LOT of time at home, on the floor, playing.  I love our evenings at home.  It is the time where I get to watch my kids interact with each other, I get to watch Reed’s imagination grow, and spending those few hours of quality time help me to feel more confident in my decision to go to work everyday.

Today I am thankful for the love between my two kids.  This morning I went in to get Reed up and heard him talking.  As I walked around the corner I realized he was in Alison’s room.  He had climbed up on her crib (not what I wanted to see) and had his hand in her bed.  He was laughing and saying ‘Ali, Aa-li, Aa-liii’.  They were both laughing and so happy to see each other.  I wish I had a picture of this, but I don’t. 

I love their relationship so much and I can’t wait to watch it grow as the years pass.  Love, love, love those two sweet kids!

Today I am thankful for an actual day of rest. 

Now that we are home I can specifically say that we have been in Colorado on vacation the last week.  We flew home yesterday and today Randy and I took the day off to recover from vacation.  The kids went to school today because they are both routine oriented kids.  They were both SO happy to go back and play with their friends.  This left an entire day for Randy and I to hang out, hit the grocery store, go see a movie and eat lunch together.  It was an awesome day capped off by Randy’s softball game where we got to play with friends and run around.  What an awesome day!!

Today I am thankful for my church and my church family.  We have missed church 2 weeks in a row and I feel a little out of touch and lost.  Feeling this way has made me realize how much I depend on the support and help from our friends.  I love attending church because of the specific connection I feel with God when I am there.  I also love the way our pastoral staff challenges the congregation each week.  I don’t just go to church to worship, but I also go to learn, to fellowship, to serve and to be filled.  I get all of those things on a weekly basis and I can’t wait to get back to church next Sunday!!!