Gratitude

There is so much that I'm feeling thankful for and since I'm feeling a little sappy and can't find my journal, here goes for all of you to read...

1) I am grateful for a kind brother and sister-in-law. Seriously. We have been staying in their new home for 5 weeks while we wait to move into our new home. They have been so good to us & haven't made us feel like "stinky fish" (you know the saying, "Company is like fish, they start stinking after three days").

It has actually been quite enjoyable to share kitchen duties & have friends to talk to each night. ZoZo & MB love having their cousins to play with & will go into serious withdrawals when it's just the two of them again.

2) We are grateful that someday soon (no exact date yet) we can close on our home and begin a new adventure as a family in Highland, UT. I'm super excited to get settled and begin the house decorating. Instead of nesting for one baby, I'm feeling the "nesting bug" for our entire family. I love making a house, a home. I look forward to our family filling it with lots of lasting memories and love.

3) What better blessing than one directly from heaven... we are looking forward to meeting our baby in January. This pregnancy has been an absolute killer on my bones & ligaments and I've experienced extreme amounts of pain which is no fun at all BUT when I hold that little angel in my arms, I know it will be worth it.

I didn't think it would be but it has been exciting not knowing the sex of the baby. That was HeRoos' BIG request and I hesitantly accepted after negotiating certain terms. Those terms are TOP SECRET because if you know what HeRoos had to bribe me with to turn my head during the ultrasounds you would definitely think I am spoiled. A girl has to milk it for all that's it worth when her man really wants something.

4) I am grateful that HeRoos finished remodeling our Master Bath (at our previous home). I need to post pictures because it turned out absolutely beautiful. He tore that thing apart and rebuilt it by himself. He has a talent for figuring things out and being a perfectionist. Yes, it took NINE months from start to finish and was a lingering headache for us but he did a great job on it. We listed & sold our house within a couple months of him completing it which is another HUGE blessing.

5) Good neighbor/friends are worth more than a million bucks. It was difficult for me to get excited about moving closer to HeRoos' work because I had a really great support group of neighbors & friends. It was such a comfort to have people to "swap" kids with and know that they were in good hands. ZoZo & MB made some good little friends and so did I. It was a win-win for all of us. I'm hoping and praying that we can create something similar in our new area.

6)I am grateful for my computer-nerd husband and his brains. He amazes me with his knowledge on various subjects and his dedication to his family & work. He loves his job and we feel so very blessed that he works for people who appreciate him and treat him well. Life is so much more enjoyable when you have a job you enjoy and I'm glad he does.

7) As for my "job", I can't say that I always enjoy it but I feel so grateful that I can stay home with my kids. I've tried repeatedly to make it a goal to not complain about "my job" and somehow I keep failing miserably at the goal. The truth is, being a stay-at-home mom is one of the most challenging things I've had to do but it's fulfilling one of my life long dreams. From the time I was a young girl, I've wanted nothing more than to be a mom. Now I'm living that dream and I'm so grateful for the blessing, even when I feel my brain cells shrinking & my vocabulary mostly consisting of words like "poopy, owie, and no-no."

8) I'm so grateful for my parents and in-laws. HeRoos and I are both very fortunate to have great parents. We were raised by loving parents that extend that love on to their grandchildren.

There is so much more but now I'm ready for some zzzz's.