Thankful...

The year 2011 has ended and looking back I am bombarded with so many things that I am thankful for. I was in the car on my way home from returning a few things at the mall and I began to think of all of the wonderful blessings that I have been given so I thought that I would share some of them, so here I go.

First and foremost I am thankful for God, He is loving and forgiving, kind, gentle and always present in my life, He has given me more blessings than I could have ever asked for and even though I am far from perfect he loves me more that I can even fathom.

Next, I am thankful for my amazing husband, Dan. His love and support of me are truly a blessing, he works hard for our family every day and I couldn't be more proud of him. He provides for us and makes it possible for me to stay at home with our kids, which is important to both of us. He is the best father to our kids, he is playful and silly and his love for them is amazing to watch.

Alexis, my oldest child, I am so in awe of her. She is such an amazing little person and watching her grow up into a young lady is such a joy. She is smart and stubborn and sassy! She asks the most amazing questions and reads non-stop! She is my little helper, she loves to help her brother and sister and really anyone she can in whatever way they need her to. I love to see her give of herself and use the gifts that God has given her to benefit others. She loves the Lord with all of her heart and want's to reach out and tell everyone about Jesus and His love for them. I love watching her grow and can't wait to see what the future has in store for her.

Elijah, what a sweet soul my boy has. He loves people, being social, has a sensitive heart and the most contagious laugh I have ever heard. His imagination is awesome, I love to just sit and listen to him as he plays and imagines by himself (which is something he can spend hours doing all alone!). He loves to laugh and he loves to make other people laugh by being silly or telling jokes. He rarely ever stops moving but when he does he loves to sit quietly and spend time with Dan watching the discovery channel and learning new and interesting things. He also just discovered the joy of reading and the many adventures you can take as you immerse yourself in a good book.

My Baby, my Sunshine, my Keirah or (Kiki as we call her). Our resident Diva you could say! She is ALL GIRL and has the attitude to go with it. I am so thankful for what she brings to our family; princesses, pink dresses, anything sparkly, Barbie everything and the joy you get from twirling around in a frilly dress. Like I said, all girl! Kiki loves everything to do with getting dressed up, the dresses the shoes, getting her hair all curled and yes even the make-up, which to her disappointment she is not allowed to wear yet (at four years old, I'm sure that you would agree with me!). Except when she spends time with Grandma Mary, who, can never say no to her! Kiki loves art and everything that comes along with it, I guess that's a typical thing for a lefty though! She amazes me everyday with her artistic abilities and I look forward to seeing the way that God is going to use that for His benefit!

My family... Dan and I both come from large families, we are both blessed with amazing parents, wonderful siblings, nieces and nephews and large (very large!) extended families, most of whom are relatively close by. I love both sides of our families dearly. I love getting together and watching all of our kids spend time together and play and form such special relationships like I remember having when I was a little girl. It is an amazing thing to have such a large group of people who love you just for who you are, and a place to belong no matter what.

I am thankful for my children's school and teachers. Dan and I are blessed to be able to send our kids to an amazing school where they are loved and prayed for everyday. The teachers and staff are amazing, the parents that I am privileged to know are wonderful and my kids are making life-long friendships with awesome kids! I couldn't ask for anything better!       

I can't forget my friends, I am so thankful for each and every one of them, but if I listed them all separately I would surely run out of room. What I can say is that in the last year I have learned something new about myself through each one of my friends. I feel like I know better now who I am and who God has designed me to be through the experiences I have had with my friends. The sharing and the time spent. The many deep and sometimes not so deep conversations. The joy and even the sorrow I have gone through with my friends this year has been life changing. I am looking forward to more time and more learning with them all this year, God has placed each and everyone in my life for a reason and for that I am so very thankful.

There are so many other things that I can list that I am thankful for, but the people in my life are the most important!