Giving Thanks

This post is a few weeks behind (ah, story of my life!), but with some recent changes, I wanted to take a moment and count my blessings.

*My new nephew. Quinten William was born Nov. 30 two weeks early at 7 lbs. 15 oz. This is going to be one tough little guy. He's been through so much already (and so have my wonderful BIL and SIL), and on the day his mom was discharged from the hospital, he was transferred to another children's hospital NICU. He was having issues with his oxygen saturation levels, and until today, he hadn't been able to breathe on his own for more than 3 hours. Then today he was off oxygen for 12 hours! The other concerning aspect was that he hadn't eaten since he was born. Today he was able to take a bottle! Small victories. The doctors still don't know the full extent of what's wrong, but we're hoping he'll be home within the week.

*My family. Gosh, I can't say enough about how much I love these kids and the husband. The kids (and the husband) do make me crazy at times, but they are the lights of my life. I can't wait to hear all about their days at school, and they are literally growing up right before my eyes. School is 1/4 over (already!) and both are doing remarkably. Riley is reading at the 4th grade level and is the smartest kid in her class when it comes to math (I'm not kidding--that's what her teacher said at P/T conferences). And Jeremy, my gosh, that kid can remember anything! Today we went to the local Christmas holiday walk, and he remembered some of the things we did last year. And he's still adamant that he wants to be a hockey player when he grows up.

*My grandpa. Unfortunately, he's not doing that well. His health is failing, and he often wonders why he's here. He's in his 90s, and is now living in a nursing home. We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving at his nursing home, and I'm just so thankful for all that he's done for this family. I used to spend so many summers hanging out down at grandma and grandpa's, playing with my cousins. I remember my mom would let me stay down there for weeks at a time, and we'd help milk the cows, get them from the pasture, gather the eggs and just play. Grandma would let the kids pick out the Kool-aid or burn stuff in the wood-burning stove. I love how close our family is, and it's something I hope to pass along to our kids.

*My parents. After having kids, I realize how important it is to live nearby to your parents. I cannot imagine not speaking to them more than 2-3 times a week and seeing them 2-3 times per month. Due to Facebook, I see that more and more of my friends are losing their parents, and that terrifies me. My parents aren't old enough for that! I hate seeing them age, because in my eyes they're still energetic and full of life. Oh wait, that's STILL my mom! I love them dearly, and I cannot imagine what it would be like if they weren't here.

*The husband. Our vacation was so desperately needed and wonderful. It was refreshing to remember what it was like to be husband and wife and not mom and dad. We didn't have anyone vying for our attention. It literally made me fall in love with him again (or maybe that was the Caribbean rum that made me do that). Kidding. He puts up with a lot, and sometimes I feel like I don't give him enough credit for all that he does. He's a wonderful husband, father and best friend. And I love him more than anything.

I know there are more things that I'm thankful for, but these are the main people. I love you all.