November 4: Thankful for Today

Today I'm thankful for today. Redundant, yes, but true. Today, the present, the moment, the now. And being thankful for today, throughout the day, I ended up with a lot of pictures. I figured I'd mix it up a little & just put them all up, as there's more then would fit in a collage anyways.

I'm thankful for lazy mornings at home, watching the kids play, and snuggles with my littles.

I'm thankful for holiday magazines. I love them!! Each year I can't wait until they come in the mail, & I read every last page, idea, and recipe. My mouth waters, the creative juices start flowing, and I start planning how many things I can fit into the next two months. I can't bring myself to throw them out, so I end up with a collection. I just recycled a big stack of them when we moved, so perhaps it's time to start another collection. :)

I'm thankful for a house with a fireplace, {something I've always wanted!}, and this book. It's been awesome!

I'm thankful that it was a chilly, beautiful fall day today. The best kind of day in the whole world. And I suppose I'm thankful for pajama days, but I left the house, so I'm not sure what that says about me... If you see me on What Not to Wear, this might be why.

I'm thankful for the holidays, decorations, a Savior who makes the holidays meaningful, and little boys who are full of wonder, awed by Christmas trees that have changing lights. "Mom!! Look at this one!! Watch. You'll see."

And you saw this coming: I'm thankful for Starbucks and holiday drinks!!!! My first gingerbread latte of the season. Oh Starbucks, my taste buds love you, but my wallet does not... For now, I will bandage it up and keep going, but after the holidays we may need to part ways for a while... 

Unless I get Christmas money. 

#onlyfourmorestarsandigetafreedrink

#ithinkicanithinkicanithinkican

"Mom!! Look at this!! It's so beautiful!"

I'm thankful to be reminded of the joy involved in taking the little ones out of the house sometimes. I tend to be a homebody in general. There's always so much to do, and it's just easier not to lug everyone out and about. But it's wonderful to see the excitement in their eyes, hear the joy in their voices, and watch them experience the world. We had fun making small memories today. 

I'm thankful for the crazy, flailing walks back towards mom when she needed some reassurance at the play place. Kind of like a moving fall. It's the first time she's been to one in a long time, and definitely while walking. She would explore a little, come walking back for a hug, and venture out again.

Peek-a-boo.

I'm thankful for kids who come home from school and love playing with their siblings. And they play really well together, for the most part. I enjoy all the running and laughing. :)

I'm thankful the kids have a big brother who fills the role well--he protects, nurtures, encourages, helps, and looks out for them. He also gives them a lot of grief, which I'm sure is also in the job description. 

I'm thankful that they are learning in school and are able to complete their homework every night. I'm not thankful for the homework or homework time. That, my friends, is for the birds.

I'm thankful for my sweet little boy who says the cutest things. Tonight I lost my temper with Clayton after he repeatedly disobeyed, and I was pretty angry. After Ben came up, I walked away for a little while and he tucked them in. Toby told Ben, "I need to tell mommy something." Ben said he would tell me because I needed a minute right now. Toby said, "Could you tell her 'rainbows,' or something nice? Because she's really angry..."

And I'm also thankful for my husband, even though we were fighting tonight. I almost snapped a picture of his bald head on the other side of the bed for this caption, but I figured he wouldn't appreciate that. :)

So, I'm thankful for today.