Nov. 5,- Today I am thankful for my sweet and thoughtful husband. Even after he has worked all weekend on the audio and video for a Mary Kay event he was thoughtful enough to surprise me with a massage and a family date night.
Nov. 6- Today I am thankful for the Salvation Army Church because they listened to me share our adoption story through the tears. Many of you know the bones of our story but we had never shared out story publicly until today. Many of you know that I am an emotional person and today was no different that most. I started crying as soon as I stepped foot on the podium, but these sweet people listen intently even when I couldn't stop crying.
Nov. 7- Today I am thankful for an amazing baby sitter. Those of you who know me know that I talk about how great our sitter is often but I can't help it. She is simply amazing. She loves our children like they were her own and they love her very much. She comes to our home 3 days a week and when she is here she not only watches the kids but she does the dishes, does laundry, and even some light cleaning. Then there are times that she goes above and beyond, for example she cleaned our house from top to bottom, washed the bed linens, and stocked the fridge with groceries while we were gone on vacation. I can honestly say that if it were not for Shana I would go insane.
Nov. 8- Today I am thankful for my amazing mom. Yes, mom I know that you are reading this and I know that I do not say it enough but I am so very thankful for you and how you raised me. You have taught me to think outside of the box and to not be afraid to meet the challenges head on. I hope that one day I can be as good of mom as you have been to me.
Nov. 9- Today I am thankful for my job and the flexibility that it gives me. Not only is it completely rewarding and fulfilling it is extremely flexible so that I only have to work 3 days a week and still get to help build forever families.
Nov. 10- Today I am thankful for Curtis' job, yes you read that correctly. I know that I complain about him being gone all the time or the fact that he is ALWAYS on call but the truth is he works very hard and he is good at his job. It gives him a sense of pride and purpose and he thrives on that...and the perks that come along with the job aren't bad either... ha ha just teasing.
Nov. 11- Today I am thankful for my mother-in-law. She is loving and helpful. She loves the kids more than anything in the world. She is always stopping by to see them and most anytime we are in a pinch she is willing to spend time with them so Curtis and I can get whatever we need done accomplished.
Nov. 12-Today I am thankful that 2 years ago today we legally became Hensley's parents. Two years ago today was out court date in Ethiopia and we passed making us legally Hensley's parents.
Nov. 13- Today I am thankful for all our friends and family who have been so supportive of our adoption journey. They have done everything to show their love and support along the way. We are thankful for every dollar that they donated, the time that they spent praying for us, our journey and our children, we are thankful for the shoulders they gave us to lean on during the bad days and the smiles and hugs they gave us on the good days.
Nov. 14- Today I am thankful for our health. Hollis is sick today with the stomach bug and I am reminded just how lucky we are that this has been the only time since she and Hensley came home that either of them have been really sick. Sure we have had runny noses, coughs, and bumps and bruises but we have not had anything seriously or major wrong.
Nov. 15- Today I am thankful for sweet families that send me a precious picture of their new forever family when I am needing a reminder of why I do the job that I do. Don't get me wrong I know that I am extremely blessed to have a such an amazing job but there are days when you wonder why you do the things that you do and today was one of those for me.
Nov 16- Today I am thankful for my friend Jaime. She knows just how to make me smile on a bad day and how to celebrate with me when it is a good day. I can honestly say that my life would not have been the same without you Woo Woo!
Nov 17.- Today I am thankful for the difference a forever family and a lot of love have made in Hollis' life. I took her for her 2 year well child checkup and she weighted 32 lbs and was 36 inches tall. She has grown an astounding 22 inches and gained 23 pound in the 23 months since we first saw her face and read her medical report.
Well there you have it the shorten and condensed version. We all know that I could have written much more about each and every one of these topics but I really must get some work done today. I will also try to do better about staying focused on my Thanksgiving challenge as long as you guys keep coming back to read about our crazy family.
Okay, I'm a little partial to the November 16 "thankful" moment. :) And as God would have it, what song came on but Bruno Mars "Count on Me"...tears are falling like rain. I hope you are HAPPY...cause I sure am...and humbled. ;)
ReplyDeleteI just told my friend Tiffany today about Woo-woo!! As if I weren't smiling and crying enough...then came Woo-woo from YOU.
I LOVE YOU and am so thankful to have You, Curtis, Hensely and Hollis in my life, and my family's lives. :) :) :)