My Gratefulness.

It starts like this:

Rather than making a list of all the things I'm grateful for (oh, my, it would take some time), I'm choosing to share my day thus far and I think we will all agree that there is much to be grateful for in everything...

-6:30am, a stuffy Baby awakes. Rather than make him wait until his mandatory 7am wake up time, my compassion surfaces and Mommy retrieves Baby from crib, brings him into bed with her and hopes (I say hope because once Baby is awake, he's ready to start the day in full play, no snuggle time allotted) Baby will either fall back asleep or lie peacefully with Mommy. The latter happened and I soaked in every minute of a heavily-stuffily-breathing-chubby-and-warm toddler wrapped up close against me and his small sister inside.

-7:30am, Baby and I wake Kid and start breakfast. We turn on some "Jesus music" and there is much air guitar playing taking place.

-8:30am, plumber arrives to fix le toilet. Kid and Baby are enamored and I enjoy watching them go through their own personal kid tools and playing plumber themselves.

-9:30am, plumber leaves, children and Mommy go on daily walk. It's gorgeous outside and no shades are needed. Mommy and children soak up as much vitamin D as possible.

-10:30am, Mommy and children head out to the back yard for play. Children are outfitted in their brand new winter attire that a very spontaneous and spoiling Papa dropped off (his own doing, I might add). One would think he was Santa, although his hair is not grey and he plays far too much tennis to spend time supervising toy-making. Children are loving their new clothes and remain clean thus far.

11:00am, the digging and dirt play begins. Although Kid remains clean, Bee's a different story. Rather than sneaking inside, Mommy decides to work on a "race track" with children.

11:30am, then basketball begins. Mommy is so grateful for such atheltic children! How fun is it to play basketball for your job? It's fun, indeed, especially when both of your children make more shots than you do.

12:00pm, Mommy brings out lunch for children. Our second picnic this week. The weather is by far too gorgeous to do anything inside other than sleep. Lunch ends and somehow Mommy has two children blowing zerberts on her sun-catching belly. Baby in utero is amused and both children continue just to watch the rippling effect on subject's tummy.

12:30pm, Mommy wraps it up for nap time, while Kid continues to ask why the leaves change and marvels at the vines still producing the sweetest Concord grapes imaginable.

1:00pm, the household is quiet and Mommy reflects on her gratefulness. Even though towards the end of her pregnancy she experiences such shortness of patience, sciatic pain, and uncomfortability, she realizes there is so much to be grateful for that the previous setbacks should never blind her from what she has been given.

Happy Thanksgiving!