Wednesday, November 24, 2010

30 Days of Thanks: Day 24

November 24th, Day 24:

Today I am thankful for another pre-baby to do list item getting checked off.  Since Rich and I had the house painted in August we haven't hung a single thing on the walls in any room.  So today my Dad and Rich are going to tackle the major task of hanging everything up and that will eliminate the 3 boxes of things to be hung that are hanging out in my dining room, I will be so glad to have things on the walls again and feel like my home is completely done and back together, I am so happy!!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

30 Days of Thanks: Day 23

Today I am thankful for the Montessori School that we send Jolie to.  Today they are having a Thanksgiving Fest and building their own class cornucopia and learning the meaning of Thanksgiving.  They have been working on Thanksgiving related activities for several days but it is just so impressive when my three year old comes home talking about what she is thankful for and about the Mayflower and Pilgrims, they really just teach the children so much.  In fact she has learned so much in the life skills area that she is a whiz in the kitchen and is a super cooking helper, in fact she is so good at it that my Mom as invited her to spend the night tomorrow night so that she can help my Mom with all the Thanksgiving preparation including setting the table and then on Thursday morning helping with the Turkey and all the trimmings.  Jolie is really excited about this and it is just so cute to see her light up over helping.  I really pray that she continues to want to help others as much as she does now, it is truly amazing how giving her little heart is, it makes me so incredibly proud to be her Mama!!

Monday, November 22, 2010

30 Days of Thanks: Days 20-22

November 20th, Day 20:
So on Saturday I was super sick, I even thought there was a possibility that I was dying as I was throwing up all morning, it wasn't cool.  But I have to say thanks to my Mom I powered through and we pretty much finished Avery's nursery, there are still some things to be painted and hung on the wall but it is cleaned up and pretty well put together, it was a lot of work as when we did stuff to the rest of the house Avery's room became the dumping ground for everything I was unsure of where I wanted to put it.  But praise the good Lord it is all pretty well down except for 2 boxes that I have to go through and put away that are sitting in my master bedroom.  So I am thankful for my last major pre-baby project being checked off the list.

November 21st, Day 21:
After being super ill on Saturday my wonderful husband insisted that I spend the day relaxing so he watched Jolie for me and I got the chance to lay around and feel better, it was amazing!!  I got to catch up on reading magazines and watching TV, got in a nap and got to lay down and try to make my back feel better, it was amazing!!  Again my wonderful husband saves the day!!!

November 22nd, Day 22:
My Aunt from Chicago flew in late last night and will be here spending the Thanksgiving holiday with us and I have to say I am very thankful for that, I haven't seen her since the spring of this year and I am just so excited that she will be spending the holiday with us, although I wish she was able to come for Christmas and see Avery it is so nice to have her here and we are working on a return trip for her in the early part of next year to meet baby Avery so that will be great too!!

Friday, November 19, 2010

30 Days of Thanks: Day 19

Day 19, November 19th:
Today I am thankful for so much as I have been all month but I have to say I am thankful that my Mom and Dad are keeping Jolie for Rich and I.  Since Mom and Dad are watching Jolie and today was pay day for Rich we have decided to have a little dinner date, I am really excited to get to go out just Rich and I and have dinner, it is really exciting.  However, when we get home from dinner we are cleaning up our master bedroom and bathroom but it will be a night for just the two of us to hang out so I am okay with that.  So in all I am just thankful for some one on one time with my husband, it doesn't seem as though we get much of that and I know with another baby on the way there won't be much husband and wife time for Rich and I, so I am thankful that we get one night together.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

30 Days of Thanks: Day 18

I have officially made it, two days in a row of blogging, I am so impressed with myself.

November 18th, Day 18:
I am thankful for my job, sometimes it might drive me crazy but I really am thankful to have a job and have one that more times than not is fun.  This month I am especially grateful as it has been really busy which will make for a good paycheck just a few days before Avery is born, that makes me very happy.  Hopefully, the busy times will continue all the way to my maternity leave, so many of my customers have been great, really placing GREAT orders for me and my family and I couldn't be more grateful for that.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

30 Days of Thanks: Days 4-17

Okay, so I am a horrible blogger, I have like two weeks of blogging to catch up on and I swear I am going to get better about blogging but with being 1 month from the scheduled c-section day and an active 3 year old and a to do list for pre-baby that is one mile long, I am just flat out behind!!!  So without further ado I will get on with the 30 days of thanks and that will give you a hint as to what is going on around here and then I promise a recap e-mail is coming shortly.

November 4th, Day 4:
To keep up with my theme of the beginning of the month of being thankful for the people in my life I will go ahead and stay with that theme so I will say just how thankful I am for the second daughter we are about to have.  Avery and I have really bonded over the last 8 months, we are doing well and I have to admit I am so excited to see the personality that is growing within me.  According to the most recent ultrasound pictures she looks just like her big sister but she seems so different in movements than Jolie did so I just can't wait to meet her.  Don't get me wrong though I am not wishing for her to come any earlier than scheduled, I am a long list of things to do before she gets here but I am really excited about having my two girls and my very own family of four.  With this being our last child I have taken a little more time this pregnancy to try and enjoy it but I have to admit I am not one of those women that love being pregnant!  However, the end result is going to be great!  I continue to pray for a happy, healthy baby in December.

November 5th, Day 5:
Today I am thankful for my parents watching Jolie and having a mini date night with my husband.  Even though it is just take out and some TV it is great to get a few quiet minutes with my husband, they seem so seldom but I love it!!

November 6th, Day 6:
I am thankful for a Gator victory and being able to score easily, we only beat Vandy but this season the victories seem so few and far between plus it is nice to know we are still in the hunt!!!

November 7th, Day 7:
I am really thankful for my parents and my husband's help in getting the biggest project on my pre-baby to do list done and crossed off.  Today we cleaned the garage, let me just tell you it was a wreck and the car wouldn't even fit!  After 4 hours of hard work, a lot of trash and recyclables put out to the curb we are finished and my car finally has it's home back!!!

November 8th, Day 8:
As my MIL starts her new job I am so thankful that she was able to find a new job.  She is happier when working and it just relieves my husband of a lot of stress to know that she is okay.  So I am so thankful that everything came together for her for a great new job.

November 9th, Day 9:
I am thankful that I have gotten to spend so much of my life having Grandparents.  I am beyond thankful that three of my four grandparents were able to meet my oldest daughter and spend so much time with her, Jolie loves them so much and I know they have treasured the time as well.  I am a little sad that my Grandmother who passed away earlier this year wasn't here to see me pregnant and won't ever meet Baby Avery but I know that she is looking down on all of us smiling because she was so ready for us to have another baby, more than anyone she wanted Jolie to have a sibling so at least she can know that we did that.  I will miss her greatly after the birth of Avery but I know that she is in a better place and is so happy for us.

November 10th, Day 10
Today I am thankful that my pre-baby to do list is getting shorter.  The big things that are left are all scheduled out now so even though they aren't complete I at least have a plan to get them done, that alone makes me so incredibly happy!!  Plus I am really looking forward to Rich being off the whole week of Thanksgiving, I know that will be so helpful with my list, plus my Mom is so helpful as always!  I guess I can also throw in today my thankfulness that my parents are retired now, it leaves them so much time to help us and I have to say I love it!!

November 11th, Day 11
I am especially thankful for my freedom and the freedom of my family, I am thankful that we have the right to vote and choose our leaders and government officials.  And I am especially grateful for all the brave men and women that currently and previously have served our country to defend our freedoms.  I am very thankful for the soldiers that we have lost in war and I continue to pray for their families.

November 12th, Day 12
I am thankful again on a Friday night that Jolie is with my Mom and Dad for the night and with my big festival tomorrow I am going to get to sleep in tomorrow morning in preparation, yes!!!  Plus tonight is my last Friday Night Wine tasting before Avery is born, that is a good thing for my swelling ankles and feet and my aching back.

November 13th, Day 13
Today is the day of a huge Wine Festival that I do every year and I made it my life mission to be sure to still be working for this event and I have officially made it, I am so excited that I made it but even more excited that it has come and gone and I survived!!  It wasn't as busy as years past but it some ways that might have been a blessing.

November 14th, Day 14
I am thankful for a quick shopping spree with my Mom today, it was really fun to hang with her and find some great buys!!  I am thankful for the sibling class that I took Jolie to that taught her all about her new baby sister, including how to hold her, feed her, and change her diaper, I am sure that Jolie is going to be a GREAT big sister and a super helper, she can hardly wait to meet Avery and she knows that Christmas comes right after that so she is excited about that as well and I have to say it is so cute!

November 15th, Day 15
I am thankful today for another great visit with the OB, to know that Baby Avery is growing well and her heartbeat is sounding great makes everything seem so great today.  She is really going to be a big baby though, thank goodness for the scheduled c-section as they predict her to be around 9 lbs, WOW!

November 16th, Day 16
I am thankful that my Mom, Rich and I got a chance to sit down today and look at Christmas gifts for Jolie, that is another of the big things on my pre-baby to do list because I just know there won't be time for it after Baby Avery is here to do it.  So after some online shopping on a really great site called www.reallygreattoys.com, we are almost complete with our shopping for her.  Not to mention I love the fact that Jolie's list is so simple.  This is what she asked for from Santa a lady bug pillow pet and a set of balls with a basketball, football, and soccer ball.  Since my Mom picked up the pillow pet for me a couple of weeks ago I researched the little ball set and will be picking that up today at the Toys R Us in Clearwater today, awesome!  Love simple these days!

November 17th, Day 17
Today I am thankful for having just one month before my second daughter is born.  I am just ready to hold her and see her, I can't wait to have our little family be complete.  It is going to be a WONDERFUL, early Christmas present for our entire family.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

30 Days of Thanks: Days 1-3

Okay so all over blog-land there are people doing 30 Days of Thanks for the month of November, I have thought since Monday, that this was a GREAT idea, however, I have been just CRAZY this week and haven't gotten started on my list yet so I figured I would just combine the first three days and try to stay on target from there, we'll see how that goes, there might be several catch up post throughout the month, life as a pregnant, working Mom with a three year old isn't always easy.  So here is the start:

November 1st, Day 1:
I have to say I think the one thing I am most thankful for is my husband.  My husband Rich truly is amazing, he amazes me everyday, he is the best Dad to our daughter, he is so sweet and sensitive with her it amazes me.  When we were dating and I knew he was the one I would have never imagined how amazing he would be with our children.  Jolie is the apple of his eye and he is so sweet on her and caring, I know he will be the same way for Avery, it is truly inspirational.  Not only is he great with her but I have to say he is great to me, he helps me so much, especially now that I am pregnant, he helps me get up all the time (especially when I feel stuck on the floor), he will get me a drink, he tries to be sure I am happy and comfortable all the time, he does tons of chores around the house just to make things easier for me.  I love him with everything I am and I know sometimes I don't thank him at all for all he does let alone thank him enough.  Rich is my best friend and the person I turn to in every situation good or bad but he is also the one that so often becomes my punching bag when other things like work aren't going well and while it isn't fair to him he often gets whatever is left of me after everyone else gets there piece and often that isn't much nor is it the nicest side of me.  I know that I need to work on that but I appreciate that my husband loves me enough and is in this marriage enough to take it.  We have had our fair share of ups and downs but when the bottom line comes there is always still me and him, together and I think that might be the most important part.  Rich is really my better half and just a true joy of a husband and I am so thankful for all that he is and all that he does not just for me but for our family, he is truly an amazing man and I love him more than I can ever express.

November 2, Day 2
The other super important person in my life is Jolie and I am so thankful for her and all that she has brought to my life.  Jolie has a smile that lights up my heart and my life, she is so cute!  I know that every mother thinks that their child is the best but I have so say I really think God out did Himself when he made Jolie, she is so special to not just me but her Dad and our entire family.  She is funny and smart, she is beautiful and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her take in the world and seeing the little things in life through the innocent eyes of a child, the world is just so much prettier as a child.  I have so loved the hugs and kisses that she gives of so freely, I love when I am dropping her off for school in the morning and she turns back and runs back to me to give me just one more hug and one more kiss, it is amazing and brightens my day.  Jolie is just so sweet and loving and dispenses hugs and kisses so freely and I absolutely love it!!  I am thankful that she is so much of both Rich and I and so thankful that God entrusted us with such an amazing gift.

November 3, Day 3
Since I have spent the last two days being thankful for the people in my life I think I will make it three days in a row of being thankful for amazing people.  The other super important people in my life are my parents I am just so grateful for all they have done for me and all they continue to do.for my family.  My parents did anything and everything for me when I was a child and living in their house but I have to say they have never stopped doing for me and my family, my Mom still gives me a little spending cash from time to time or buys me groceries just because.  She is always on the look out while shopping for things for me or things for Jolie, she even has a new wardrobe working for Avery who isn't even here yet.  She is always willing to help me and Rich with Jolie and tends to give us several weekend mornings to sleep in which is amazing!!  My parents love me and my family so much it is just inspiring, they have taught me so much about family and about raising a family and I can just hope that I can instill in my girls what they have taught me.  I hope to be as good of a parent as my parents have been to me. I am just so incredibly thankful for all that my parents do for me, the help with Jolie, the spontaneous gifts, and the love which is most important of all.

I have to say that the  4 people that I spent the first 3 days of my month of thanks being thankful for really are the love of my life and truly the best of what I am and what I have, they all make me want to be a better person and I thank them for EVERYTHING!!!