Thankful

We are thankful for so many things... too many to make a complete list here... which is a good thing.

One of the things I love about this time of year is that we 1) remember to be thankful and count our blessings - - big and small. 2) We can use the season of giving and thankfulness to teach our children how to be thankful and, in doing so, we teach them perspective, we teach them what matters and, hopefully, it sticks. 3) And, in teaching them and reminding them to count their blessings and be cognizant of the things for which they are thankful, we remind ourselves that we have plenty of reasons to be thankful and see that, despite the things that we let crowd our minds with worry and stress, our glasses are more than half-full. By making a list (whether in our minds, in our everyday conversations or writing it all down), it's easy to find perspective and find that with all our wants and worries, our cups do runneth over.

I am thankful for:
- This guy... my chosen family.

He is my very best friend. He works hard for our family... and worked on this holiday (and countless others) to keep the streets safer for your family and mine. He is funny, kind, compassionate, giving, wise, a wonderful daddy and husband... the list goes on. I cannot imagine this journey without him by my side. He is my other half - my better half - and I love him more every day.

- The family we have made.
Our little (and rapidly growing... so thankful) flock is everything.

- The other family we choose.
We are blessed to have the most amazing friends... people who we call family even though there is no true relation.

- The family we have had all our lives and their own chosen families.

- I am thankful for countless immaterial things and I'd be lying if I said I weren't thankful for some material things... like the roof over our heads, the big, gas-guzzling beast I drive that is big enough for our family (even as it grows) and all of Gracie's equipment. The Keurig that sits on my kitchen counter :-) and this list goes on, too.

- I am thankful for moments like these...

I cannot get enough of how much they love each other. On a daily basis, I am blown away by the ways in which they interact.

- And, for moments like these...

We have have had a lot of these, lately. They come in little, unexpected bursts. Miraculous displays of what Gracie is capable of and how determined she is. In this picture, she turned her walker every which way in order to get into the position she desired. But, this skill that was present for over a year up until the summer of horror, has been tucked away and hasn't really reared it's head again, but for this day in October.

Last Monday, in therapy, she threw overhand for the first time ever (at least that we've ever seen at home or therapy). And, not just overhand, but overhand with authority and power. She looked over and saw the beanbag toss game, signed "throw" and even though Erika, her OT, had another activity in mind first, she gave her what she asked for. Gracie proceeded, in her own time, to throw the first bean bag into the center "500 point" target... it didn't even touch the sides, just landed with a big thud against the backboard, smack in the center. The next one was the same but in the "300 point" spot and the third, in the "200 point" spot. All three thrown overhand, all amazing, all in the middle row with perfect aim.

I am so thankful that, despite all she faces medically, developmentally and physically, she continues to persevere.  I am thankful that she is full of fight, spunk, determination and smarts... amongst many other things.

- I am thankful for this little man.

His heart, his humor, his intelligence, his determination, his loving spirit, his compassion... the list is endless. Like his sister, he has taught me more than any formal education or paying job and, for that, I am so thankful.

I love (and am thankful) that he excitedly thanks us for his food. "Thanks for making dinner, daddy!" "Thanks for the pancakes, Mommy!"
He is grateful for the fun things he gets to do and runs to us, for a big hug and says with glee, "Thank you for taking me and Gracie to the park." I hope this never changes and that he helps teach his brother to be the same way. I am thankful he is so very excited about and loving toward his baby brother. My bump is hugged, kissed and talked to many times a day.

I love (and am thankful) that his list of things to be thankful for was too long to fit onto our thankful tree. After I took the picture of it, he wanted to add "God" and "Jesus" and "the beautiful pink and purple clouds we saw during our sunset walk."

I wrote everything that Preston said (with the exception of "perspective" which was only a loose translation and synopsis of many things he listed... like "Gracie's supplies" (we had just put a huge shipment away), "raising money for sick kids" (his school did a trike-a-thon for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital again this year)... you get the idea.

Preston's thankful for:
- friends and Family
- the Baby Brother in Mommy's tummy
- fun dates with Daddy
- Sophie (our dog we lost nine months ago), even though she is in Heaven
- our home, neighbors and my cozy bed
- our health and Baby George (his small, stuffed Curious George from Nana... he sleeps with him every night)
- that Gracie has many good days (she still
- a daddy who cooks yummy food
- school, daddy's work and my teachers
- perspective, no matter the source
(My words, of course, because some of the things for which he is thankful are the positive side to things like Gracie's precarious health and, thus, her need for endless supplies or the fact that children - he knows many - are sick.)

In addition to me writing on the leaves and the branches, he wrote his own list in the leaf I helped him trace:
- zoo
- park
- toys
- walks
- family

We will do this again next year and I look forward to seeing what he is thankful for then. (Thanks for the idea, Hannah!)