A Life of Gratitude

Bryan played a song for me earlier that made me burst into tears! It was written by Matt Hammit, lead singer of Sanctus Real. His family endured a very difficult time when his son, Bowen, as born with a congenital heart defect. The song, All of Me, is a wonderful reminder that our children are worth all of our time, attention, and love. Today I am thankful for my two healthy, happy boys. I am also thankful that I am able to be home each day with them. I resolve today to give them "all of me!" They deserve it because they are two of God's greatest gifts to me!

Bryan was able to take 6 weeks off work when Evan was born. Today was his first day back at work. I absolutely loved having him home with us. Bryan being at work was quite a change for us. Today I am thankful that everything went so well. Overall, it was a smooth transition back to "reality". I love being home with my boys. Its very different being home with two but still such a joy!

Our big boy, Dylan, stayed with his Nana and Papa while we went to PA this past weekend. I missed him so much! 5 days is a long time for a Mommy to be away from her child! Today I am thankful that we all made it back home safely. It was so nice being all together today!

Today I am thankful that God is in the details! He is at work in every little aspect of our lives. Several weeks ago, when I was still pregnant with Evan, Bryan and I asked our Sunday School class to pray that Evan might be born soon so that we would be able to visit Popop. At the time we worried that Popop might pass away soon and we really wanted to visit him before that happened. The same day that we asked for prayer, my water broke while at church! Evan was born the next day and we were able to visit Popop in Pennsylvania 3 weeks later. I am so glad that Evan was born on October 17th instead of November 2nd! I am so thankful that we were able to visit when we did. If it hadn't worked out that way we would not have gotten to say goodbye to Popop and he would have never gotten to meet his 2nd great-grandchild. God worked it out so well! He is at work in the details of our lives and  I am so grateful!

Today we celebrated the life of  Darwin Lee Smith, Bryan's loving Popop. I've learned a lot about this man over the past few days and heard a lot of amazing stories. He was a strong, quiet, gentle man that always put others first. He was selfless, loving, patient and had a heart for God. He served his country in WWII and served his wife for 59 years. He was a wonderful father and grandfather. He was a fearless fire fighter for most of his adult life and helped serve fire fighters once he retired. He loved his family and would do anything he could for his fellow man. Even though I was just the girlfriend/wife of his grandson, Popop always made me feel like a part of the family and I will truly miss him. I can see a lot of these traits in my husband. I'm sure he learned these things from his Popop. I imagine that Bryan will pass the traits along to our boys. Today I am thankful for role models like Popop. The world could use more men like this one!

While we've been in PA, Bryan's family has been going through all of Popop's belongings. They have found lots and lots of sentimental items to remember Popop by. Its really neat to see all the things that were important to Popop and Nana. There are several family heirlooms that Bryan is able to take home with him and one day pass down to our children.  Popop even set out photo albums and important items so that the family would be sure to find them. I think it is so wonderful to be able to pass important items down the family line. Today I am thankful for family heirlooms, what a neat way to remember our loved ones.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5 Today I am thankful that I have so much to be thankful for! My life is full of blessings...my salvation through Jesus Christ, my sweet little boys, amazing husband, comfortable home, car to drive, food to eat, ability to stay home with my boys, church to attend, freedom to worship openly, friends to laugh with, family to enjoy and much, much more. God has overwhelming blessed me and my family! Today and everyday I am grateful that God is at work in every detail of my life. May every day be a day of Thanksgiving!

Today I am thankful for my mom and my good friend, Brandi. Because of their help, Bryan and I were able to rush up to Pennsylvania for a few days to attend Popop's funeral. My mom and Brandi made it very easy for us because they are taking care of our sweet boy, Dylan. It is so nice to be able to leave our son with trustworthy people who we know will take good care of our little guy. Thank you Mom and Brandi! !

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." Psalms 116:15 We found out this morning that Bryan's grandfather went home to be with Jesus. Although it breaks our hearts to say goodbye to such an amazing husband, father, grand-father, and great grand-father, Bryan and I are rejoicing because Popop is now walking on streets of gold! He has no more pain or sadness, no more Earthly worries and no more tears. He is home! One day we will see him again! Hallelujah!  Popop with his Great Grand-Children  Today I am thankful that death doesn't win! Jesus' death on the cross provided a way for believers to spend eternity in Heaven. Although each of will come to the end of our Earthly lives, we can spend forever praising our Awesome God! In reality, nothing is better than that. Death is so sad for those that are left behind but its a joyous occasion for the person going home!  ”When the time comes for you to die, you need not be afraid, because

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to share the idea of "gratitude" with Dylan. Earlier we made a little turkey in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. For each feather we thought of something we are thankful for. Dylan easily came up with several ideas! He helped sound out each word and write it on the feathers. He did a terrific job! Bryan and I also shared things we are thankful for. In case you can't read the feathers on the above picture... Dylan is thankful for Evan, food, friends, and church. Bryan is thankful for Dylan and Mommy is thankful for Daddy. I am so glad that my family has so much to be grateful for!

We had a really fun afternoon. We took Dylan and Evan to the High Point Christmas parade. It has been years since I have been to a parade and I really had a good time. The best part was watching Dylan enjoy himself! Today I am thankful for free family activities. It is such a joy to spend quality time with the ones I love!  

"Whatever You're doing inside of me It feels like chaos but now I can see This is something bigger than me Larger than life something Heavenly" This morning while driving home from the farmers market I heard "Whatever You're Doing" by Sanctus Real. This was one of my favorite songs when I first injured my back. While listening to it today I couldn't help but reflect on my journey since my back injury 2 years ago. At that time my life felt like chaos and I couldn't really understand what God was doing in my life. Today I can see where God has brought me and I am so grateful. The back pain, back surgery, recovery, and continued back pain haven't been fun but God sure does know what He is doing. When I look at my life and I see these two precious little boys that I am able to stay home with, I can't help but cry out in praise for what I've been through! God has blessed me over and over again through a difficult situation. I would have never

We went to Evan's one month check up today. He is currently weighing in at 8 pounds and 4 ounces. That means he has gained 2 whole pounds since the day we brought him home from the hospital. He has also grown 3/4 of an inch. This kiddo is growing! We also found out that he is colicky. No wonder we've had such a hard time sleeping at night! Although I'm not glad my little guy has colic, I am grateful today for his sweet demeanor. Even though he has colic, has a belly ache every night and has a hard time getting comfortable while sleeping, he rarely cries. He definetly grunts a lot but he is still pretty happy most of the time. This little fella truly is a blessing. I'm praying this colicky season will pass quickly.

Wow! Evan is one month old already! I cannot believe it. This month has flown by. I cannot imagine life without this little guy now. God has truly blessed us with two amazing little fellas. Today I am thankful for the lessons God is teaching me through my children. Since Dylan's 3 and 1/2 years has rushed past so quickly, I feel very aware of how quickly Evan's time as a baby will go by. God is teaching me to be present in daily life; to be soak up all I can, while I can. I have often had a tendency to rush past the present, always planning the future but I am learning to focus on today. This precious time while Evan is a baby and while Dylan is a preschooler will go by so fast. I am trying my best to enjoy each minute. I am grateful that I am aware of my need to be present in each moment. Father, thank You for these precious boys and the memories we are making each day. Please help me to focus on today and to be present in each moment. Help me to be the best mother I can be

 This afternoon I sorted through all of my maternity clothes, the maternity clothes I borrowed, and my regular clothes. I was absolutely amazed by all the clothes laying on my living room floor and couches. It made me think about the people around the world that only have 1 or 2 shirts to wear and those that don't have any shoes to wear. I am so blessed.  I have clothes to wear when I'm pregnant, clothes to wear when I am at my ideal weight and clothes to wear at every size in between. I have clothes to wear in hot weather and clothes to wear when its freezing outside. I have always taken having clothes for granted. Today I am thankful that my family and I have clothes to wear. I am grateful that we don't have to worry about what we'll wear each day.

Its no secret that mothers of new babies don't get much sleep. I have been feeling a little sleep dreprived lately so today Bryan took care of the boys and let me sleep for a while. Later in the day while Dylan napped, I was able to nap as well. So, today was a day of rest! It was much needed and much appreciated! Today I am thankful that Bryan is still on paternity leave and allowed me to sleep so much today. I feel so much better now! Thanks Honey!!

When Dylan was born I used a website to make a photo book for him. This adorable book looks like a story book but it has our pictures and story inside. I recently made one for Evan as well. It came in the mail today and it is so cute! Dylan really enjoyed reading Evan's book so we got out his photo book and read it also. Today I am thankful for these photo books and the memories that we've made that fill the pages.

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 Today Bryan and I had the privelge of dedicating sweet Baby Evan to the Lord.  Our family and friends were there to witness this precious moment and to celebrate with us after at Brunch at Ruby Tuesday. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe that there is NOTHING more important than leading my children to Christ. I am grateful today for the opportunity to publicly dedicate Evan to our God. Bryan and I promise to do our best to lead this little guy to the Lord and we pray that he will live his life for Jesus! Our cake at Brunch. "Jesus Loves You Evan!"  Precious Boy!  "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

 We have been traveling around quite a bit the past few weeks. We've been coming and going non-stop to the store, church, Pennsylvania, post office, bank, visiting family, birthday parties, the park, etc. I was even out and about today at a lingerie shower and then game night with friends. We couldn't go any of these places without our cars! Today I am thankful that Bryan and I each have a car that is comfortable to ride in and gets our family safely from one place to another. We might not drive a Lexus or a BMW but our cars are blessings to each and every day!

Today I am thankful for every Veteran who has sacrificed his or her own safety and comfort for my freedom. We so often take for granted our safety, comfort, and the freedom to make choices about where we go, what we do, and how we worship. We can go about our lives without fear because of the sacrifices of our veterans and current military. God Bless our Military and Veterans. God Bless the USA!

Today I am thankful that I had a great first experience taking my 2 children out and about by myself. I took Dylan and Evan to MOMS group this morning. It was a very smooth trip which makes me less nervous about taking them more places. I really love being a Mommy!

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body." Elizabeth Stone When Bryan and I were teenagers we used to sit around and day-dream about getting married and having children. When I look at our lives right now, I feel so blessed because God has given us our dream! These two precious little boys and my wonderful husband are such an amazing gift. Today I am thankful for my sweet little boys. I know I've said this a thousand times before but I am truly blessed to be a mother! I've been looking at these boys today and feeling overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I never knew how much I could love someone until God gave me these boys.

On the way home from Pennsylvania we were able to stop at Bryan's Uncle Jeff's fire station in Maryland. It isn't a secret that Dylan LOVES fire trucks so a visit to Station 40 was quite a treat for him! We got to see the Fire Engine, the Ladder Truck, the HazMat Truck, the dorm/sleeping area, the storage closets, the living room, the kitchen and even the bathrooms. Dylan even got to ride in the fire truck with Uncle Jeff! Today I am thankful for fire fighters and the heroic job they do each day. I am also thankful for Uncle Jeff... I am so glad that he was able to give Dylan a VIP tour of Station 40. Dylan talked about his "best friend" Uncle Jeff and the fire trucks all the way home. He really enjoyed getting an up-close look at a fire station!

We spent the day at Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. (The sweetest place on Earth!)  This family LOVES chocolate so we had a great time! We took the tour that taught us how chocolate is made, made our own chocolate bars, rode the trolley around Hershey, and saw a 3D movie about chocolate. We also got lots of yummy chocolate samples and bought some goodies from the bakery. It was a very fun yet tiring morning. Today I am thankful for fun times such as these. This was our first "mini vacation" as a family of 4 and we truly enjoyed ourselves. I am grateful that we live in a time and place where traveling and spending time together is possible. I love doing fun things with my sweet little family! That is one BIG candy bar! Getting ready to make our own candy bars Cutie Pie! He loves that hair net! Dylan's chocolate bar =) 

We've spent the past few days in Pennsylvania visiting Bryan's grandparents. Popop, his grandfather, has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. The doctors recently urged us to come quickly to visit with Popop due to his health. So, this trip was quickly planned. We didn't get to spend too much time with Popop because he wasn't feeling up to having much company but we did get to see him, he was able to spend some time with us and he got to meet Baby Evan and hold him for a while. Since Popop won't be recieving treatment for the cancer and he also has heart problems, this may be the last time we are able to visit with him. When we left his house we said "goodbye" and it wasn't easy. It was so hard for me to see him hug his great-grandchildren knowing he won't see them grow up. Although this trip has been bitter-sweet, today I am thankful that we were able to rush up to Pennsylvania to spend some time with Popop. I am so thankful that he

We spent the afternoon in Lancaster, PA....otherwise known as Amish Country. The best part was the Horse and Buggy ride. Dylan and Bryan got to ride in the front of the buggy with the driver. It was really neat to ride around the town in a horse and buggy and hear about the Amish life. I am truly intrigued by the way they live their lives. I can't imagine living without lights, TV, cars, cell phones, washing machines and dryers, air conditioning, etc. I just don't know how they do it! It may sound a little silly but today I am thankful for electricity and everything that comes along with it. I am thankful that I live a "non-Amish" lifestyle although I do admire the Amish for their ability to stay true to their beliefs in a world that strongly opposes those beliefs.  

Today I am thankful that we made it to Pennsylvania safely. We had quite a scare too! While driving on the Pennsylvania turnpike at about at 5pm today, a man driving a pickup truck with a uhaul trailer attached started swerving and his trailer fish-tailed right beside of our jeep. Bryan was able to slam on brakes to keep from getting hit by the trailer but it was VERY close! Needless to say, my heart was beating a million beats per second. I couldn't help but immediately thank God for the safety He provided in that moment. That situation could have been very bad for me and my boys. I am so grateful for the safety God provides for me and my family. What a blessing to know that He is watching over us.

I was thinking to today about how many modern baby products we are using with Baby Evan. In one day we are using disposable diapers, a changing table, baby wipes, a boppy pillow, a breast pump, that little green nose sucker thing, a baby swing, a stoller, infant gas drops, a car seat, a play-yard, and a wipe warmer. (I'm sure I'm forgetting some too) In the next few months we'll be adding several more products to that list such as a bumbo seat, high chair, boon spoon, baby food processor, walker, etc. Today I am thankful for all of these baby products that make taking care of a baby easier and less time consuming. I'm so grateful to live in a time and place where these items are readily available for me and my family.

I can't believe that Evan wasn't supposed to arrive until today! His due date was November 2nd. He arrived two and 1/2 weeks early and is doing so well! He is even rolling over at 2 weeks old. Today I am thankful that this little fellow decided to come early. I am so glad that he is now a part of our family. I sure do love my little guys!

This time last year I took part in the "30 days of Thankfulness" challenge on Facebook. I shared one thing I was thankful for each day of November. Someone asked me, "can you really think of 30 things to be thankful for?" After pondering over that question, I decided to make this challenge a year long event. I've been posting something I'm grateful for every day of this year! I cannot believe its been a year since I started making gratitude such a big part of my life. Today I am thankful for this blog. Most days its been easy to write but there have been those days when its been difficult to find something I'm thankful for. Overall, I've had to really think about the blessings in my life. Trying to write something different each day hasn't always been easy but it has been a gift....searching for the blessings in life everyday changes the way you look at life altogether. I am so grateful for this experience and for all the gifts God has given me.