102 Things I'm Thankful For!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I have been preparing and looking forward to Thanksgiving day, I felt challenged to be BIG with my gratitude! So, I decided to think of as many things as I possibly could to be thankful for. Through out the day I have been making notes on little scraps of paper as well as mental notes of things I am grateful for. So, here it goes....
(in no particular order)

1. My relationship with Jesus Christ.

2. A husband that loves me unconditionally.

3. Three healthy children.

4. Quiet moments together with my family (even though they aren't usually all that quiet with 3 boys!)

5. The many promises found in God's Word.

6. Hearing Dylan read.

7. So many amazing friends.

8. Modern Medicine-in the past 7 years I've really seen what a blessing modern medicine can be!

9. Baby snuggles with my sweet Tyson.

10. The ability to travel with my family.

11. Hearing Evan sing.

12. Handy-me-down clothes. When Tyson, our surprise boy, came along we received so many boy clothes. As I dress him in each little outfit, I am so grateful!

13. Technology- it makes life so much easier!

14. The ability to homeschool my children.

15. Laughter. Oh, how I love to hear my children laugh! Really anyone, for that matter.

16. The opportunity to learn together as a family. Dylan is teaching me things on a regular basis!

17. A marriage that has changed and blossomed so much over the past 10 years.

18, Lessons that I've learned along the way-some easy and many not so easy.

19. Servants-those who selflessly serve others without expecting anything in return.

20. Family devotions- times of learning more about Jesus together as a family.

21. Theologians who help regular folks like me understand the Bible better.

22. My hair dresser, who is very good at hiding my grays!

23. The pediatricians my boys go to. They have given us so much good advice and comforted us when our children have been sick.

24. All of our baby "stuff"-- I must have heard 100 times from older moms "I wish they'd had that when my babies were little" so I'm thankful for the stuff we have to make motherhood easier.

25. Memories--I have so many lovely memories that fill my heart and mind. What a special gift from God those memories are!

26. My education. Although I'm not teaching in a public setting any longer, my teaching degree is being used daily with my own children.

27. Disposable diapers....I wouldn't do well with the cloth kind....yuck!

28. The hammock in our back yard. I love reading my boys and swinging with my husband in the hammock. Sometimes all 5 of us get in!

29. Facebook....I am able to keep in touch with so many people because of facebook that I wouldn't be able to be in touch with otherwise.

30. Dreams. God has placed so many dreams in my heart for me and for my family. Isn't it amazing that we can have so much to hope for because our minds can dream.

31. Missionaries. Although I am not able to go to foreign countries to share the gospel, I believe it is so important. I am thankful for those who can go and are willing to serve the Lord in this way.

32. Our Church's Pastors. We have several pastors that lead our flock at Green Street. They all do a wonderful job ministering to us.

33.The opportunity to serve others. I love being a blessing to others but have 3 little ones can sometimes make it hard. I love when God provides ways for me to serve those around me in simple ways.

34. The future. No matter what has happened, I am grateful that we have so much to look forward to.Tomorrow is a new day!

35. Hugs--it doesn't matter who it's from, a hug always feels so good.

36. My grandparents. All of my grandparents have passed away but I am thankful for the many things they taught me and years I was able to enjoy getting to know them. I love being with Bryan's grandmothers now, they are such precious ladies!

37. Sweets....ok it's silly but I have a sweet tooth so I'm grateful for cakes, brownies, cookies, etc.

38. Fairy tales that really do come true. My hubby and I were high school sweethearts who used dream about getting married and having babies. That fairy tale has come true!

39. Food for my family to eat.

40. Naps (for my kids and for me!)

41. Dancing with my hubby. Sometimes he just grabs me and starts dancing, even though there isn't any music. It's sooo sweet.

42. Family -- even though relationships can be really hard sometimes, I am thankful for the family that God placed me in.

43. Time alone with God.

44, Music

45. Electricity-- I'm not sure I would have survived living before electricity was invented!

46. My in-laws--people always act like its so hard to get along with your in-laws but I love mine! 

47. Date Nights!

48. Crayons/paint/glue---anything my kids can use to be creative! I love watching them express themselves.

49. Klove Radio. I love hearing Christian music as I drive around town. I also love hearing my boys sing along! Plus, I don't have to worry that they'll hear something they shouldn't!

50. The ability to give birth to 3 precious children. What a blessing that is!

51. Contacts/glasses....I couldn't see without them!

52. The Bible.

53 & 54. My washer and dryer. 

55. The Godly women that have been placed in my life to build me up instead of tearing me down.

56. Beautiful sunrises.

57. Microwave...ok, ok, I'll admit it. I probably use it too much.

58. Holidays--I absolutely love to celebrate anything and anyone! Holidays are so much fun!

59. The trials that have made me the person I am today. Life isn't always easy but God can turn even the worst situation and bring something good out of it.

60. Our new HOUSE!! It is absolutely perfect for our family!

61. Green Street Baptist Church.

62. Water, a never ending supply of fresh water.

63. Dylan.

64. Evan.

65. Tyson.

66. Enough food to eat. My children never have to worry if dinner will be on the table.

67. Our fire place--I  have always wanted one and now I have one. I love it!

68, Freedom. 

69. Motherhood. I don't always do it well but I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a Mommy!

70. MOMS (Mothers of Many Seasons) I love meeting with this group of mothers every Thursday morning. They give me so much encouragement.

71. Jesus' birth. I am amazed every time I think of God becoming a man and being born in such a lowly place. He could have been born in a palace but he chose a stable.

72. My heating pad. Because of all my back pain, I have gone through 6 heating pads in the last 5 years. Its safe to say its become one of my best friends.

73. Pinterest. I have found so many great ideas on that site! My house and birthday parties and Chrismtas decorations wouldn't be the same without pinterest!

74. Friends that pray for me and allow me to pray for them.

75. Air conditioning.

76. LIFE classes. These classes for homeschoolers in our area are terrific for the kids! 

77. Traditions---I love family traditions!

78. My van....it makes it so much easier to haul all these children around =)

79. Coffee....every Momma needs coffee!

80. Our Homeschool Room. We did homeschool for 2 years out of a closet so I'm thankful to have an entire room to teach our boys in. 

81. The sun always comes up, even on days when its hard to see it.

82. The cul-de-sac for my boys ride their bikes in, I love watching them play!

83. My cell phone. It makes life so much easier!

84. My "real" friends that let me be "real" with them! You know who you are!

85 & 86. My bath tub and epsom salts....with my back issues, these two things are life savers at times.

87. Formula---not all Mommies are able to breast feed. For some reason it just doesn't work for me for very long. So, I'm grateful for formula to help my babies grow healthy and strong!

88. Chocolate....enough said.

89. Time to spend with my family. 

90. Toys. Although we have an abundance of toys that are never cleaned up, I am grateful that my boys have so much to play with

91. Prayers....He really does hear them!

92. My back injury....although it's been a long, hard road, my back injury has been one of my greatest blessings.

93. Hope. Jesus did not leave us without hope! The best is yet to come!

94. Bryan's job----not only is able to provide for our family but this job allows him to work from home quite a bit! We love having Daddy home with us.

95. Photos. I love photos!! They spark so many wonderful memories.

96. My boys have an incredible daddy. 

97. Shoes. Each person in my family has at least 5 pairs of shoes. Many in the world wish they had 1 pair of shoes. We are so blessed.

98. Calendar/watch....without these things I would never been at the right place at the right time.

99. Coats and warm clothing.

100. The leaders and teachers at our church that serve my children so selflessly each week.

101. Hearing Tyson's baby noises.

102. This blog. Because of this blog I have learned to look for God's blessings each every day.

Ok, there it is. 102 things I'm grateful for today. Believe it or not, it was actually very easy to come up with this list. I honestly thought of several more that just seemed too silly or insignificant to mention. I have SOOOOO much to be thankful for!

Thank you, Father, for Your abundance of blessings in my life!