Giving Thanks

A few years ago my sister started doing thankful posts on her blog for the month of November.  She would do a letter of the alphabet for each day up until Thanksgiving (or the 26th).  I've decided to take on that tradition as well, though I can't always think of just one thing per day. She also has her kids answer and they write it on a "feather" for their thankful turkey.  Maybe I'll do that next year.

Anyway, I've been doing this, but just on Facebook.  Thought I'd add it here as well, and elaborate a little more on some of them. 

A-

Annabelle and Alan. I am so thankful that Annabelle joined our family this year. She is such a sweet happy baby and her sweet spirit is such a joy to have in our home. She eats so well, sleeps great (through the night!), and is very happy and content when she is awake...what a blessing. She also is pretty cute too :) We seriously could not have been blessed with a better baby (of course I think I said that with William, and I'll probably say it with every other baby we have).

Alan is my oldest brother.  He is such an awesome guy! Growing up we weren't really close since there is a 10 year gap between us, but now that we're older 10 years doesn't seem like such a big gap.  I remember after his mission, before he got married we would watch all the Kings games together.  It was so fun and I loved that even though I was his little sister he made me feel like his friend.  He is my only sibling that lives semi-close to me so I get to see him more often which I love!  Him and his wife are always so willing to let me come over and hang out with them if I'm in town.  He is such a great Uncle to my kids and William loves going to his house.  A few months back him and his wife so generously offered to watch William overnight so that Kirk and I could have a night away before the baby came.  That was one of the nicest things, and they even took him to the zoo!  I love how laid back Alan is, how easy he is to get a long with, and his sense of humor.  He always keeps me laughing.  So thankful also that Alan was very smart in choosing a wife, because if you know Marisa you know he hit the jackpot.  Love you both!!

B-

Bobby pins. You're thinking, "really??" but yes, I am very thankful for bobby pins. They are a saving grace for my crazy hair sometimes.

C-

Chester and Carla. I am very thankful for Grandpa Chester and Grandma Carla. Grandpa Chester was such a fun, loving man. I loved every time I got to visit with him, he always made me feel welcome. I loved how much he loved my kids and how he always wanted to give William rides on his electric wheelchair. He was such a great example to me of a true follower of Christ. I sure miss him!! I'm also so thankful for Grandma Carla. I'm thankful for her kind heart and how much she selflessly serves others. She is always so willing to help out in any way. I love visiting with her and can't wait to go up to Idaho an see her again.

D-

Dad's and Disney. I'm so incredibly thankful for my Dad. He is the best example of ANYONE I know of giving so willingly of his time and serving others. I know that if we truly needed my Dad's help with anything he would be there in a second to help. He even mowed our lawn 

and helped fix our little golf cart while he was here on vacation visiting us. My Dad is such a great person to be around and visit with.
Another great Dad in my life is my father-in-law. Thinking about it both my Dad and father-in-law have a lot in common. They are both very willing to help us anytime and call us often just to chat and keep in touch-I love that about both of them! My father-in-law is always full of great advice for us and I love that!
Disney, because lets be honest they really have made this world a better place :) love their movies and Disneyland really is one of the happiest places on earth (unless you went there with me and William two years ago, hahaha!)

E-
Eggs. I am thankful for eggs because William LOVES them! I was just thinking about all the great things I make with eggs, and without them I would be missing out on a lot of great food!
So...which came first, the chicken or the egg??
F-
Freedom and faith. So thankful to live in this free country. Thankful to all those who have and continue to fight for those freedoms.
I'm also so thankful for our Heavenly Father's plan and that he gives us our agency and the freedom to make our own decisions. Though I may not always make the best choices, I'm thankful that He lets me make those choices so I can learn from them.
I'm so thankful for my faith in my Heavenly Father and his plan for us.  I'm thankful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that has taught me what faith is.  Without it I would be a very lonely and sad person.
G-
Gym. I'm thankful that I have a gym that I can go work out at. Going to the gym is definitely therapy for me.  I'm thankful that the gym here has a child care center included in my membership so I can still workout even when Kirk is at work. I really need to take advantage of my gym membership more, but I am thankful that when I choose to go it's there--such a stress reliever!!
H-
Henrie (my maiden name for those who don't know). I'm thankful to be a Henrie. Though I'm a Wahlen now, I'll still always be a Henrie :) thankful for my Henrie family; they are so fun to be around and ALWAYS keep me laughing!! I sure wish they lived a little closer so I could see them more often. I love how willing each of my Henrie Aunt and Uncles are so supportive of me and my family. Thankful for my Grandma Henrie and her love for her family. I love getting emails from her and she has made some beautiful quilts for me and my kids. She is such a strong woman and a great example to me :) 

I-

Ice cream. I'm thankful for ice cream, even though it makes me fat :) It just makes everything better.  Now if only they could make a calorie, fat, and carb free ice cream that tastes good!

J-

Jana. I am so thankful for my sister Jana. I have so many fun memories with her. Growing up we did almost everything together. We had a lot of the same friends, same hobbies, same music interests, etc. We really were so much alike which also caused us to fight..a lot; but now that we're all grown up she really is one of my best friends. I love that I can tell her something is "Bomb-Diggity" and she gets it, hahaha! I remember doing so many fun things with her like...showing eachother the gifts we got each other on Christmas Eve, going to Wishing Well all the time to get Spice Girl suckers and gum, singing and dancing to the Spice Girls (blasting it as loud as we could in our living room), sneaking out of our beds to watch Home Improvement, playing school, sleepovers after she moved out into her own apt, and all those nights of folding papers together while watching Toy Story.<---Jana somehow would ALWAYS get me to help her fold papers for her paper route, but then she would always fall asleep during the movie and I'd end up folding most of them.  Then she'd beg me and beg me to help her deliver, and for some reason I always said yes!  So I always ended up being the one holding all the papers.  Yeah, not quite sure how that happened, lol.  She is so fun to hang out with; just wish she lived closer so we could hang out more! She really has been there for me through a lot of tough times in my life. She is such a great mother, sister, and friend, and has THE cutest (besides Annabelle of course :)) little girl. If you know my sister Jana, consider yourself lucky :)
K-

 Kirk. I am SO thankful for Kirk! He is such a great husband, and a perfect match for me. He supports me through my trials and helps me to become better every day. I am so thankful for his example to me. I'm thankful for him being a great Father to our children. I love the way he plays with them every chance he gets and is always such a great example to them. I'm also thankful that Kirk knows when I've had a rough day and is so willing to just jump in and cook dinner, help out with the kids, or whatever I need.
Things haven't always been easy for us, but I'm so thankful for all the fun times we've had and will continue to have like......  

 -getting the nickname of sweat heart ;)   

-going to a YSA halloween dance after we were married and I was 5 months pregnant :)

-the many many movie date nights   

-Seeing Phantom of the Opera in Vegas on our honeymoon...not to mention the Walgreens adventure we had there as well<---yeah, not one of my favorite memories, lol.   

-Driving up into the South Hills almost every week when we lived in Twin Falls   

-Eating our first breakfast in our apt using our suitcases as a table and our camping chairs to sit on (the only furniture we had at the time)   

-bringing him homemade chocolate chip cookies to work   

-working (almost) along side him at Sportsmans Warehouse   

-Fishing at Dierkies lake in Twin Falls   

-That moment we KNEW we should start our family   

-Our time spent together at the Hospital when William was born.  None of our family was there until about 3 hours after he was born, such a great experience to know that "We did it!" all on our own.   

-When Annabelle was born and becoming a family of 4.  Seeing the look on William's face when he first met his little sister :)

Yeah, I could go on FOREVER! :)   Anyway, I love you Babe! 

Stay tuned for more!!!