11 Things on 11/11/2011 at 11:11

11 Things I'm Thankful for on 11/11/2011 at 11:11

1. I am so thankful for God and all he has done for my family and I. We have had our ups and downs. We have had big decisions to make. We put our trust in God. I know that moving to Japan was a major decision, however we trusted that God send us on the right path. I am so thankful that the kids want to learn about God and are really enjoying learning bible verses at AWANA's. God has blessed me with so much. I am deeply grateful.

2. I am so thankful for my 4 amazing children. Carson, Cooper, Emma, and Parker bring so much joy into my life. They are all so funny and have a wonderful sense of humor. They all love doing crafts and having movie nights. They love to explore and go on adventures. They are a lot of work, but I wouldn't change anything for a second. I love having 4 kids and I can't imagine not having all of them.

3. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband. He always knows how to make me smile, even when I am grumpy or tired and don't want to. He loves to cuddle and always gives hugs and kisses, just because. With our crazy busy life we really enjoy our evenings together. He will always go out of his way to help me out or to do something special for me. He is a wonderful father and husband, I couldn't ask for more.

4. I am so thankful for my parents. Even though we are thousands of miles away, our times are opposite, I still talk to my mom daily 2-4 times. I love that they taught me the joy of packing up the car and heading out for an adventure, no big plans, sometimes last minute, big adventures and small. My parents would do anything for me and my family. They are always there if we need anything. My parents are even more wonderful grandparents.

5. I am so thankful for all our family. Grandparents, Brothers, Sisters, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins. You all bring something different to the table. All the pieces come together to make one awesome family! Even though we are spread around the world, we are still family. Family is the most important thing in life. I love you all dearly.

6. I am so thankful for my friends, some new, some old. I love having other moms to talk to about our kids, cooking, the latest movie or books, husbands, and all things girly.

7. I am so thankful for technology. I don't know what I would do without the internet, skype, facetime, email, and text messages. This is the only way to stay connected to friends and family. Near or far, we can stay connected so easily.

8. I am so thankful for all my scrapbook supplies. I have been scrapbooking for a long time. It is something I really enjoy. It is my big stress reliever. I love that I can start a page and work on it for 5 minutes and then come back to it. Mommy duty requires a lot, so I don't always have an hour straight to work on a page and finish it. I love being creative and I love preserving my families many memories.

9. I am so thankful for Starbucks. I do not like black coffee. I do not like any other brand of coffee. I love my iced mocha's and only Starbucks makes them right. Starbucks was a daily thing in the States, here it is a special treat on the weekends or once in awhile during the week. I am very thankful that there are 2 Starbucks within 20 minutes of me. I don't like the price, but it is so worth it!

10. I am so thankful for my camera. I have captured over 20,000 images, all special memories of my family and little ones, who are not so little anymore. We all love going back and looking at older pictures. The kids are growing up so fast. I want to remember all of this.

11. I am so thankful for our health. I was blessed with 4 easy, rather uneventful pregnancies, other than the 4 c-sections. We had 4 healthy, beautiful babies. Yes, they get the usual colds and flu. They have had some bumps and bruises, and a few stitches. They have had speech delays but have overcome those. Over than that, they are healthy wild little ones.