Thankful Thursday

There are lots of nights where I lay in bed for hours waiting for my brain to shut off so I can sleep. It seems like just as I get to sleep, Presley is awake. Must be that baby radar where they "know" you're about to sleep. Anyway, this leads to me having lots of time to think. Which isn't always bad, but isn't necessarily always good either. Ive spent countless hours worrying, about WAY too many things I can't change. Last night was no different.

Sometimes life gets so crazy and it's easy to get caught up in all the trials and really forget to sit back and think about all the blessings we have. Aaron jokes about my love for pinterest, but I keep seeing this quote, about thanking God for the things we have today, and it always helps for me to keep things in perspective. So I'm going to start a trend with myself/and my blog on focusing more on the good :) I think of the little things ALL the time, but I don't voice it as often as I should. So I'm going to do a "thankful Thursday" where every week I will at least once write down all the new little things I'm grateful for.... I'd love for it to be everyday, but that might be a little too overzealous for me lol. Some of the things that are most on my mind lately, but I know I'm forgetting A LOT, hence having thankful Thursday every week :

I'm SO thankful for my girls. They are my whole world & I wake up EVERY SINGLE DAY just feeling so blessed to be their mama. I was born to be a mom, and I'm so glad A & I kept trying. We all know I could write about my lovely girls till my fingers ache so bad they'd just fall off, because I'm just that grateful they are mine. It's still so surreal to me that A&I have two babies, and that we had two in under a year. I'm having SOoo much fun with them and I truly feel that everyday gets better and even more fun than the last. A lot of people think that because I had two preemies, that I'm ungrateful for all the blessings that I have and I'm "jealous" of what I missed out on in the whole Term Birth experience. But the truth is, I don't feel like I'm missing out, sure it's hard & there are days where I see both my girls struggling, the delays, the unknown with Presley, and wonder WHY them, WHY can't it be easier... BUT those doubtful moments, they don't last long. I remember how HARD Aaron & I worked for them, and the blessings FAR out weigh the hardships. I'm honestly just THANKFUL that I'm even a Mom. With my struggle with infertility/loss, I felt like that might never happen, so now that I have TWO, I'm just blown away they are mine. It about knocks me to my knees to look down the hall and see a crib in each room. Sure it didn't happen the way I had planned, but they are MORE than I have ever dreamed of, and the hardships just make me that much more grateful. I've made friendships that I never would have, had my girls not been born preterm. I've LEARNED SO much. I'm still learning mama-things, and Lord knows I'm definitely not perfect (far from it), but I have learned so many life lessons being a Mom of two preemies, that I might have not learned otherwise, and that I'm thankful for. So, as weird as this sounds, I'm grateful for my trials. I don't necessarily feel like its fair all the hard things I've been through, but they have made me strong. Stronger than I ever thought I could be. I know that no matter what happens, I have faith that it will get better... and it always does. Tough times don't last, tough people do :) Just because it's hard, doesn't mean that I'm bitter. I'm not. I admit I use to be, and sometimes my heart gets heavy when thinking about everything, but I've arrived to a new place in my life that I have accepted it, and I'm moving on. Could have been/ Should have been... well it's all worked itself out, and in the end, I won. Life isn't about all the big moments, it's about all the little things, THOSE are what make the big things. I have SO SO many little things to be thankful for, (I have big things too) so I feel like my life has hit a jackpot :) I feel SO lucky to have my girls, my health, my hubby & the close relationship we have, so all those little hangups in between, they don't mean much to me anymore, because I have what counts!

My little Libby Lou who, with her curls and those beautiful sparkly baby blues that just dance when she smiles & laughs. That smile of hers, that laugh that just warms my soul even on the darkest days. She makes my heart sing. Watching life through her eyes is incredible and she teaches me probably more than I teach her. I love how everything is humorous to her. Like last night, it was super late & she had a nightmare so I brought her into bed with me. She laid right down next to me and somehow we ended up both getting the hiccups at the same time and she'd laugh hysterically every time we'd hiccup. this went on for a good 15 mins. It was late & I was so tired, but those full belly laughs made every single second worth it. It's those moments I will always remember, those moments that I cherish. She is always so giggly, and I love it. I'm thankful for every second I get with her, because I know how precious every second is. Even if she is throwing a ginormous tantrum, that reminds me she is developing the way she is suppose to lol, and I'm thankful for those milestones.

I'm thankful for my precious Presley. She makes my life complete. She is not an easy baby by any means, and screams/cries 90% of the day, but that colicky time she makes up for with the most precious smiles. Those scarce smiley cooing times of the day, they make every single second of her crazy tyrants worth it. I'm thankful for the knowledge that she won't always be this unhappy with reflux, it will get better eventually. Sister sure does know how to pitch a super fit, but she knows how to put on the charm too with that full open mouthed ear to ear smile that will leave you melting. Those pristine sharp blue eyes, they are so beautiful, but wise too. She reminds me of an old soul, like I've known her before, and I swear sometimes I've even caught her winking at me. She just has this way about her where she knows, she is just wise. I see her sitting there with those little plotting hands, and that serious look on her face, and I just have to smile. She is going to give me a run for my money I'm sure. She has these rosey cheeks that are so soft, and I can't resist kissing them. Im thankful for all the times I hold her when she sleeps, and her little hands grip my finger. It's one of those perspective things, where something so small can take up all the room in your heart. I look at Presley, and see perfection. I know she is delayed & may have neurological & hearing issues, but that's not what I see when I look at her. It doesn't make me love her less, but maybe more. I don't mind the crazy/ or the hard, or the trials, because it's not what defines her or my love for her.


I'm thankful for my Hubby. He truly is my best friend. Sometimes we argue, but marriage is work, and I understand what my mom said about having to work everyday. It's work I don't mind though, and I love what our relationship has grown into. Most of all though, I'm just thankful to be married to my best friend, to have someone to share everything with. I'm thankful for our almost 6yrs of marriage, and looking forward to eternity. I'm thankful for the gospel and knowing what that really means. It's a great feeling & I'm so thankful to him for giving me our precious girls. He asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, and I couldn't really think of anything, because he has already given me SO much. He provides a wonderful roof over our head, delicious food on our table, and a snuggly warm bed at night. That's a lot more than a lot of people have, and all the extras he provides, I'm so grateful. I'm thankful he is such a hard worker, and is so good at his job. Not only that, but that he is a trust worthy worker, and that people can count on him. That's an honorable thing, and I'm very appreciative of what a great solid hard worker he is. His work ethic is amazing & is a much desired thing. His boss's have always had great things to say about him, and I'm thankful for that. Thankful I don't have to worry about him doing something stupid and loosing his job. We've seen a lot of stupid things done where people lost their jobs in the military, and LOTS of people kicked out, and he has never been apart of that, and I'm proud of him. I'm thankful that he is so selfless that he would gladly deploy again. While I don't really want him to deploy, it's honorable that he wants to, and loves defending his country, and I love that about him. I love watching him with our girls, and how he treats them solidifies my love for him daily. He loves his girls, and his girls adore him :) I love that I still get butterflies, I still think he is SO handsome, and I'm always wondering how I got so lucky to have him as my husband, and the life that we have together with our two girls. Blessed, very blessed.


I love how both girls rub my arm while taking a bottle. I love when Presley grabs so tightly to my finger, it takes me back to the NICU days where we couldn't hold them, and the first time touching both of them for the first time, was that precious finger clutch. It has SO much meaning and love behind it, and it makes my heart just overflow with gratitude everytime they do it. I love the arms wrapped around my neck, and kisses Libby gives me, talk about being blessed. I LOVE being a Mom. I love Libby's imagination these days, she sure is fun! I'm thankful for little tea sets, pretend food, and pretend kitchens.. they provide TONS of hours of fun for her, and for me too. I love just sitting back and watching her play. I'm thankful for my camera, it's been so good to me these last 6 years, and I'm thankful for all the memories I have been able to capture. My pictures I cherish, and I'm SO glad to have them all. I have thousands of pictures, but I know when each of them were taken, and I love every one. I love the stories behind them, and they make me happy. I'm thankful to be able to be getting a new camera, because my trusty D40 is starting to have issues from all the use/abuse I have put it through. I'm thankful for technology and how far it's come. Thankful that I can preserve all my memories on a huge hard drive, and not just huge stacks of photos.

I'm thankful for ServePro. They were able to salvage a lot of our household goods, and while some of the stuff I will never get back, they were able to preserve a lot. Sure it's just things, but they are MY things lol. I'm thankful for my nice bed... new mattress, but a good sturdy bed is doing wonders for my back, sleeping on the floor was not fun. I LOVE my kitchen aide mixer, it sure is awesome. I LOVE my crockpot, and how it always makes me feel accomplished when Aaron walks through the door from working all day & I have this great meal ready to eat! I like the feeling that I slaved away all day cooking, but I didn't :) Crockpot is awesome. I'm also thankful for my morning coffee, how I would get through the day without it I just don't know. I love the thoughts that come to me while I'm sitting on the porch in the morning, enjoying the quite and the beauty outside. However, it's been pretty cold outside (makes me miss the tropical weather) so I've been sitting at the table sipping while on Pinterest. I'm thankful for pinterest, who ever thought of it was genius. I love all the ideas it has, and I have made SO much off of there, and I love it! I love the recipes, and I'm afraid I'm not loosing weight as fast as I'd hoped because, well pinterest recipes aren't helping.

I'm THANKFUL for a lot more, but mostly, I'm thankful for all the blessings I have been given, and thankful to my wonderful Heavenly Father whose love never waivers on me. I'm thankful for faith, and that I know that faith & hope can get you through anything. The faith that everything is going to be alright, maybe not all at once, maybe not today, but eventually, and that is what keeps me going. I love the quote "Someday everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason." Here's to laughing and smiling, because it truly is the best medicine :)