Happy Thanksgiving!

I love this holiday. It seems that for one day, people stop and think about what they're truly thankful for. I feel that I don't do it enough. I should be thanking God daily for the many blessings He has given me. Here's a few:


My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My life would be completely different if I didn't have Him as the standard for my life. The decisions I make, the attitudes I have, the goals I strive for, are all centered around Him. I'm so grateful that he came to this earth to be the final and complete atonement for my sins.


My husband. Mike is my match completely. He has helped to simmer me down, so to speak. And I feel I have helped to rev him up. Not sure that's a good thing:-) But he is such a great husband and daddy to our girls. He helps out a ton. He loves Ava, Allie, and me so much and tells us every day. He provides for our family in a rough economy and doesn't ever complain. And he plays all kinds of games with me, which if you know me, you know I love to play anything!!


My girls. Ava and Allie are amazing. I can't even begin to describe how much I love them. They bring so much laughter and joy to our lives. Mike and I laugh daily at something one of them does. God has blessed us with two little angels and I pray those angels grow up to honor and love Him with all their heart.


Our families. Our parents would drop anything to help us out. They are so generous and have given of themselves so many times for us. Our brothers and sisters-in-law are the same way. We love getting together with them, whether for holidays, to play poker, or just to hang out. Our sweet little cousins: Joseph, Jace, Nevada, Anika, Everet, and Braden. Ava adores every one of you. I'm excited to see you all grow up together! And our extended families: aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma. We're very thankful for the time we can spend with you.


The aunties: Katie, Jess, and Katie, whom I've know FOREVER! You three are so precious to me. You sacrifice going out so often on the weekends to come over so our girls can have a bedtime. Thank you for how much you love Ava and Allie. You will be such a huge part of their lives because of how much time and energy you spend on loving them and making them feel special.


Our amazing friends, near and far. We seriously have a great group of friends, many whom we have known a long time, others who are newer. We're blessed to have so many loving and amazing people in our lives that we can call up anytime. So many of them have brought meals after our girls were born, painted our house, helped with construction at the new house, fixed our printers/computers (Todd!), and have just generally been great sources of encouragement to us!


Our church. Grace has helped us grow in so many ways and we're so excited to have our girls grow up in such an amazing family.


Our home. The food that we are provided with everyday. The heat in the winter and air in the summer. Running water whenever we need it. Electricity that doesn't shut off randomly. The freedom to come and go as we please. And so many other things that I take for granted daily.


Happy Thanksgiving everyone!