Blessings

So I realize that Christmas time is traditionally when everyone starts to talk about all the things they are grateful for, and how wonderful their lives are, but I am going to make it a Valentine's Day tradition as well (this holiday has to be good for something other than eating too much chocolate right?) Here is a list of some of the things I am thankful for:

James-he is the BEST husband ever. That's just all there is to it.  He is so kind and sweet, and he loves me :)  He is so wonderful with Thomas, they both get so excited to see one another every night when James gets home. He is so supportive of me, whenever I want to make a new (and sometimes strange) recipie, or reorganize our entire apartment, or just want to soak in the bathtub for an hour, he does whatever he can to make it possible for me.  I honestly could not have hoped for such a wonderful husband. Everyone dreams about what their spouse will be, and how they will act, and what you will do with them.  Well my life with James and everything about him so far exceeded my expectations. I love him with my whole heart and am thankful for him everyday.

Thomas- the best baby in the world.  He is so adorable. And yes, I do get frustrated sometimes when I know he is crying just because he is mad at me or because he is tired and won't go to sleep, but when he smiles, it makes everything in the world  better.  He giggles now, which is the best sound anyone can ever hope to hear.  When your child is happy nothing else seems to matter.

James's Job- While there is a very large part of me that just wishes James could stay home ALL day with Thomas and I, sleeping in, playing, eating food, shopping, exercising ,you know, the good stuff.  I still really appreciate the fact that James's job provides for our family so well.  We have really wonderful health insurance, and NuSkin truly is great to their employees. They are always giving us free product and other random stuff, he gets time off whenever he needs, and it's just a good workplace.

Our apartment-depsite the fact that is has flooded now 3 times in the past year, it's still a nice place.  I finally have it set up in a way that I like, and I have really started to get good at keeping it clean and taken care of. I have finally hit my rythm.  I love that we have a seperate dining room, and such a large bedroom.

Our financial means- we are by no means wealthy, but we are quite comfortable.  We really are so blessed in that we haven't had to go into any debt, or anything along those lines.  We are currently saving up for a good downpayment for our first house, and it's going well.  We can always get the things we need, and we don't have to worry about it.

Our Families- We get to have both my and James's family really close. The Johnson's and The Harris's are great, they love Thomas so much, and they are always so excited to see us.  We always have a place to go if we need it, and celebrating holiday's is never boring with both families so close.  I love that my children will get to have Aunts and Uncles close to them, because I only saw my Aunts and Uncles maybe once every 5 years growing up.  I only had my one grandmother growing up, and I am so glad Thomas will get to have the benefits of such wonderful extended families.

Dottie- which is our affectionate name for our van :)  I always said that I would NEVER own a van, but then James owned one when we got married, so I had to adjust. Now I really do love that van, it's very comfortable to travel in, and it's so easy to get Thomas in and out of. I always have plenty of room if I go shopping, and we can carry people with us too.

All of our "stuff"- we have so many wonderful gadgets and things.  Thomas alone has so many toys and stuff.  We have really nice furniture (even if it's a bit mismatched!) and everything is in good shape.  We have more stuff than we know what to do with, but I really do have everything I want.

The gospel- I never stop being amazed at how wonderful my knowledge of the gospel is.  Just the knowledge it provides is so wonderful, we are so blessed, and we know how blessed we are, which makes it even better.  We have such a wonderful religion, and it's great to have.  I love learning more and understanding more. There is so much to learn, and so many great principles.  It provides me such comfort, and I really do love it.   It's so easy to enjoy life when you can see the innumerable amount of blessings you are constantly given.

And there you have it, my (short) list of the things I am really grateful for.  It may be a little random at times,  but it's all true :)