Feeling Thankful...Post-Christmas letter.

I think I am a little backwards this season.  Today I am feeling thankful.  I think I am about a month and a week late for this feeling to be coming on strong, but that is me these days.  I am thankful to be alive, I am thankful for my family.  I am thankful for this week of not-so-busy schedule and for my two sweet children to be playing together so nicely.  I am thankful to have had many Christmas parties to attend, even if I had to skip a couple, because that means we have many friends and family who love us.  I am thankful to have had another year with the people I love.

I am thankful for this beautiful girl.  She amazes everyone around her with her crazy smartness, even as she cracks us up with the funny things that come out of her mouth, like in this picture, she is singing:

And in this one, she is thinking about what she wants for Christmas: hmm.....

I am so very thankful for my son, and his maturity and kindness.  I forget sometimes that he is five years old, sometimes we have conversations as if he is an adult.  He had a Christmas list for himself, of course, but he was just as excited to pick out gifts for other people in the family, as well.  He wanted to find a Cowboys action figure for his aunt Sonya, and Twilight action figures for me(seeing a theme here?) He is such a special soul and is going to be an amazing man someday.

And then there are these two crazy kids:

We have been together 14 years now and are approaching our 10th wedding anniversary, already.  A long time ago from these days:

(In case you missed this picture from a couple posts ago, or wanted a better comparison picture.)

How time flies when you're having fun!  My, how we have grown up.  Just the other day we were talking about the ways we had changed, and the ways we'd stayed the same.  We have learned a lot about ourselves in the last year or two.  We have learned how to stick together in times of crisis, and what it takes to endure hard times when they seem to be never ending.  We have learned to embrace the fun and joy in life, even when you only get tiny glimpses of it in your day.  We have gained a new appreciation for each other, and the different things we do to support each other.  We love the family we have created together, and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  I am thankful for the boy in this picture, as well as the man in the picture above.  They are the same, but different to me.   I love them both.  The boy always had a smile on his face.  He had many friends, but managed to make me feel like I was the only person in the world.  The man is still a dreamer, like the boy, but now he takes action.  He works hard to make his dreams come true, then he always has a new dream ready to work toward.  He handles things with maturity.  He is loyal and selfless to a fault.  He is an incredible man.  Being the boy and having that side peek out from time to time is so precious.  Seeing him play and joke with his son and being wrapped around his daughter's tiny little pinkie finger warms my heart.  He is an amazing dad. 

So this is why I am feeling thankful today.