Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For (For Today)

Things have been very busy around our house these days...I have returned to the world of work until the end of the school year. To make a long story short, the days have gotten busy, the house looks like a mess and we are running around every night to baseball practice, dance class, etc. It got me thinking that, even though things are nuts right now, I have so much to be thankful for! So here are the top ten things I am thankful for today...

(1) Obviously, these two are at the top of my list...I love them so much (even though I don't love all of the Legos laying around my house, the constant motion they are in and the multiple pairs of socks that seem to end up everywhere!) The best part of going to work is coming home and seeing my kids faces.

(2) I am also thankful for my beautiful daughter who I got to spend the night with. We had our mother/daughter book club. It is so nice to still have a daughter who likes to hang out with her mom! I am so blessed to have her!

(3) I am thankful for having the opportunity to have a long-term subbing job - the income will be used to help with our travel expenses. I will be working as a school counselor (my background is in guidance/counseling) at an intermediate school.

(4) I am super lucky to be working with an incredible staff that is very positive and has been very helpful to me. It is never easy to be the "new kid" at school, and I can relate!

(5) I am lucky to also have neighbors who have offered to help me with my kiddos while I am working. I have a great neighbor who is even picking up my little one from school every day for me! What a blessing...I don't know if I could have taken the job without the support of my friends who are helping out! Thanks Cindy, Allison, Vicki, Kami, Lori...

(6) I'm thankful for the wonderful Arise families that I have met through blog world. A special shout out to Natalie who has been so kind. She wanted to make sure our little girl in Ethiopia had a special "care package" delivered to her with the next Arise family that travels. The family needed to get the package soon - too soon for me to get it put together and shipped to Lousiville, so Natalie (who lives in the area)spent time shopping for the most adorable outfit and headband for our girl. She is also putting some fun toys and things in the package for us along with some of our family pictures. So thoughtful! Thanks so much Natalie!

(7) I am very thankful to all of the Arise staff who are working to keep us updated on our little girl in Ethiopia...even if the update only consisted of four words: She is doing well.

(8) I am thankful for the quick stop at TJ Maxx that yielded me a new pair of jeans (I am a jeans addict...) The best part - I bought them without trying them on (had two boys in tow) and they actually fit!!!!

(9) I am thankful for these beautiful flowers that my little guy picked for me. It was a great example of how I need to stop and smell the flowers. I hadn't even noticed that they had bloomed and he asked if we could pick a few. So sweet!

(10) And last, but not least, today I am thankful for my new TOMS shoes that came in the mail. If you don't know about TOMS, you need to check them out. They are super comfy shoes and the best part about TOMS is that for each pair of shoes you buy, they donate a pair of shoes to a child without shoes in a developing country (Ethiopia too!). Check them out!

Thanks for taking the time to check out our blog. I hope to have more to report soon. We are waiting to hear news about our court date. Our agency has decided to wait to tell families about their court dates until their case is heard in Ethiopia and they "pass court." Hopefully that news will come in May and we will have an 8-10 week window to wait for our travel/Embassy appointment.