Thankful

I know that Thanksgiving has passed, but I took some pictures during our Thanksgiving celebration that show some of the things I am thankful for this year. Here they are in no particular order:

 I am so thankful for this smiling face. Anja is such a bright spot in my day. She is ready with a huge smile like this one pretty much every time you look at her, and she does this little dance with her head that is just the cutest! (can you tell I'm her mommy) Most people say that she is a carbon copy of her daddy, but if you look really closely, you can see a faint dimple in her right cheek that comes from mommy.

I am thankful for this view (yes, even the giant snowflakes). We moved into our house in July, so I was excited to see it the view in the fall. Once the leaves fell off the trees I told Mike that it could snow anytime, because I was excited to see what the back yard would look like with snow. We continue to feel blessed by this house and look forward to many years of raising our kids here and opening it up to others!

 This one wasn't taken on Thanksgiving, but I am very thankful this year for the chance I have to teach Tate preschool. It has truly been a blessing to see his excitement to learn and have the privilege to see the process.  

 I am thankful for my beautiful family. (Tate's not lookin' so beautiful here, but it's honestly hard to get a shot where he's not talking!) I have an amazing husband who I learn from all the time just by watching his life and how he desires to grow as a man of God. He loves our children and desires to be an important part of their lives. We often sit back and look at our kids in awe of the blessing that they are in our lives. I am also very grateful for the person behind the camera. My sister-in-law, Kristen, came for Thanksgiving this year and spent the week with us. I was SO thankful for the extra help that she gave me (since I decided to potty train Norah while she was here). I am blessed to have a good relationship with her!

 I am thankful that this I-can-do-it-myself-2yr old girl can now put on her own socks! It marks one more accomplishment, however I don't think she's going to need a whole lot of encouragement in the area of independence! She is 2 through and through and wants do everything "me self." 

 I am thankful for my sister. We didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things growing up (probably normal sibling disagreements), but now she is a great friend and I really do miss living 10 miles away from her. With almost 100 miles between us now, it's a little harder to just spend the morning at her house with our kids not-so-quietly playing in the background.

Cousins are the best! I'm so thankful for this crew of kids who my kids love and who love my kids! I'm so thankful that they have the privilege of growing up with cousins close to their ages (on both sides of the family), and who are raised in homes that strive to serve and glorify God.

My list could go on without pictures, because I truly have so many things to be thankful for. Above all else, I am thankful that I have been undeservedly forgiven because of the sacrifice that Jesus gave when He came to earth as a baby and paid for my sins when He died on the cross. I am so grateful that this Christmas season is not an empty quest for more, because we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!