A Time to Give Thanks

I honestly can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone already.  This time of year always feels a bit different to most.  It's the holiday season that gives us that little reminder to take the time to reflect on and cherish what we are most thankful for in our lives. 

Clint and I have gone through and have overcome obstacles in our lives that many do not endure over a lifetime.  I sit and think about where we were only a few short years ago, and cannot believe at how far we've come.  There are days that I wonder how we ever made it this far.  In six short years together, Clint and I have gone through over fifteen surgeries, between the two of us.  Some major.  Some, fairly routine.  We have lived through the terrifying experience of me having a mini-stroke.  We have dealt with emotional ups and downs through the journey of getting pregnant, while dealing with infertility, to dealing with high risk pregnancies to difficult deliveries, but learned how to hold on to each other tighter because of it all.  We have shared heartache over the loss of what we thought our daughters' life was going to be when we received her diagnosis, but ended up embracing the life that she does have.  We have gone through extreme financial difficulties, but know that we are where we are because of the sacrifices we chose to make to better the lives of our two miraculous little girls, and know that no matter what, we will always find a way.  We have experienced more than we ever imagined together, but we've learned so much through it all.  We've gone through our struggles, and at points, yes, we almost gave up, but there isn't a day that goes by, that I don't thank God for showing us the way through all of the difficult moments.  Had we given up, we would've missed out on all of the amazing things that we have been blessed enough to experience as well.  Through all of the pain and "impossible" moments in our life, we have also seen such great love, hope, and faith.  Those things, I am so very thankful for.

We have new journeys that we are embracing as well.  We are going through the process of building and owning a home.  This too, was quite the unexpected journey.  We have partnered with Habitat for Humanity, and through them, we will finally have the dream of owning a home, come true.  We are working very hard in order for this to happen.  We are going to be building a handicap accessible home, and although Taleigha may be making incredible progress, and starting to take steps independently, we still don't know exactly what our future may hold, so we feel that an accessible home, will be extremely beneficial for our family.  Taleigha struggles with incredibly low muscle tone, so building a home with less "risk" is what our goal is during this process.  I can't tell you how grateful and fortunate we feel for this opportunity.  Not only is one of our biggest dreams becoming a reality, but, along this journey, we have been able to meet some of the most incredible people.  I couldn't even begin to say enough about the people working for and volunteering for this organization.  They will always have a special place in our hearts, for they have very much become a part of our family.  I will forever be thankful for this chapter of our lives.

I am always thankful for my amazing family, immediate and extended, especially my parents.  They have been two of the most supportive people in my life over the years, and there aren't words to describe how much they mean to me.  They have been two people that I have been able to rely on when things were at the hardest.  I am lucky to have the family that I have. 

I can't possibly list off all of the things I am thankful for, because I truly have been very blessed in my life.  Things aren't always easy, but somehow, the good always finds a way to shine through the dark.  I thank God for holding me close and guiding me.  You know, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle", right?!  I joke at times that He is clearly giving me too much credit!  But really, I know that with Him by my side, I will always be able to get through anything that comes my way.  We have been able to learn and grow so much because of every single experience.  Who wouldn't be thankful for that!?

I Give Thanks!

I Give Thanks!

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!

"Everyday, you make me smile.  Everyday, you make me glad to be a Mother.  Everyday, you make a memory that I never want to forget.  Everyday, I'm more THANKFUL than the day before that you are my little girls.  Everyday, I look at you and wonder how I ever lived my life without you... Everyday!"

Time to Enjoy

The last couple of days have been so extremely hectic and busy, that sometimes I forget to take the time to enjoy what is right in front of me.  We all need to just take a moment out of each day, to relax, and truly treasure all that we are blessed with.  Sometimes, it is really just the simplest things that we forget to appreciate!!

I took time to really enjoy my kids today and it felt sooooo wonderful.  It's not that I don't enjoy my children every single day, it's just that I found myself not worrying about all the things on my never-ending and lengthy 'to-do list' for the day.  I just sat.  Content with the fact that it was all about my girls.  Nothing else.  We played, and watched some of their favorite t.v. shows... We giggled and acted silly.  We read books together.  We colored and scribbled on paper!  We took a little drive.  And yes, we even did a little bit of "fun" cleaning!!  Taleigha helped!  

Taleigha was so absolutely adorable.  She helped Mommy by holding the dust pan as I swept up the dining room.  She then took a rag and helped me scrub up the little sticky spots that always seem to form under the booster chairs while the girls eat.  I would say "scrub, scrub, scrub" and it wouldn't be long after that Taleigha would say "sca, sca, sca" in her attempt to mimic me.  She didn't want to stop after all of the obvious "spots" were cleaned up, so I decided that I would just follow her lead and go wherever her little heart desired.  We eventually made it all over the dining room and kitchen.  Then, it was on to vacuuming!  We have a short bare floor vacuum that just so happens to be Taleigha's height!  I stood her up, propping her against my body as I stood behind her, and together, we pushed the vacuum back and forth... moving from one place to another, somewhat awkwardly, but we made it work!  She was quite the helper, and such a big girl!  Honestly, we had so much fun. 

Taelyn.  Oh, she just makes a smile appear so easily!  The fun of today continued with her standing in front of the couch by Daddy while I was sitting at the dining room table trying to take care of some paperwork.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Taelyn, trying so hard to sneakily pass through the dining room to the kitchen (a place that in our house, means trouble)!!  As her wobbly little self would attempt the walk through, she would peak over in my direction to see if I was looking.  She would get to the doorway, and I would jump up, and in a jokingly manner, would say "what do you think you're doing!?!!" while running after her.  That would bring so much excitement to her!!  So much so, that she couldn't keep much balance, eventually falling down into her crawling position, at which point she would try to scurry away from me as fast as she could!!  I would scoop her up in my arms, and tickle her until exploded with laughter.  I carried her back over to Daddy by the couch, set her down, and I took my seat once again at the table.  Wouldn't you know that she would just make the attempt back to the kitchen again, only seconds after my tush hit the chair?!  And of course, Mommy would do the same thing to stop her from getting to her destination!!  This happened over and over and over again, for at least a half an hour straight!  At certain points, these events nearly brought tears to my eyes because of the amount of laughter that was coming from, not only Taelyn and me, but Dad and Taleigha as well.

I never wants days like today to end.  Days like today bring out so much love, excitement, enjoyment and fun in a crazy, busy, hectic, and overwhelming life.  These were definitely moments that I want to keep in my mental 'treasure chest' forever!  

If only we all took more time to just simply, enjoy!