My Cup Runneth Over - Counting the Blessings of Vivie

I cannot believe Vivie's first Thanksgiving has come and gone! I always feel like Thanksgiving gets the short end of the stick with Christmas being close behind, but I always attempt to try and think about what it means to be thankful. This year especially, I feel as though I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the small joys in life, along with the more significant blessings. For the last 9 months, Vivie seems to offer a new blessing every day through her laughter, her smiles, her cuddles, and her babbling.

We had a great day together as a family, even though Vivie started our Thanksgiving lunch by throwing up all over the floor! The day was spent with family surrounded by the blessings of yummy food and sweet babies. Vivie went to bed at 6:30 because she was so exhausted! Although the day was fun, I wanted Vivie to read this one day and know exactly what I was feeling on this special day.

Vivie, if you are reading this one day, I decided to commemorate your first Thanksgiving by compiling a list of why I am thankful this year, and as you can imagine you are at the top of that list!

I am so thankful for you. Words will never be able to convey how miraculous I think you are. I know that there are healthy babies born each day, but I never want to take you and your health for granted. When I think about all of the heartache in the world that is caused by illness and suffering, just the fact that you arrived with no complications and that you wake up each day smiling and healthy is enough to keep me counting blessings each day.

I am so thankful for your father. You have no idea yet what a perfect role model he is for you. His love, devotion, and support for both of us is something rare. He never complains, and works harder than anyone I know to give us both a wonderful life. He is exactly the kind of man you should marry one day, and his values, morals, and love should mirror everything you want in a husband.

I am so thankful for our families and our friends. You are loved by so many people, and one day I hope you begin to fathom how blessed that makes you. There are people that will love you, support you, cry with you, laugh with you, and never turn their backs on you. There are people that would lay down their life for you. Take comfort in knowing that you will never be alone.

I so thankful for our home. Your father and I have spent hours filling our house with love, laughter, friends, warmth, and peace. It is my favorite place to be, and I hope that it will be your favorite place to be one day too.

I am so thankful for the food on our table and for my job. As hard as it to leave you every day, I still feel lucky to love my students, my colleagues, and my subject. I am thankful that most days I feel needed and respected, and that maybe at least one student will remember me in ten years. I hope that you will find something you are passionate about and dedicate yourself to it with all of your creative energy. It is a great feeling.

As we all reflect at this special time of year, Vivie my hope for you is that you will always be grateful and not take things for granted. It is so easy to do, but just stop and think about the magnitude of all you have to be happy about. Even things that we enjoy each day like coffee, heated seats, air conditioning, books, technology, rain, the sunshine, hiking trails, etc.; they all matter. I could go on and on about this for days, but I want you to always take comfort in the idea that you always have something to be thankful for, and that matters. And what matters most, and what I have been hoping to convey in this blog, in how thankful I am for you, and how deep my love is for you.

It's Fall Ya'll!

I love the fall. I love the first few crisp days, wearing boots and sweaters, football, bonfires, and fall food. I especially love the fact that the holidays are right around the corner, and with the exception of summer, December is my favorite time of year. However, I know many people will be shocked to hear this, but Halloween is not really a day that I look forward to like some. Don't get me wrong, I love candy and cute costumes, but it always seems like a strange holiday to me. So when it came time to start thinking about Vivie and Halloween, I have to be honest that I was probably not the most eager mommy around.

When I was growing up, all of my costumes were hand sewn by my grandmother and were always adorable thanks to she and my mom. Those of you that know me, know that I am by no means anywhere close to being able to sew or even thread a needle. I thought for a while about what I wanted Vivie to be, but after seeing the cutest orange tutu at TJ Maxx, I decided that Vivie must wear it on Halloween. Where else will she be able to wear an orange tutu? My wonderful friend Kelly agreed to make her a pumpkin shirt to match, and after finding a precious hair bow, she was all set, until I started seeing other kids, especially on Facebook. My guilt that she was not wearing a "real" costume set in, and I debated on whether or not to be a last minute at mom at Party City searching through the leftovers. I made my peace with it and put her in the tutu and she looked great. It was funny to me though that  all of a sudden this was such a big deal in my world.

We decided not to take Vivie out on Halloween, but we visited a pumpkin patch the weekend before, and took her to our church for Trunk or Treat. She was not that impressed with the pumpkin patch, but was a big fan of Trunk or Treat. She loved strolling around and seeing all of the children and the amazing trunks. Her favorite part of the night was definitely the glow necklace, which she held on to very tightly until she went to bed. No candy this year, but she was all smiles throughout the night.

Like I mentioned earlier, Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I know that experiencing it with Vivie throughout the years is going to create an entirely new meaning. I cannot believe she is approaching her first Thanksgiving or her first Christmas. Time is flying much too quickly as always. I know that I am going to blink and my little pumpkin princess is going to be running down a street knocking on doors with me trying to catch up.