Our gingerbread house

2011

I'm running a little behind in just about everything. I will use Benjamin as an excuse but honestly it's just laziness. Thanksgiving came and went without an update and then Christmas came.... I guess it's better late than never. As we are celebrating the new year I look back at 2011 and have many things to be thankful for.

I am thankful for the apartment that we live in and for the little lives that we will shape here. God brought us to Dallas for so many reasons and I will be eternally grateful for our time here.

I am thankful for our church. They were such a blessing with the birth of Benjamin. So many families reached out by making a dinner, sending a card, or just praying for us. I am also so very thankful for the children's program they have. This year we have gotten to see Jonathan as he learned bibles songs, stories and scripture verses. The nursery workers have loved my babies and taught them lessons, scriptures and stories they will always remember.

We are thankful for Christopher's job. We feel incredibly blessed to have be moving to Harrisonburg, VA. We truly feel this is the perfect fit for us!

I am thankful for true, real, lasting friendship that keeps me grounded and brings out the best in me. We have made many friends here in Dallas that will be difficult to leave. We are thankful that distance don't mean those friendships have to fade. We are looking forward to the new year and the new friendships it will bring

I am thankful for all our extended family – for their help, their patience, their forgiveness, their steadfast loyalty, and their unconditional love. The boys have grown so attached to their cousins and I can't wait to live closer and watch them grow up together! Also, both my mom and Jo dropped everything to come care for me and my boys while we were waiting for Benjamin's arrival and afterwards. I would have struggled without the help and support.

I am thankful for Molly who seem to love me even when I don’t make time to love her back. She is the best dog I could ever for. She has loved my boys and watched after them and loved them from the moment we first brought Jonathan home.

I am thankful for Jonathan. He is an incredibly smart, energetic, innovative, and funny two-year-old son who reminds me every single day that life is just good.

I am thankful for the beautiful smiles, nighttime cuddles, and incredible happiness that Levi brings into my life. I was afraid that the new baby would push him to the side but the last several weeks I have come to understand him and treasure him so much more! He is now walking and into everything but I couldn't be any prouder!

I am thankful for the joy that Benjamin has already brought us. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to snuggle a little baby. I have loved watching his brothers interact with him. He is such a blessing!

I am thankful for the person who kisses me every morning, says he loves me every night, stands beside me every day and for the way he still looks at me after 4 years. Christopher is an amazing father and a wonderful husband!

I am the thankful for the trials and tribulations in our lives because through those experiences, I have learned to be thankful for everything else.

But today I am the most thankful that I serve a loving, gracious, unconditional Lord who has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams or expectations. As we celebrated Christmas we were reminded and filled with thankfulness for the gift of Jesus and deliverance he brings!

Lamentations 3:22-24
The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!"