Thankful......

I am so excited that Thanksgiving is upon us......it seems that things have been so hectic and hurried lately that it will be nice to stop and enjoy the day with family and realize how much we have to be thankful for. I often stop and look around and think how lucky I am to have what I do - and yet in this hurried world sometimes that gets lost in the everyday rush of our lives. Yesterday, Greyson came home with a list of things he is thankful for - which included -
"mom, dad, Emma, maxwell, grandma's house and macaroni and cheese!" - oh to be two years old! So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving - I decided that I should make a list of things that I am thankful for - there are many - but for now, I will list eight (I was going to do ten - but have run out of time!!!!!):

8. My dog Maxwell - this is my first real (animal) baby - Frank and I bought him before we had the kids. I look at pictures of him as a puppy and I can't believe he was ever that little! He is now a big 90 pound fur ball that barks WAY too much and has bad manners. I feel so bad because he went from getting ALL the attention to getting very little. Unfortunately, he has fallen to the bottom of the list and doesn't get near the attention he deserves. He also doesn't get near the exercise he needs and this leads to some naughty behaviors! I tend to lose my patience with him - but I try to remember what a good boy he is. He is always waiting there for us when we come home (no matter how long we have been gone) and is wagging his tail happily. He is the protector of the kids - when he is outside with them - I have no worries about ANYONE getting close to those kids without getting through him. He can be a real pain sometimes - but he is our pain - and we love him dearly. He is getting older ( 8 years old) - and I dread the day something happens to him - everyone will take it hard - but I worry especially about Emma because she will be devastated. We love you Maxwell Drexler and are thankful to have you in our lives.

7. My home - my house may not be everything I want it to be (its truly a work in progress) - but it is my home - the place I love to come home to at nite! When we bought the house, five years ago, we had big plans - but with the arrival of two kids - some of those big plans have been delayed. We are still trying to get things just the way we want them - but in the meantime I am thankful just to have a roof over my head - because in this economy, its nothing to take for granted. Its the first house Frank and I bought after we were married.....and the place we brought both of our babies home too.....it has so many wonderful memories........and I look forward to making many more there.

6. Our jobs - again, in this economy, having a job is a blessing and nothing to take for granted. I work for my Dad and am lucky enough to work Monday thru Thursday - which is the BEST! I so enjoy having my Fridays to stay home with the kids - I wouldn't trade it for the world. Also, working for my dad gives me lots of flexibility - there is no questions asked if I have to leave to pick up a sick child, or have Dr's appt's. Also, when Greyson was sick - Falcon was wonderful to us - allowing us whatever time off we needed. I truly appreciate having a job and a great boss!

5. Friends - I am thanful for my friends. Although I choose to have a smaller group of close friends - they are still the best of the best! I don't know what I would do without Nancy - although she is closer to a sister - she is still my bestest friend! We talk daily and are each other's sounding boards. I would be INSANE without her. We are so much alike - it can be scary (just ask our husbands!). She knows what I am thinking before I even say it and we can usually just give each other "a look" and know just what we are thinking. I am so thankful to have her and all my friends in my life......they are truly the best.

4. Parents / grandparents - I can't tell you how thankful I am for our parents and my grandparents. First off, my mom is my life-saver - she is always there when I need her - I can call her and at a moments notice, she is there to do whatever is needed. My kids adore her - and enjoy spending time with her. I don't know what I (or the kids) would do without her! Although Franks parents are on the other side of the state, Grandma Drexler always sends them postcards to say hi and remind them how much she loves them - its the simple things that the kids love. Emma and Greyson are also lucky enough to have three great grand parents in their lives........and I only hope that they know how blessed they are to have them around. We love you all and are so thanful to have you in our lives!

(Okay - its a tie between #2 & #3) I couldn't pick!

3. My hubby - Frank. I am also very thankful to have Frank as my husband (although I am sure I don't tell him enough!)!!!! He is such a wonderful father to our kids - and they love him "to the moon and back"! Frank has been working second shift for the last month and this has been hard on everyone in my family - the kids (and I) miss having him home at nite. I didn't realize how fortunate I am to have him home at nite to help with the kids. Its a big job to be alone at nite and I give credit to all the single mom's and dad's that have to do it by themselves - its truly exhausting! Frank does cute things like leaving the kids notes and cards daily just to know that he is thinking about them.......and they just love it! Also, alot of nites he makes dinner before he comes to work - so that I don't have too.......which is a HUGE help. We really appreciate him and all the hard work he puts in at Falcon in order to provide for us......we love you very much Frank!

2. My kids - Emma and Greyson are the most wonderful things in my life and I am so thankful to be their mom. Emma is my first born and is SO much like me - that sometimes its a bit scary. She is five now (going on 16) and I look at her and on the one hand I am so proud of the beautiful little girl that she has become, yet sad about how fast she is growing up. It seems like yesterday that I brought her home from the hospital - and now she is in Kindergarten. She has such a caring heart - and is a HUGE animal lover (just like me). She is great with her little brother - and she is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new sibling to take care of! She is learning so much at Kindergarten that I am amazed at the progress she has made in three short months! I love you very much Emma Hope Drexler and I always will. Greyson is my second born.....and he has given me quite a run for my money! He has such a special place in my heart - he is truly my little momma's boy (although Frank is doing his best to change that!). I don't know if its because of all the health issues we had with him early on - or that I thought that he was my last baby.....but he just looks at me and I melt. Frank often tells me that I am too easy on him - and he is probably right, but when he looks at me with this big blue eyes and says "peas mommy" or "I sowwy (sorry) mommy" - I give in. I don't think he has served a whole two minutes session in the time out chair - because I give in. He makes me smile and laugh more than I ever thought possible. He is also giving me grey hair faster than possible - but that's what color is for right? My kids are the reason that I get out of bed everyday - and they make me yearn to be a better person. I know I'm not the best mom in the world, but they inspire me everyday to try a bit harder. I love you both so much and can't imagine my life without you in it.

1. Health - I am so thankful to have a healthy family - because without health - we would have nothing. We are so blessed that Greyson has been doing so well. His last GI appt went wonderfully and they were very pleased at how well he is doing. They also cautioned us that this does not mean that he will never need a transplant.....so we are hopeful that his health continues. Everyday I remember how awful it was to see my son in a hospital bed and feeling so helpless - I realize how lucky we are that he is healthy and we are not in a hospital on a transplant list. It truly made me realize how we always took health for granted before Greyson and now we know that everything can change in a heartbeat. We are so thankful to have two healthy kids and don't take it for granted for one minute.

So this is my list of things that I am thankful for and I am going to make an effort to look around and be more thankful everyday - not just on Thanksgiving. We are a blessed family - and I am so thankful. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and that too, take a moment to look around and enjoy (and appreciate) the wonderful life you have!