Friday, November 30, 2012

30 Days of Thankfulness

Last year, I took part in a 30 days of thankfulness challenge during the month of November.  I put my posts on Facebook.  This year, I did them on Instagram.

1- 30 days of thankfulness kicks off today.  Starting it off right with this hottie.  My #1 guy. The best husband a girl could ask for.  It's been 10.5 years of awesomeness...love you babe!

2- this silly, incredibly kind and loving little boy who made me a mom, and a very proud one too!

3- thankful for this little stinker.  After 2 years of praying, God blessed us with our precious Camden Nicoli. He keeps me on my toes, makes me laugh every day, and fills our home with such joy.

4- My God, my Savior, for His everlasting love, grace, and forgiveness. For showing me the path of life and filling me with joy. #thankswillneverbeenough

5- My fabulous parents. For raising me to love God and other. Letting us live with them rent free for the last two months is pretty awesome too. ;-)


6- Today, on my day of birth, I'm thankful for being born in a country that gives me the freedom to vote! :-)

7- Today, I'm thankful for my little bro. He often tortured me as a kid and still does from time to time, but he has a huge heart, is always willing to help out, and is a great uncle to my boys. Love you Bubba!

8- Thankful for my sweet nephews and their awesome momma.  She's a great sister-in-law and always fun to hang with.  Had a great time at the Children's Museum yesterday. :-)

9- Thankful for my job ;-) who just happens to be my adorable nephew Hudson.  Grateful for the time I get to have with him and bond before they move to KY.

10- Today, with two sick kids, I'm thankful for medicine. Seriously, it is such a luxury to walk to your medicine cabinet and find something to help make you feel better.

11- So incredibly thankful for this sexy Marine of mine and all veterans for their service and sacrifice.

12- Thankful for my grandparents. They are such an example of a loving marriage (60 years next month) and have created such a heritage of faith that I am incredibly proud to be part of.

13- Thankful for my aunt Karen. She is one of the most giving and generous people I know. We have a very special relationship and she is a big part of my boys' lives. I have so many wonderful memories of times spent with her as a child and we continue to make new precious memories all the time.  So blessed to have her in my life!

14- Thankful for our sweet Tucker Brooks. He was our first baby and is the greatest dog ever!  He is Ryker's best buddy and we are blessed to have him in our family.

15- Ever so thankful for my beautiful best friend. We've had over 18 years of friendship.  She's been there for me through thick and thin, has such a gentle, kind spirit that I admire greatly and can always make me smile.  She is the sister of my heart. :) Love you Emma May!

16- Thankful for not 1, but 2 vehicles that safely gets us where we want to go.  Beyond blessed!

17- Thankful for shelter. It may not be ours, but this is where I grew up and has been home for the past two months. I love this house and how cozy and comfortable it is!  Blessed to have such extravagance in this world!

18- Thankful for my sister (in law). So blessed to have her in my life. She is a ton of fun and gives great spiritual advice. She is truly one of my greatest friends.

Day 19- I'm thankful for food.  The sheer abundance and availability in my life is amazing.

20- Incredibly thankful for Anna who just happens to be celebrating her birthday today.  Her friendship means the world to me.  She is always a blast to be with, motivates me to be a better version of myself, and I never have to censor my craziness or reign myself in with her...she embraces my weirdness and I love her for it!


21- I'm thankful for Emily.  I can always count on her for prayer, encouragement, laughter, and great parenting advice.  She walked with me during a time of sorrow and grief in a most beautiful way that held me together and is always celebrating during times of blessings.  She has helped me grow spiritually and I'm beyond grateful for her presence in my life.

22- I'm thankful for Katie.  I joined her small group back when Robert was deployed.  She welcomed me with open arms.  We be different in many ways, but our love of God, family, and country music has bonded us. ;-) She is a great prayer warrior and an extremely loyal friend.  Blessed to have her in my life!

23- Thankful for my in-laws.  Grateful for their love and their fun spirits.

24- I'm thankful for heat!  What a wonderful thing to be able to walk over and adjust your furnace to your degree of comfort, especially when it's as cold out as it is today.  Brr!

25- I'm thankful for naps, especially when they are with this sweet boy of mine, even if he snores like his Papaw. ;-)

26- I'm thankful for washers and dryers.  They are modern conveniences that make my life MUCH easier!

27- Thankful for books.  They educate, entertain, and inspire me. A world without books would be a sad place!

28- I'm thankful for the library.  It serves the community, lets you borrow books for FREE, and offers many programs that help encourage and cultivate a love of reading that I so desire for my boys.

29- Thankful for Christian small business owners.  This is on the coffee table in Ryker's hair salon.  And, Christian music is pouring from its speakers. :-)

30- I'm thankful for Christmas!  I love everything about this season. :)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Meet Thacker

We started a new tradition in our family this year.  We welcomed our very own Elf of the Shelf yesterday.  For those of you not familiar with this, the Elf on the Shelf, is a special elf sent by Santa to watch over little boys and girls to make sure they are behaving and staying on the nice list.  He picks a spot in the house to watch over everyone each day, then reports to Santa every night, and returns in the morning in a new spot.  Ryker decided to name him Thacker (which just happens to be my maiden name).  Both of the boys love searching for him every morning.  I must admit, that Robert and I might be having just as much fun with it as they are!

We filled out the information in his book.

And placed him in his first position to watch over the boys before bedtime last night.

Ryker couldn't wait to try to find him this morning.  He loved that he was up on the cuckoo clock.  He said he must have climbed up the chains to get there.  LOL!

I'll save up some of our favorite spots and post them periodically.