Monday Thanks

I have never jumped on the blogging and/or Facebook status bandwagon of a month of giving thanks. I like reading what others write, and sometimes I even go "Shoot, I wish I had written that first." But I didn't. So here we are, November, and I have a few things to be thankful for. In no particular order or reverence.

1. My husband....and his vacation. Paul took his week of vacation days last week and it. was. wonderful. I know, I know, he works about 30 yards from our house and I can take the girls over to see him any time I want. He can pick up Abigail from preschool. He comes home for lunch every day. I totally get the fact that I am ultimately blessed by my husband's job....in it's flexibility, proximity, and a bunch of great people who come along with it. But, hey, a vacation is still a vacation. Even if we were not sunning ourselves on the sands of Florida, I loved our little daytime trips last week. Our lunches out. Our free evening at the Children's Museum. Having him home in the mornings when I felt like I needed one more hour of sleep. I love him. And his job. And his vacation from that job.

2. Okay, this is kind of about my husband again, but on a different note. I love that he knows how to be the daddy to girls. Yes, I know that he longs for a boy to join our family with whom he can watch the Cardinals and WWE and toss a baseball in the backyard. I know that would be a whole different kind of daddy experience for him. But yesterday I walked into the living room, and he and Abigail were getting married. I walked in during the vow portion of the ceremony. And they had decorated the living room. And already had eaten their cake (real cake). He is SO GOOD at oooh-ing and aaaahhh-ing over sparkles and tutus and Sunday dresses. He is teaching these girls what a prince is, and I hope they remember that someday when they see some punk with a tattoo and feel a flutter in their stomach. Grrr.

3. Coffee Mate....the holiday ones. I am a flavored coffee girl. I drink it decaf, so for me, it is all about the flavor and the warmth, not about the energy. And I have had the Peppermint Stick and am now on Sugar and Spice. And yum.

4. My mama. Because she is an awesome mama and an awesome Memaw. She makes me laugh with facebook comments and helps me in times of need. She works hard. She makes the best chocolate chip cookies. And cinnamon rolls. If I go more than a week without seeing her or having a good, long talk with her, I feel it. I always think I am sad that my girls are growing up so fast, but if we can just sit someday and have long talks as friends like I do with my mama now, then I can look forward to their growing up.

5. Gift cards. I had some leftover gift card money from when Sadie was born, so the other day I bought matching Christmas dresses for Sadie and Abigail. So cute. I pretty much never ever pay full price for any kids clothes because they outgrow them so fast. We only have hand-me-downs, or clearance rack, or Once Upon a Child. However, there are two things I am willing to pay full price for (as long as it is under 20 bucks)....Easter dresses and Christmas dresses. That's kind of silly when you think about it, because they will actually wear these less times than their regular clothes. It's just the thought of something new and pretty for those holidays that I can't resist. However, I did get to use gift card money toward the dresses the other day, which took the sting out of buying two dresses a little bit. Yay, Target gift cards. I heart you.

I will stop there for now. I'm sure I will have more lists later, so I won't use them all up. I can tell you one thing I am NOT thankful for today. My cat. She ate the leaves off of some flowers we were given AND the ribbon off a helium balloon from a baby shower yesterday, and I woke up to find three places she had thrown up in the living room. Today? I hate my cat. But I'm thankful for everything else...especially good carpet cleaner.