Thankfulness

In this season of giving thanks, here is a week's full of things to be thankful for:

Monday... Norah, Maddie, and I were proud to recognize Dan and all his fellow veterans on Veteran's Day (observed). Dan doesn't get the day off work, but we have a tradition of taking him out to lunch to celebrate his service. Norah is now old enough that she's starting to ask Dan questions about what he did in the Army - at this point mostly about his uniform, the trucks he got to ride in, the helicopters he saw, etc.  We're thankful for the many freedoms that we have and the sacrifices America's veterans have made in order to preserve this.

Playing Army

The real thing... deployed in Iraq

Tuesday... Dan and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. What a fun day our wedding was... followed by so many memorable ones since then. I am thankful to have been married to such a loving, kind, and generous man for the past eight years, and for the beautiful family that has come into being during that time.

Wedding day...

...And now!

Anniversary pic... Norah took this one!

Wednesday... Norah had her Thanksgiving feast at school, and I was able to be a part of it. We are thankful that Norah is having such a fun time in preschool and that she has been blessed with teachers that she loves. I am also thankful that I can be there for events like these - now that I'm staying home with my girls full time. (I officially left my position with Fresno State MESA on November 1. It was a great job that allowed me to work with some amazing students and teachers, but Dan and I both felt that the time was right for me to be home with Norah and Maddie.) Also on Wednesday, Dan took and passed his broker's exam, which will allow him some additional opportunities at work. Not surprisingly, he waited until the last minute to study, but as usual it all worked out in the end. Congrats to Dan :)

Thursday... Dan turned 33! We celebrated with some nice family time at home, and of course, cake! I am thankful that Dan has let me be a part of his amazing life for the past 13-plus years, and for his family, who helped him grow into the man I love.

Friday... Dan and I had a date night. I am thankful for our usual tradition of family dinners, which give us time to tell each other about our days and spend some good family time together, but I am also thankful for the occasional times when Dan and I can have dinner alone. In addition, I am thankful for our Grandma and Grandpa babysitters, who Norah was probably more excited to spend the evening with, anyway.

Saturday... While most of the day was spent catching up on errands and house cleaning, we did certainly make time to watch Notre Dame beat Wake Forest in football to go 11-0. We were all thankful for the victory! It's been a fun season to watch.

Sunday... Some of our neighbors organized a Christmas tree lighting party, complete with a crane to get the lights up in the tall trees. Norah was in heaven watching all the lights go up, and even got to take a short ride in the crane. I am thankful for the excitement of the holiday season, especially now that I get to watch it through Norah and Maddie's eyes.

It's been a busy week - with lots of blessings - with another one to follow. Happy Thanksgiving to all!