Days 8 & 9

I've fallen a little behind, but that doesn't mean I'm any less grateful. So please, allow me to catch up on yesterday, and post for today too.

On day 8, I was thankful for the opportunity to be a stay at home mom.  Along with that, I must give credit to Ryan, who works hard to provide for us so that I can be afforded the opportunity.  

Yesterday, Ian was kind of cranky, but even in the midst of it, I had to be grateful.  First of all, because my son is an incredible gift, even when he's fussy.  But second, I'm so glad that I get to be around for all the really cool stuff going on in these formative years.  I'm so thankful that I don't have let "strangers" watch him develop; thankful that I can be a significant influence on him as he grows, and by God's grace instilling him with a solid foundation. While this is a HUGE responsibility, I am humbled and so very thankful for it.

And really, just how cool is it to see every step of the way from this

to this

So awesome.

Day 9 - Today was a three-fer.  

First off, I was thankful for hugs from my husband.  You see, sometimes I just make a mess of a lot of things, at least in my mind. (And when that happens it tends to transfer outside my mind to my actions and reactions. Not really good.)  But Ryan, being the marvelous man that he is, just bears with me, gives me a hug, and things get much better.  I'm so grateful for his arms around me.

Next, I was grateful for the heat in my home, especially this morning when the wind was blowing and snow was flurry-ing through the air.  In light of all that, it's so nice to have a warm place to stay, plain and simple.

And finally, I was grateful for naps. Not for myself, mind you, but for Ian.  It was a rough morning. I wasn't feeling well, Ian was full of energy, I was having a hard time with keeping up.  So when nap time rolled around, I was ever so grateful just to slow down a little and catch my breath.  Amazing what can happen in that 2 hours or so of nap time. Incredible.

An additional thought - Nine days into this Gratitude project, I'm finding that days go better when you focus on what you're grateful for.  Like today...it was a rough start. I was thinking that it just wasn't going to be a very good day. I even sort of wanted to skip coming up with something to be grateful for. I'm so glad I didn't.  Once I chose gratitude, my attitude and day turned right around.  Kind of amazing how God designed that.