Things I love...

It's always been very easy for me to fall into a "woe is me" state of mind.  It is so easy to dwell on the negative...why is that?  It's so much better for you to dwell on the positive. I complain a lot to my mom and Jake...but my mom helped me realize that it's okay.  If I don't share my stresses, keeping them pent up inside will not help.  But my blog is not the place for this.  So instead of listing my troubles out, I decided to count my blessings and think of all the things that I love and make me happy.  This will probably turn into a "to be continued" post because I do have a ton of things to be grateful for.  Let's focus on family today...

**My family: Jacob and Elizabeth are my world.  They are gone today, giving me a break to rest, get to feeling better and get caught up on all of the things that have fallen by the wayside lately, and it bothers me!  I love when the three of us are together.  Elizabeth was running a high fever last night and was feeling pretty pathetic.  She sprawled out on the couch between Jake and I and just stared off into space, whimpering every now and then.  It broke my heart of course, but I was also happy, because we were there together as a family and had said a prayer that she would get better.  She's 100% this morning. :)  I am quite content to just be together, just the 3 of us.

**I love how Elizabeth knows I am her mother and what that means. She knows when she is hurt and is crying she can come to me and I'll pick her up and rock her...even if she's just fake crying. :)  She loves resituating me so she can climb into my lap, sometimes bringing a book along with her for us to read.  When I'm laying down with her she scootches as close to me as she can get and pats her back so I will rub it (she SO gets that from me!).  The first word out of her mouth every morning when I wake her up is "mama."  She already knows how to push my buttons, how to make me smile and laugh, and how to get me to give her what ever she wants.  She is perfect.

**I love how Jacob knows me.  It's eerie how well how knows me.  I can't tell you how many times I've wondered if he has some super human power to read my mind.  He knows what I am thinking about 90% of the time...and that's no exaggeration.  It's annoying sometimes but most of the time, very convenient and actually pretty funny.  We've been together for 6 years and I can't imagine life without him.

**My parents: They (and Jake) know me better than anyone else.  My mom can tell by my "hello" when I answer the phone if something is wrong.  And she's pretty good at getting it out of me.  Scratch that.  Very good.  My dad and I are too much alike.  He's the one I call when I have a question because he'll know the answer...and if he doesn't, he makes a point of finding it and calling me back.  They would do anything for me and their selfless love is an inspiration to me.

**My siblings:  My sister and brother are my best friends.  Brooke is the planner...she likes to know what she's doing, when she's doing it, and even what she's wearing when she's doing said activity.  She's already planning wardrobe choices for our family vacation to Destin.  In June.  It's March. And that's why we love her.  She is a wonderful mother and I've so enjoyed being able to share stories and advice in our journeys through motherhood.  I love her sweet daughter and amazing husband more than I thought possible.  My brother was gone for 2 years and I realized how much he adds to our family gatherings.  And I don't mean by adding his gigantic, 6' 4" self.  I mean his humor, his sarcasm, his stories and his ability to make everyone feel important.  He's always been my big, little brother...acting like my big brother most of the time. :)

**Jake's family:  I love his family.  They make me laugh ALL of the time, they are not afraid of anything, and most important, they know how to have fun!  They would do anything for anyone at anytime...I've seen that numerous times.  I love to hang out with his family because I honestly can forget every stress I have and just laugh and relax.  I love how they accepted me into their family from day 1 and treated me like I had always been a part of their family.  It was never difficult to feel like family or to fit in.  I love them for that.

**Extended family:  Too many people to name!  I am lucky to have 4 sets of living grandparents, all of whom are amazing people in their own ways.  They have set perfect examples for me to follow my entire life.  I am close to numerous aunts and uncles and cousins that are my best friends and confidants.  When I see them it feels like no time has passed...I will always treasure these relationships.

Life is good.  I have to remind myself of that.  I struggle with remembering that sometimes.  My job has been very difficult this year.  It was already hard to be a working mom, but when you have a job that literally drives you crazy, it's even worse.  Which is the point of this blog and the ones to follow.  I need to count my blessings.  The Lord has blessed me beyond measure and recognizing those blessings help me find joy in this journey.  Joy = Happiness.  Happiness = Perfection.