Thankful Thursdays...

1. I am extremely thankful for healthy, happy children. Sometimes I think I take that for granted, when in all actuality, I should be thankful each and every day that they have their health and the ability to be who they are!!

2. Neighborhood children. My children just met some of the children that live on our street yesterday. I cannot express the excitement my heart felt for them while I was watching them play & getting to know their new friends...

3. Abbott's ice cream. Chocolate almond with mint sprinkles to be exact (thank you hunny!!)

4. Good friends. I truly don't think I would have made it this far in my life without my best girlfriends (old or new, you know who you are). We have created SO many memories: the 1st boy-girl parties in grammar school, our awkward highschool years, the *drunken* college years, my "I really don't care about the details" wedding, the pregnancies & births of our children, the rocks in the road of marriage, the devestating deaths of loved ones, and the every-day ups and downs of life in general. I love you all and don't know what I would do without you...

5. Fall. I absolutely love the cool breeze in the air, the feel of the leaves, the smell of spiced pumpkin candles & homemade apple crisp. I love walks in the woods with my family and the snuggling under the blankets on cool evenings.

6. My puppy, Tucker. We just found out that he will no longer grow to be the size of a full grown lab like we had been told. He is as big as he's going to get @ 23lbs. For a split second, we were saddened--the thought of a big clumsy dog running and playing in our yard was what we had dreamed of. After that second though, he jumped into my lap, snuggled up on my shoulder, and let out a sigh like that was where he was meant to be all along and all was good with the world. We love him more today than when we brought him home 6 months ago and are so thankful that he is such a great dog with such an amazing personality!!