Thanksgiving

So it is Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, but Rob and I will be on the road headed to the East Coast, before leaving for South Africa. It is now 4:28am and I am exhausted. Thomas has been awake since midnight. I'm not sure what is going on but as of about 5 weeks ago he stopped sleeping through the night. If I give him a bottle he will drink it and go back to sleep, but this is not a pattern I want to be in. So I have had 2 hours of sleep. I miss sleeping for 8 hours in a row. That hasn't happened since before I was pregnant. I wonder when it will happen again.

I thought I would express some of the things I am grateful for since it is Thanksgiving tomorrow and I won't be near a computer then.

(1) The Gospel of Jesus Christ
I am so grateful for the knowledge and understanding I have and for my parents teaching me these things as a child. What a blessing to know the purpose of this life and to be able to make decisions based on true principles. It makes the challenges of life easier to deal with and I am able to feel peace despite what happens to me. I know I am a daughter of God and with the resulting divine attributes I have, I know I can achieve so much.

(2) My little family

I patiently waited a LONG time to meet Rob and start this little family I now have. How grateful I am for a loving husband and my two boys! They bring so much joy into my life and it is wonderful to know we will be together forever. Even though being a mom is so exhausting, it is even more rewarding. I love seeing Luke and Thomas grow and develop. I look forward to teaching them everything I know.

(3) Friends
I have been blessed with such marvelous friends. I have wonderful friends in South Africa, whom I will see soon, and I have wonderful friends here in the USA and other parts of the world. I am grateful for their love and all they do for me (including helping with washing the twins' stinky diapers, helping with the boys, listening to me, and so on). There are some friends in particular who have done so much for me recently that my heart is full of gratitude. Thank you!

(4) Photography
I am grateful for this new hobby of mine which I am still learning a lot about. I love learning the design principles and more about my camera, as well as post-processing. I feel like I am slowly getting better and one day I hope to be really good. I am also fortunate that Rob encourages me in this pursuit and enjoys doing it with me.

(5) Sleep
I have always enjoyed sleeping. With being so sleep deprived these past few months, I have come to appreciate sleep even more. I am really grateful for the times when I am able to sleep.

(6) Holidays
I am grateful for the holidays, especially the Christmas holidays. Not only is Christmas a time to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ, but it is a time to spend it with family. Rob and I are particularly lucky this year because we will both get to spend time with our grandparents, parents and all our siblings. I haven't spent time with all my family since Christmas 2007.

Well, these are just a few of the things I am grateful for. I really am blessed!