13- I am grateful for Sisters. For all the women in my life that have had, or will have that role. Whether by birth, marriage, or pure survival bonding us together. For Irene who calls me, even though I'm horrible at calling her. For Melissa, who joined our family in a whirlwind and I'm so glad she did. For Emily, my baby sister who seems to like us as much as we like her, and has rightfully earned the title of Favorite Aunt to my kiddos. For Trisha, who lets me feel needed and is a fellow mother-of-kids-the-same-size-as-mine. For Bekah, whose fun detail oriented mind keeps the parties WAY nicer than anything I can pull off. For Helen, a wonderfully gracious woman. For Shelly, her smiles and spunk made me feel loved when my other sisters went so far away. For Leigh she's quiet, beautiful, and amazing, I just wish I knew her better. I'd love to spend more time with some of my sisters and get to know them better. It seems I blinked and suddenly I was surrounded by amazing women. Some new in my life, some just a lot more grown up. I am so grateful for my sisters.
14-I am grateful for second hand clothes. Why pay full price when it will look used just as soon as you wear it?? Hand-me-downs have really been a blessing for me. I have 2 little boys, and I've been blessed with lots of boy clothes, so that I don't really need to buy any play clothes at all. And this week, I had a neighbor give me a bag full of size 12 pants. Hurray!! Because those size 10s? Vanity sized. And those 14s? too big. Now I have pants that will fit me and my legs will not turn blue from frostbite.
15- I am grateful for Bountiful Baskets. I've been wishing I could join a produce co-op for years, but there weren't any in the area. Bountiful Baskets came to Cedar City in September, and I picked up my first basket on Halloween. Basically with a large group of people contributing we are able to buy produce at the same price the store gets it. I don't get to pick and choose, but I do get a large basket of produce for an excellent price.
16- I am grateful for a yeast infection that plagues my belly button. I don't know, don't ask. But if I've been eating too much sugar, boy oh boy does the flaming itch on my navel motivate me to change my ways.
17- I am grateful to be a nursing mom. So what if I'm super saggy and deflated, so what if I can't just run off for a whole week? I've lost all of my Willard-baby weight, plus an extra 30 pounds. And Aunt Flo hasn't come-a-calling for at least 13 months. (What is with that one random cycle 2 months post-partum???) Do I miss her? No not really.
18- I am grateful for color. All my life, or at least all that I can remember, I've lived in homes with whitish walls. But when we painted Abby's room pink, wow. It is so very fun having a colorful room. So I think it may just be catching and spread all around the house. I love our colorful world, I always have. My Grandmother Langford had a beautiful flower garden always full of many colors. Staring into the eyes of my little family, I'm amazed by all the facets of color in that one little spot. How dull would life be without color?
19-I am grateful for my education. I may just have an Associates degree from a community-just-turned-state college, but it has served me well. I may have spent all of my time taking practically redundant classes on child-development, but those have served me well too. I've also learned a few things from my various jobs and assignments working in preschool and with special needs kids. My first teachers in that field were my baby brothers therapists. I owe them so much. Without all of the knowledge gleaned from these sources, I'd be completely befuddled in Nursery. Some days, I still am.
20-I am grateful for dirty dishes. I am grateful for food thrown in the garbage can. I am grateful for hours spent in the kitchen. It means we have an incredible bounty of food to eat.
21- I am grateful for my Mother-In-Law. I think I have the best one in the world, really. She loves to spoil the kids, but her version is taking them outside and playing. She will do what I rarely condescend to and pretend to be whatever animal strikes Abby's fancy at the moment. She encourages dirt, thought, music, and imagination. She never tells us how to run our lives. (Well except to say that she thinks we shouldn't sell our car, but that is always a suggestion, not an order). And best of all, she raised the awesom-est sons in the world. They pitch in, they rock babies, they are gnetleman to the core, they respect their mother, but they put their wives first. There is only one left and he's just 18, sorry ladies.
