thankful [2010].

Another year has gone by, a year full of things to be thankful for. Today we celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday washed out by football and turkey. Thanksgiving is a time to remember what we all have to be thankful for. I have so much.

I'm thankful for late night snuggles and midnight intruders in to my bed. I'm thankful for messy bubble baths where more soapy water ends up on me and my tile than either of my children. I'm thankful for syrup scented foreheads, long after breakfast has been cleaned up. For jammied, lotioned, soft sleeping babies. I'm thankful for long lashes that bat in my direction. I'm thankful for a head of thick, brunette, curls that make it effortless to find my tiny in a sea full of toddlers.

I am thankful for sunshine in November. I'm thankful for a Starbucks latte on an early morning. Sometimes more thankful for a lukewarm cup of coffee, brewed in my very own kitchen and shared on a couch between two sets of chubby things and cheerio crumbs.

I am thankful for sisters who share their secrets, their wildest dreams, their tears, but best of all, their laughter. Thankful for a warm bed that is often paralyzing in the morning. A bed filled with morsels of popcorn, goldfish and juice box straws. The same bed filled with memories of many cuddles, a routine of bedtime lotion and tooth brushing and an occasional Pixar movie party. A bed whose sheet smell's recapture the first day of bringing home a newborn and whose pillow's softness speak the sweet, familiar week of a preschooler's first cast.

I am thankful for dinner dates. For my best friend, a man who shares two imperative titles, both best friend and husband. My ally and teammate in parenting, my sidekick in late night channel surfing, my companion in life, love and laughter.I am thankful for his endless support in all aspects of my life. I am thankful for his hard work and dedication allowing me to worry about nothing but the task of raising three little men. I am thankful for his positive attitude and contagious merriment. For his continuous affection and his generous ways. I am thankful for his infectious smile, his boisterous laughter and his playful jokes. I am thankful he is mine.

I am thankful for my {almost} finished college education. For persistence and hard work tied with assistance from many to cross the finish line. I am thankful for a mother who shares wisdom, acceptance and love that knows no boundaries. Thankful for her selflessness. Thankful for her demonstration of how to be a good mother. I am thankful for a mother in law who treats me as her own daughter. Thankful that with open arms and an even wider open heart she never hesitates to watch my boys or come to our side with aide. I am so very thankful for all of my family who not only comes together on the holidays, but on random weeknights for dinner and good conversation. For family who loves my children like they are their own.

I am thankful for each bundle of blue I've been given. Thankful for baby kicks from within, reminding me at any given minute that I have so much to be thankful for, beyond that can even be seen. I am thankful for the future, that holds excitement, anticipation, and a sweet new newborn head to kiss.

I am thankful for Mason's laugh and Max's rarely caught real-not-for-the-camera smile. Thankful for their kisses, whether given or when need be stolen.

So thankful, for so much.