16 Reasons to be Thankful

I've a lot to be thankful for this week.

1. My four children. I have to say that over and over. Mother of four.  Responsible for 16 limbs, 80 fingernails and toes. Snuggling requires taking turns rotating into ideal position next to me.

2. The Giants!  The giants have been our family team for time immemorial.  I watch games when I'm around Pam or when they make it to the post season.  There have been a lot of sports in my home this month which I find a bit disorienting.

3. My inherited Utah family.  This week we went to the wedding of the last of his close buddies.  The guy on the left is Hush's cousin DJ and then his wife GoKart. On my right are the Jaylies.

4. I love this picture.  DJ, Hush and Jay in their baller suits solving the problems of the world as we wait outside the Salt Lake Temple for Chids to come out.  These good men are three of the reasons I married Hush.  I judge people by the company they keep.

5. Cousins and second cousins.

6. So thankful for this new little family.  It's interesting to have a blended family because I have to make special effort to spend time with just Hush and Bettylou in order to develop our bond as child and parents. The six of us feel like a normal family, totally assimilated with no separation between siblings. But this baby also deserves undivided time and love.

7.  Dancing! We haven't had much dancing time this summer but they played our song "Oh What a Night" and BL danced with her daddy for the first time.

8. These guys and how they support my husband.  Out of the four of them he was self-nominated as the least likely to have a wife and family, but here he is after a successful year of fatherhood kicking ass at it.  Interestingly, his buddy Chids married a woman with three young sons which I interpret as a nod to Hush's and my happiness in our marriage and family.  

9.  Mimi's enthusiasm for all events at school.  She's a party person and fearless in her crazy hair creation.

10. Cubby who wore this cereal box hat all day at kindergarten.  

11.  I'm thankful that Silas is hilarious.  He's pretty much a disaster.  He's messy and surly and throws his long limbs around near my baby. He is everything a displaced four year old could be when getting a new sister.

12. I'm thankful Hush is teaching Jude about sports.  BYU is Hush's team and this weekend he took Jude and Grandpa Jim to the football game.  Never was a little boy more excited.  

13. I'm thankful that my friends (especially Rebekah and Jessica) love my baby and have baby fever.

14.  I'm only kind of thankful for church. I went to the women's meeting at the huge conference center last week.  We had church all weekend this week. I'm churched out.

15. Meals! One of the major perks of church attendance is that they bring you meals when you have a baby.  Of course you inevitably end up with a surplus of food.  In order to get my kids to polish off the huge salad we received the other day I made one dinner a no forks salad eating contest.  It was messy and really funny, inspired by the mom in Christmas Story.  "How do little piggies eat?"

Hush won.

16. Mostly I'm thankful I have a healthy perfect baby who is finally gaining a little bit of weight after struggling to grow the first few weeks.  We have a hard time nursing, but she is a good sleeper and snuggler.