Happy Thanksgiving! I feel like this year, as with all the recent years, I have a lot to be thankful for. Between the awesome fella that I married and this little lady we are raising, there is so much joy, love and laughter in our lives; even if there are tears, stresses and worries in between, the balance is definitely in our favor.
Last year I managed to blog every single day in November about what I was thankful for and it made for an awesome perspective that entire month. I loved looking over the old posts and seeing that I remain thankful for so many of those things that are still a part of my life, and thinking about all the good stuff that has happened this year to add to my list!
Without further ado, the top five things I am thankful for this year.
1. Our new house: Buying a home to call our own has been a goal of ours for many years and this is the year that we made it a reality. It was an awful, stressful, nearly financially crippling experience but we made it out alive and have a really lovely place that I am so proud to call ours.
2. Maddie's third birthday: I am sure many of you know this, but raising a kid is really hard. Consciously choosing to attempt to raise a kind, compassionate, involved kid who happens to have a huge personality and more energy than the fastest marathon runner kind of makes it even harder. It is of course, our choice to parent a certain way, which stems a lot from our childhood experiences as well as the results that I work with every day from parents who didn't put so much effort in. But hey, we did it: she turned three and she is pretty awesome, and we even decided that maybe we could have another one!
3. Baby number two: Once again I was extremely lucky to have a very easy time getting pregnant once we decided to go for number two, and we found out about her the morning after we closed on our house! Although the first eight weeks were pretty awful, this pregnancy is treating me well and I am loving the feeling of this growing, squirming, healthy baby girl in my belly.
Last year I managed to blog every single day in November about what I was thankful for and it made for an awesome perspective that entire month. I loved looking over the old posts and seeing that I remain thankful for so many of those things that are still a part of my life, and thinking about all the good stuff that has happened this year to add to my list!
Without further ado, the top five things I am thankful for this year.
1. Our new house: Buying a home to call our own has been a goal of ours for many years and this is the year that we made it a reality. It was an awful, stressful, nearly financially crippling experience but we made it out alive and have a really lovely place that I am so proud to call ours.
2. Maddie's third birthday: I am sure many of you know this, but raising a kid is really hard. Consciously choosing to attempt to raise a kind, compassionate, involved kid who happens to have a huge personality and more energy than the fastest marathon runner kind of makes it even harder. It is of course, our choice to parent a certain way, which stems a lot from our childhood experiences as well as the results that I work with every day from parents who didn't put so much effort in. But hey, we did it: she turned three and she is pretty awesome, and we even decided that maybe we could have another one!
3. Baby number two: Once again I was extremely lucky to have a very easy time getting pregnant once we decided to go for number two, and we found out about her the morning after we closed on our house! Although the first eight weeks were pretty awful, this pregnancy is treating me well and I am loving the feeling of this growing, squirming, healthy baby girl in my belly.
4. This Body of Mine: Last Thanksgiving I had just completed my first marathon and on Mother's Day, before we started trying for baby number two, I completed my second. Since I've been pregnant I've continued to run, including a half marathon in October (13 miles at 13 weeks!). While my pace is slower and my miles are shorter, I am so thankful to be able to keep moving, to feel good and to have another healthy and easy pregnancy so far. Running continues to be my alone time but it's also become more and more social as I continue to volunteer with Back on My Feet and have joined my neighborhood running club. Now I spend about as much time running and chatting with someone else as I do solo (well, as much as a 5 month pregnant woman can ever be alone!).
5. My Peeps: I have really good friends, family, neighbors and co-workers; rarely do I find myself in a position where I'm around someone I'd rather not be (I do take the T 5 days a week, ha!) and for that I am thankful. My twenties were full of toxic and obligatory relationships and my thirties have been all about nurturing and enjoying the people around me. The day I finally figured out that I can choose who I surround myself with was a game changer, and from that point on I have filled my life with amazing people who make me feel like a better person just for knowing them.
And then there's my favorite peep of all, that man I married four years ago and with whom I'll cheers seven years of love since our first kiss in February. He truly is the very example of what makes a great partner; he is my friend, my equal, my co-parent and the boy that still makes my knees weak.
This morning Maddie and I slept in and then the three of us completed our first Turkey Trot together! Now we are watching the Macy's Parade and relaxing before dinner with family and friends.
I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and were able to reflect on all the things that make you happy!
Enjoying the first snow of the year!
Post-turkey trot and pre-big ol' breakfast!
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