Thankful Tree 2014

In November we started a new family tradition - a Thankful Tree. I bought a stand-up tree from Target and cut out paper leaves. Several times throughout the month, we would share what we were thankful for. Then we added the leaves to the trees. Here is what we were thankful for:

Odin
I'm thankful for...
God
Boo-boo
Grandma reading to me and letting me paint on her tablet.
Mac and cheese and cereal
Watching Mickey Mouse movies on mommy's phone and TV.

Adelyn
I'm thankful for...
Mac and cheese
My family
Mommy and I like your shirt
Genevieve
Muffins

Ben
I'm thankful for...
My children coming in and snuggling with me this morning.
Mommy's back rubs.
My staff hiring someone without my help.

Me
I'm thankful for...
That we can spend time with friends.
That even though we [the girls] live far apart we are still super close.
Play dates.
That daddy let me go for a run.
Adelyn puts a smile on my face.

Woof: I'm thankful for grandma coming.

Dolly: I'm thankful for mommy.

Grandma: I'm thankful for being able to spend time with my 3 special grandchildren.

Heather: Girlfriends who travel lots of miles for a last minute weekend.

Andrea: I'm thankful for Grandparents and that they make girls weekend possible.

Cassie: I'm thankful for annual girls weekend. 11 Years and 6 Years.

Ah, Cars

Sometimes I hate how dependent we are on cars. But today I'm just thankful for the timing of an oil change. I made a routine appointment the other day for an oil change. While they were going through their multi-point inspection, they found a leak on the steering column. Thankfully, it is still under warranty. And thankfully they found it before it actually caused an issue. So, so thankful! Especially since Ben has been gone. I can imagine the kids and me stranded in the middle of Vegas... just kidding. Everyone here is super nice. And I've been to the dealership before, so they know me. Sort of. I would have been fine. But thankful again, that I didn't have to deal with a broken car.

Speaking of being thankful, a few years ago I started posting something I was thankful for every day during November. Last year on Thanksgiving, one of my friends posted on Facebook that she was thankful that it was Thanksgiving so that people would stop posting thankful posts. I was hurt. I liked reading what people were thankful for. And I think it is a great reminder to be thankful. Stop and think about it... when was the last time you said you were thankful? I know how easy it is to get swept up in life and not even realize all the good around us. Our trip to Haiti helped bring things into perspective. And "forcing" myself on a daily basis to find something I am thankful for only makes me happier.

Back to my friend. Part of me was unsure if I should post this year. I began to wonder if I was driving other people nuts. I talked to Ben about this. He was quick to say "Her, her." (An inside joke sort of thing that basically means, who cares what she thinks). He encouraged me to do it. He even suggested that I tagged her in every post so she would not only read it every day, but get notified. I laughed at the idea. But I'm not that mean. :)