..thankful..

my dear sweet boys,

happy thanksgiving! sammy boy's first, and finn's second. i think as the two of you get older, you'll come to appreciate and love this holiday as much as i do. any excuse to stuff yourself silly, right? just kidding. it really is so nice to take a break for a day. to be surrounded by the people you love most and ponder all the blessings you've been given. what's even better, is that the whole month of november, in a way, is dedicated to being thankful. i mean, i know that being thankful for what we have is something we should carry in our hearts every day of the year, but it is nice to have a day, and a month, to think on it even more than we normally do.

it seems that each year i get older, i have more and more to be thankful for. i suppose it's just a natural thing, as every year here on earth brings more blessings than the year before. bear with me as i list some of the things i'm most thankful for from this past year:

*getting pregnant so easily for the second time. i have a few very dear friends who are/have been struggling with infertility. i can't claim to know what they are going through, but my heart aches for each of them. it is something that i don't understand, since the desire for a loving, married couple to bring a baby into the world is such a righteous one. i can't understand why heavnely father would deny them that. i know that there is a purpose and a reason for everything, and i am not doubting heavenly father and his plan, i guess i just don't understand. i know we all have trials and i suppose that not being able to get pregnant is some people trial here on this earth, which makes me ever so thankful to have been blessed with getting pregnant so easily both times.
*an uncomplicated pregnancy.
*having a doctor that i trust and have come to love. seriously though, i love dr. barton and kind of want to have another baby soon so that i can keep going to him once a month. ;) just kidding. kind of.
*our trip to hawaii. it was so fun to spend an entire week in paradise with the people i love most. hopefully we'll get to go back with sam, too, one day.
*all the work that dad has been blessed with. i know that this comes straight from heaven, and i'm forever thankful to heavenly father for providing dad with a steady workflow in such an unsteady economy. i'm thankful to dad for being willing to work so hard to provide for us, and for the opportunity it gives me to stay at home with you guys all day.
*all of our temporal blessings....our house, our cars, the clothes in our closets, the food in our pantry, the many decorations that make our house a home. i know we don't need any of these things to be happy (well, maybe food) but they sure do make our lives easier and i'm thankful for that.
*the safe arrival of you, mr. samuel james. obviously this was our biggest blessing this year! i'm so thankful for the love and joy your bring to my life, and to our family. at this point in time you complete us, and i don't know what we'd do without you.
*good health and safety (for the most part) for our family. we had some scares this year (finn's tooth accident, the time i found finn out in the middle of the road, childbirth round 2, my appendicitis) but we made it through and i'm so grateful for that. i know we have guardian angels keeping watch.

these are just a few. i'm really so thankful for so much more, but because i'm running short on time i'll leave it at that for now. :)

this year on instagram, i decided to post a picture of something i was thankful for every day leading up to thanksgiving. i hashtagged them #monthofthanks and #gratefulgram. i'm really glad i did this, and i think i'll do it every year, and as soon as you're both old enough i'll encourage you to do it as well. even on the worst of days - like the day i was stuck in the hospital due to an appendicitis - there is always something to be thankful for, and i think it is important to never forget that. :)

grateful for my boys. grateful for date night, even if there are tag-alongs. ;) grateful boys napped at same time so i could get ready.
grateful finn is old enough for nursery. grateful for my mom. grateful for privilege of voting.
grateful for modern medicine. grateful for whit. grateful for dad. 

grateful for visiting teaching. grateful for sammy boy. grateful for a reliable car to drive.
grateful to be married, in the temple. grateful for duke and claus, my furry children. grateful that finn is a good bro.
grateful for the opportunity to bear children. grateful for the baby whisperer. grateful for our college friends.

grateful to sam for sleeping well so i had energy to put christmas decorations up. grateful to be a stay-at-home-mom.
grateful for sam's birth photos. happy thanksgiving 2012, from the powell's. 

we celebrated thanksgiving today at the osborne's house. we enjoyed a delicious meal of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, rolls and let's not forget delicious pies for dessert! it was nice to be surrounded by those we love, catching up on each other's lives as we stuffed ourselves full of food. afterwards we stopped by the mackie's to visit with the powell side of the family for a while. most of the people there had never met you, mr. sam, and were so excited to finally see you!

then we came home and dipped into a food coma. haha what is it about thanksgiving that makes everyone so tired?? something in the turkey, i know. but really i didn't even eat that much turkey and i was still so exhausted. oh yeah, i have a newborn, how could i forget?! jk. it was a very happy holiday indeed, and i'm so grateful that we had dad all to ourselves for one whole day. that is rare! i'm mostly thankful for the joy and love you boys have brought to my heart. a mother's love is something that no one can understand until they experience it for themselves. i'm so beyond grateful for the gift i've been given to take care of each of you, and for heavenly father's trust in me to do it. we definitely have our hard days, but it is the best, most rewarding thing i've ever experienced. i'm thankful to you two for helping me through it, and for being the best little boys a mom could ever ask for.

love,
mom