All month long people have been posting things they are thankful for online. I enjoy reading these and many times I read along thinking, “yep, I’m thankful for that too.” I am one of those people who knows without a doubt how fortunate she is. I have an amazing family, great in-laws, a home, a great job, and two fantastic kids. But this post is not about any of these. Here is a list of ten other, more random things I am grateful for (in no particular order).
1) LEGOS - I’ve known for a while now that little boys love playing with legos, but I really did not “get it” until Ethan got his first real lego set a few years ago. When he opened the box and then sat on the floor for SIX STRAIGHT hours reading instructions and building his firetruck, I thought to myself, “wow, this toy is incredible.” Yes, they are way too expensive. Yes, the little parts get everywhere. Yes, there is a meltdown if a beloved project gets destroyed by a younger brother. But still, what an amazing toy. I really truly think that because of legos Ethan’s reading, math, fine motor skills, and patience has greatly improved. I am officially on the lego bandwagon now. 
2) COSTUMES - My Aaron loves, loves, loves to dress up. It makes his room so messy all the time, but it brings him such joy. And the thing is, when Aaron is dressed-up and in public, he gets smiles from all the people around him. Don’t these pictures make you smile? It’s like he single-handedly makes the world brighter just by donning superhero garb.
3) GOOD SHOES - One of the things I splurged on this summer after Stephen got his new job was a good pair of Nikes to wear to work. It had been so long since I sported my favorite brand and oh what a difference it has made. I am so grateful that my feet are not in pain every day anymore.
4) PRESCHOOL - I talk a lot about my school and Ethan’s classes, but I rarely credit how grateful I am for Aaron’s preschool. It is such a comfort to know that my baby is being taken care of every day. I’m so glad that if I have to leave early, or come late, or whatever, that I don’t have to make special arrangements, it’s just taken care of. I love that Aaron sings, paints, and swings every single day--because I don’t have the energy to do that with him. And the biggest miracle? Aaron seems to be perfectly well-behaved at school. I’m not sure how they pull that off!
5) PH’s DIET is finally under control -- It has taken a long time to figure out how to cook with dairy-free, gluten-free, plus no corn or tomatoes, but this year we’ve finally figured things out. I’m grateful that more companies are making gluten-free substitutes. It is so nice to see my husband at the end of the day without suffering body pains anymore.
6) NO STATE TESTING - This year, as everyone shifts towards common core, we don’t have to take the states testing. Wahoo! I can’t tell you how liberating it is just to be able to teach and not have to worry about teaching towards a test. Plus, as testing usually takes two months (of prep/review, then the test) it’s like we get all those weeks back to finish up things like Science and Social Studies. I’m so glad the state, for once, took things off of the teachers’ plates, instead of constantly adding to them.
7) AMAZON PRIME - I really think the best $80 ever spent was on Amazon Prime two years ago. This has totally revolutionized my world! Not having to travel to a different city to get specific things, not having to time things right to make sure it gets to me on-time. I love, love, love free two-day shipping and don’t want to imagine life without it.
8) MUSIC CLASS - Read with your kid every day, got it. Practice sports and exercise, check. But when it comes to helping with artistic pursuits like singing and playing instruments, I am way out of my element. That’s why I am so glad we signed up Ethan for Let’s Play Music last year. Now in his second year, Ethan is picking up keyboarding skills and is learning to play songs already. It is so fun to see him do something better than me! I really, really want my boys to play the piano (and later other instruments if they want), so I’m hoping this early introduction will carry on through older years.
9) WILD TURKEYS - I get to see real life turkeys nearly every single day of my life. How many people in the world can say that?
10) BASKETBALL - Ethan has just started a new sport and he LOVES it. Every single day after school he’s taken a ball out to dribble. And yesterday, on Thanksgiving, Daddy put up a hoop at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Ethan shot baskets (which he finally just stopped calling “goals”) well into the night with several family members shooting with him off and on. Before bed he said basketball was the best game he’s ever played. Poor Aaron loves it too and does NOT like sitting on the sidelines during Brother’s practices. There are a lot of basketball fans in my family who are rooting for this sport to grab hold. Some friends recently told me that in a test of emotions on a cellular level, gratitude was reported the strongest emotion that a human can feel. This inspires me to both feel more grateful and to express my gratitude more fully to those who deserve it. Thank you then, readers, for listening to me. Thank you to my wonderful friends and family who make my life so fulfilling.
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