30 Days of Gratitude...

Welcome to November!  I love this month.  Really, all months in the fall.  But specifically, I like November best.  One because marching season is over and Chris comes home for dinner.  Two the weather changes and gets cooler a little more often.

And three, I adore a holiday dedicated to thankfulness.

The food's not bad either.

I've spent the last couple of days thinking about doing another month long list of gratitude posts.  Could I do it?  Where would I find the time?  And more importantly, could I actually string together 30 days of functional brain activity?

So here's what I've decided:

I'll try.

That's what I tell Aubrey Kate all the time.  She loves to tell me, "I can't!"  For pretty much everything. So I do what all moms have been doing since the dawn of time.

I make her try.

Or attempt to make her try.

Let's all just be real and admit the toddler does occasionally win.

I went through last November's posts as a refresher.  Good stuff.  Just moved into the house, hoping for a baby, working part time, loving Aubrey Kate full time...it was an amazing month.

Especially since there was a very miraculous secret hidden in that month.

Ta-da!

Cutest secret ever!

This year I've been feeling a little more homesick than normal.

Home being heaven.

Not sure why exactly but my spirit is tired.  Maybe it's all the yelling on Facebook about politics.  Maybe it's friends with too many doctor appointments.  Maybe it's the end of the longest marching season ever.  Heck, maybe it's one to many "I can't"s from the toddler.

Regardless, I am tired.  And longing for the rest of an eternity of praising and worshiping My Father.

Glory!

So this year I am going to focus on the people in my life here who make this world less tiresome and more joyful.  There are so many wonderful people in our life.  More than a month's worth for sure.  I have a few in mind already but honestly, I'm praying the Lord will lay someone on my heart each day.  

It's time for good old fashioned encouragement!

Of course I am also accepting any and all forms of bribery to make the list.  Cash, free childcare, restaurant gift cards and/or lavish paid trips to Banana Republic.

Just throwin' that out there.

Today, I'll start with Aubrey Kate's preschool teachers, Mrs. Dawn and Mrs. Kelly.  They are such sweet ladies and they truly love all of the kids.  

Aubrey Kate comes home singing wonderful songs, saying fabulous new prayers and teaching me a few little tricks.

Like "walking feet."

On the playground, they have to put on their walking feet to play.  Gone are the days of running, tag and hide and seek.  But I absolutely love "walking feet!"  

It works indoors too.

Last week, they learned about baby Moses.  AK came home with this little paper box, a cotton ball as a pillow, a red piece of felt as a blanket and a picture of a baby to lay inside.  

She loves it.

Thankfully, she already knew the story of baby Moses but having a visual aid is certainly beneficial.  She loves to play with baby Moses and talk about the story.

What a joy to see her enjoy the stories of the bible!

Her sweet teachers (and the school itself) are such a blessing.  I am grateful for how they love her and how much she loves them.  

And Deacon.  We really love Deacon (He's the spider on the left end).