Gratitude

I have been feeling very grateful lately. It has been on my mind a lot that we are really very blessed. I was listening to Good Morning America this morning while I was in my big chair reading and watching Katie play with her little kitchen set. It was 8:30am and I was still in my pj's and not feeling too bad about it, either. I was hearing them talk about childcare costs and how people are struggling with that more than ever right now and it struck me how blessed we are. I get to stay home with my sweet baby every day and just enjoy her. I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, a home to live in, a reliable vehicle, food, clothes, the best family anyone could ever want, and I get to buy a new purse now and then when I have some extra dollars. I belong to a church full of wonderful happiness and purpose alongside some of the most awesome people ever. I cannot believe how blessed I am. I am overwhelmed by the feeling that I have this abundance of blessings in my life and that I have done absolutely nothing to deserve them. I guess that is my goal now. To try to deserve them.

New Year...

We had a nice holiday and a fun New Year's and are now settling in to our routine again and getting along nicely. Things are usually quiet and slow and that is how we like them. We had a New Year's Eve party here and it was really fun. Kate was pretty sick before Christmas. We even made a trip to the Emergency Room. It was pretty scary, but she came out all right. After waking up all night with a high fever and needing more medicine, she forgot how to sleep all night and nap in her crib. After about a week of that after she was fully recovered, we had to remind her how it was done. I am glad to say it took only one night of letting her cry herself to sleep for her to remember and she is falling asleep on her own in her bed at night and for both of her naps. Needless to say, it is much better! She sure is a sweet little thing. I can't believe how mild-mannered and even-tempered she is. She just doesn't get upset easily. We are being spoiled and when we have another baby, we will get the full taste of that, I am sure. For now, though, we are enjoying her and watching her grow. She is getting teeth #3 and #4 now. She is getting a third one on the bottom, and of all random teeth, one of her top teeth - on the side! Not even a middle one. I have to say, it looks pretty dang funny. I keep trying to get a picture and will post it as soon as I can get her to stop trying to chew on the camera long enough for me to take it!

She has also finally decided she will sit and play instead of just rolling everywhere. And, just like everyone predicted, she decided to sit, crawl, and pull herself up to kneel and stand all within a matter of days of each other. She sure keeps me on my toes!