Gratitude

I am feeling a deep sense of gratitude for my family today. I read this blog post today and it reminded me how very very blessed I am. The blog is a friend of a friend who lost her 7 month old baby about a month ago. Since losing Casey I feel a level of sympathy for those who have lost a loved one that I have never experienced before. I cannot even imagine what losing one of my children would be like, and I hope I never have to experience that type of loss.

I am grateful for:

* Boys that love to play with each other and who LOVE their baby sister
* Early morning snuggles with the whole family in our bed
* A two year old who wakes up in the middle of the night wanting me, wanting to be close to me and is only happy if my arms are around him
* A four year old who wants to hold his sister and help me with chores and is trying so hard to teach his little brother what it means to be a good big brother
* A husband who goes to the grocery store late at night even though he's exhausted
* A husband who walks into the kitchen to find me nursing a baby, cooking oatmeal and trying to cut carrots one handed for his lunch, so he takes over the carrot cutting and finishes his own lunch
* Friends who call and ask to take my boys so that I can take a much needed nap
* A Mother who comes and snuggles my boys every night while watching a movie and then sleeps with them through the night so that I can sleep
* A Father, who when I called in the middle of the night to tell him that his first granddaughter was born, wept with joy
* A Mother-In-Law who listens as I worry about what kind of mother I am to my children and then reassures me that I am being successful
* A Father-In-Law who went to work the day his first granddaughter was born and excitedly shared the news with his co-workers
* Spit up down my chest right after a shower
* Never actually being able to clean my house because as I clean it my boys are right behind me with new toys or sticks or raisins or worms or something fantastic
* The Lord who blesses me with strength so that I can care for my family, insight so that I can be a good mother, patience so that I can control my words, the ability to see His tender mercies, and so many other things

I am grateful for the moments I have to remember these things. There are so many other things I am grateful for, the list could go on and on. What are you grateful for today?