It's a Wonderful Life: 2009

My dad is a newspaper publisher and has done a Thanksgiving list in his column for as long as I can remember. Since entering the blogosphere, John Mark and I have tried to honor that tradition as his children. Here goes:

I am thankful to serve a loving God, a forgiving God, and a miraculous God.

I have a wonderful, amazing, patient husband. I honestly think I could do an entire list just on reasons I am thankful for Ivan. I started to put "you have no idea what this man puts up with," but a lot of you probably do :)

A precious child who is energetic, funny, smart, and courteous (most of the time).

A town where many are concerned about my well being.

Jeff Sosman, possibly the kindest, most compassionate oncologist on the planet. AND he is brilliant.

Nights when Preston asks me to be his cuddle buddy before he goes to sleep.

Steven Tyler is not really leaving Aerosmith.

I still have a year and a half before Oprah stops doing her show.

My new nephew, Kashiku and his beautiful eyes. Just a few more days until I get to love on him!

Preston's exuberance over meeting Kashiku and having a boy cousin.

A dad who lives up to all my "perfect dad" dreams.

Catlin and Hannah - God gave me these nieces who are PERFECT for me. I love the time we spend together and I love their sweet hearts when they play with Preston.

A brother and sister-in-law who are obedient to God's calling.

My niece (name can't be disclosed yet) in Ethiopia and her beautiful smile.

A mom who still parents me every single day, prays for me daily, and always wants what is best for me.

The legacy of Wallace York

A paternal grandmother who never gives up and always has a smile on her face when I show up at her door

Jimmy Dyer - his gift of teaching and his sweet spirit

Facebook and the opportunity to reconnect with people I had lost touch with.

The view from my living room - a constant reminder of the glory of God's creation and of God's blessings in my life.

A maternal grandmother who "gets me" and loves me unconditionally

Kenneth Wayne Phelps joined "the miracle club"

Sandi Walker and Penny Mahan - I literally thank God for them daily and will have them on my Thanksgiving list EVERY YEAR. They gave me my mobility back AND the ability to care for my child again. How can you ever thank someone enough for that?

A sister-in-law who lets my child play with moon sand at her house so I don't have to at mine!

The parenting DT class at Southside this fall - we all had such a great time in that class and got so much support from each other.

I'm thankful that "my story" never gets old. I'm thankful that not a day goes by that I don't remember that my healing was truly miraculous.

The power of prayer

My commute to and from work - while some times it would be nice to get home quicker in the evenings, I love that time to listen to my ipod and decompress before I get home to my favorite guys.

The music at Southside Baptist Church

My child is kept by his two loving grandmothers while I work, so I never have to worry about him.

Thinking about Preston riding in a combine with my father-in-law or going to a football game in with my dad and knowing the grandfathers are enjoying it even more than Preston is.

The anticipation of Michael and Sarah's child and all the spoiling that will come with it.

My girlfriends from high school - many of them have matured so much and have become wonderful, godly women who bless me with their friendship and prayers.

I survived the 2009 ice storm.

Preston's first trip to Disney world. And I think he loved the fireworks almost as much as his mother!

Vicki Viar - she keeps me sane in all my scared cancer moments. She loves me through my high maintenance moments.

My new Disney Christmas tree

Starbucks

Glee

Ivan and I just returned from a weekend trip to Cincinnati. We took the girls and Preston along. The girls and I went to see Taylor Swift and Keith Urban in concert on Friday night, and we all went to the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday. We also stopped briefly at Bernheim Forest on the way back to Princeton to give the kids a chance to burn off some energy.

The trip went well, but I am glad I am only the mother of one! Not that the girls weren't good - they were great! Three is just three times the work! Catlin and Hannah are awesome cousins and definitely enteretained Preston well this weekend. He loves them and I am so thankful for the relationship they have!

The first picture is of the kids waiting to eat on Friday night. Preston was less than thrilled about having to be still for more than half a second. The next picture is of all three kids at the zoo. The third picture is of Hannah reading a bedtime story to Preston. As you can see, that girl never misses an opportunity to pose! The fourth picture is of the girls at the concert, and the last picture is of the girls at the Canopy Walk at Bernheim Forest. Hannah asked if she could bungee jump the 75 feet to the ground!