thankful.

i've been feeling really grateful and content recently.  and i figured it would do me some good to not wait until thanksgiving to make a list of some of the things that i feel really thankful for.  these are some of the 'big' things, although there are about a million little things that i am thankful for on a daily basis, like watching the rain on our front porch with my daughter or when avery sleeps until 7 am or when charlie makes blueberry pancakes.  those things matter, too! 

1.  my job

it's not a perfect job, not a dream job, nor what i pictured myself doing when i was graduating from college.  but, i work with some really good people.  i don't deal with a lot of the workplace drama that i know a large amount of the population does.  i have a great boss, multiple bosses really, because who i technically report to has changed pretty frequently.  everyone has treated me more than fairly and been more than flexible with my schedule both when i was pregnant and then after i had avery.  i can tell you that not many jobs would allow for an employee to return part-time after maternity leave and then stay part-time AND allow them to telecommute.  my days can be pretty crazy but i wouldn't trade the ability to stay working and help provide for our family while being at home with my daughter for anything.  i also feel pretty fortunate to work for a company that i think is actually making a positive difference in the world.  i feel like what i do does matter and what our company does matters as well.  

2.   charlie

i won't write much about charlie because i keep most of that stuff between us.  i will say that i feel really fortunate to be married to a person who is my best friend and who i love more each day.  he's a great role model for avery and a really involved dad.  we can argue with the best of them but we agree on the big, important things.  some of the best times in my life have been nights spent just hanging out with him.  

3.  our house

i really do love our house.  i was freaking out a bit when we first purchased it because it didn't feel like a home, but over the past year it's really become much more than 'just a house'.  it's not huge by any means, which is one of the things that i love about it.  i love that there's still a long list of things that we'd like to do or would want to do for fun to make it even more 'ours' but it more than meets our needs and the needs of our growing family.  our kids won't grow up in a huge place, but hopefully that will make them closer since there are less places to 'escape' to and i definitely see some room sharing in their future.  

4.  avery

she's so much fun.  i love watching her grow up and i love the age that she's at right now.  she's a really sweet kid; i get lots of unprompted kisses and hugs throughout the day.  i cannot wait to watch her grow throughout the years and see the kind of person she becomes.  

5.  avery's brother or sister

charlie and i knew that we wanted more kids after avery but i have to say i always thought that if she was all we 'got' i would consider myself more than blessed.  we are both so excited for this second baby.  i'm even more anxious this time to find out if it's a boy or a girl.  and i'm looking forward to the chaos of 2 babies and the possibility of three december birthdays.  i think having avery makes this even more exciting in a way because not only do we know how awesome it is to have a baby (even if it is really hard!) but we're also so excited to see how avery reacts and for her to have a sibling as she grows up.  

6.  family

we don't live close, although i really do wish that we did, but we have great families.  i really do wish that we were closer to everyone but i feel so thankful that we have people in our lives who make the effort to stay in touch, visit when they can, and be a part of avery's life even if we are far away.  

7.  our crazy animals

they've definitely taken a backseat since avery's come along but they are great companions.  they're all great with avery, even henry the grump and toby the jerk.  they let her get away with things that they would never allow from us.  the dogs also force me to go for walks when i don't want to and the cats are always up for cuddling, unless they're outside hunting rabbits.  they also all get along really well, which is really lucky considering how many people i know who have cats and dogs who hate each other.  

8.  living in colorado

there are definite downsides, like the cost of traveling back to maryland or the fact that we couldn't be farther from the beach.  i also will complain pretty heavily during march and april when it's snowing and all i want are some cherry blossoms.  but we love living here for so many reasons.  i'm really excited to raise a family with so many outdoor activities, the weather is really amazing (except in the spring when i'm over the snow), and we've been able to live a lifestyle out here that would have been much more difficult in the d.c. area.  i also love that people out here are just much more laid back and friendly.  a part of me will always consider d.c. to be home but the longer i'm away the more that i feel out of place when we're back visiting and the more i can't wait to get back to colorado.