A Week for Giving Thanks

It sometimes seems to me that we feel like we have to have something special to be thankful for ... like just saying 'family' or 'friends' or 'my home' is just too simple and generic. But honestly, those are the things that we most often take for granted, right? The things that are there for us day after day without fail, the things that so often get overlooked because they are such a constant in our lives.

So this week I'm not trying to come up with any fancy words or special reasons to be thankful ... I'm choosing to remember to thank the Lord for the most important things in my life. I'll be focusing on one thing/person each day.

Today (and everyday) I am so, so thankful for my wonderful husband. His name is Robert, we call him Bob, or Daddy or honey. =) He is someone who loves to live life. He's more concerned with making memories, than making money. Don't get me wrong, he's no slacker! He's a hard worker at his job, where he often wins "Employee of the Month" and his co-workers and bosses are always impressed with his work ethic and the way they know they can always count on him.

He works hard here in our home too. He loves to keep our yard and everything outside looking great so most days you'll find him working in the yard, cleaning up leaves or working on the pool (in the summer). He also runs most of the errands that need to be done around here. I do the groceries and CVS most of the time - but he does the bank, the dump, and anything else that comes up. He also helps a lot around the inside of the house. I think the only job he never does is clean the bathroom ... other than that he helps out with everything else from laundry to dishes to vacuuming ... he always seems to be on the move and working on something.

All of this is extremely helpful for me. Since we homeschool and I'm busy with the girls most of the time our house sometimes gets neglected and it's hard for me to 'do-it-all'. Having his helping hands around is wonderful.

As a husband he never ceases to amaze me. I'll admit, I'm not the easiest person to live with. I get grumpy and moody sometimes when I'm tired - but he never gets upset and he never snaps at me, even when he might be really tired too. I also love to change things around - all the time! I love to move around furniture, paint rooms and rearrange things. A lot of times that means he gets roped into helping me - but he never complains! He always lets me do whatever I want with the house and helps me move things or paint when I get myself involved in a project that's just a bit too much for me.

As a Dad he is absolutely amazing. He has so much patience and so much energy with the girls. He does everything he can to make their lives fun and wonderful. he takes them biking and fishing and even takes one with him on errands if he knows I'm having a rough day. Just because he knows that it will help me out, and that the girls also love being with him, even if it is just running to the bank. When he wakes up in the morning one of the first things he says is 'tell the girls to come see me' -- he loves to snuggle with them first thing in the morning, he can't wait to see them each day! I love the bond that he has already created with his girls. They adore him and will do anything with him, even if it's just watching football for hours on a Sunday - they will sit and watch with him and cheer for the team he likes because they adore him that much.

When I said earlier that he's more concerned with making memories than making money I was serious. He would rather spend money on taking us all on a wonderful vacation in which we create lasting memories, than to buy a new fridge, or something else for the house. He loves to take us all on vacations and loves to create traditions and memories that will last a lifetime. Those are the incredible things that our kids will remember someday - they won't remember what kind of fridge we had when they were 5 years old. But they will remember how much fun we had on that trip to the indoor waterpark!

My sort of 'family motto' has been 'creating family traditions and memories since 1996' ... and I'm SO thankful that Bob is just as focused as I am about making those memories and traditions for our kids. I am so thankful for him. Next week will be our 12th wedding anniversary and each year I love him even more.