A few weeks ago when I was visiting my sister in L.A., I visited her MOPS group. Along with their monthly teaching, they also did a craft project where they decorated mugs with things that they were thankful for that you might not necessarily be thankful for in the moment. With that in mind, here is my list of my oddly thankful things.

1. I am thankful for sassy mouths…because it means my children have the power to reason with their strong vocabularies.
2. I am thankful for middle of the night nursings…because those moments are so fleeting, and I know that it’s the only time that my baby will rely on me alone for nourishment. (respectfully borrowed from my sister, Lacey.)
3. I am thankful for early morning wakeup calls during the school week…because it means I can make a fried egg sandwich for Rhett and see him and Jolie off to school.
4. I am thankful for past mistakes—the ginormous ones and the only mildly big ones…because they guide me through the stumbling blocks that are sure to continue to line my life path.
5. I am thankful for heartbreak…because it makes me appreciate the swooning of a new relationship that much more.
6. I am thankful for afternoon kindergarten…because it means I get special time with Paisley every morning, even if it means stretching the budget just a bit tighter so I can stay home with her until she enters school full time next year.
7. I am thankful for apartment living…because maintenance issues are not my own and because the kids have fun, understanding neighbors who don’t mind our loudness on occasion. 

I love you all, some more than others.