Happy Thanksgiving

Looking back across this past year . . . I realize how much I have to be thankful for on this day . . .

Thank you Jeff . . . you are an amazing husband who supports me through everything . . . you are always there for me . . . your hug is like nothing else in the world . . . . thank you for the way you smile and look at me when you say "I love you" every night . . . thank you for loving me and being a wonderful husband . . . thank you for washing the bottles every morning and setting up the formula holders, thank you for waking me up every morning and saying good bye, thank you for coming home and taking care of Johnathan so I can get some work done, thank you for being an amazing father, and for taking out the diaper genie when its full, thank you for not changing and being my rock, thank you for all that you do and all that you don't do . . . I love you hunny . . .

I am so very thankful for you Johnathan . . . oh baby . . . thank you for choosing me as your Mama . . . thank you for being created as a surprise to Daddy and me . . . thank you for looking at me with those big eyes and smiling . . . thank you for giggling and cooing and crying . . . thank you for helping me learn how to be a good Mama . . . thank you for letting me make mistakes and not giving me too hard of a time about it . . . thank you for starting each and every day with a smile that could stop traffic . . . oh and thanks for not rolling your eyes everytime I take a photo of you . . . thank you for reaching out and grabbing my fingers when I give you a bottle, and for touching my face when you look at me, thank you for your really cute "I'm scared" cry and for letting me comfort you immediately. . . and for not growing up too fast . . . I love you too buggy . . .

I am thankful for my mother and father . . . thanks for having us over for dinner all the time . . . thanks for always helping with Johnathan and loving him so much . . . thanks for hugging me and always ending a phone coversation with "I love you" . . . thank you for letting me be the woman I want to be . . . but guiding me gently along the way . . . thanks Dad for our relationship, it's like nothing else . . . thank you for helping me think through decisions and always giving me good advice . . . thanks Mom for always forgiving me and loving me . . . thank you for letting me vent when I need to . . . . thank you for always being up for a conversation if I need to talk to someone . . . thank you for everything . . . .

Bernie and Bob . . . .thank you for welcoming me into your family and always making me feel like I belong . . . Bernie thank you for always being honest and telling it like it is . . . Bob thank you for never telling it like it is and for all of your stories . . . thank you Bern for the delicious meals you make, cheese peas mmmm, and the recipes . . . thank you Bob for always having something funny to say . . . thanks for helping us with Johnathan and for loving him so much . . . thanks for all the laughs and good times . . . Bob thanks for your serious side and your real stories and your excitement while telling them . . . Bern thanks for your laugh, it truly is contagious . . .

I am thankful for my sister Kristen and her Kevin . . . even though we are far apart in distance, we are always close in our hearts. We don't talk every day and we might not see each other often, but when we do we always have fun and laugh . . . thank you for always having something for Johnathan, thank you for loving him . . . thank you Kevin for taking care of my sister when she needs it . . . thank you Kris for helping me with my computer questions . . . thanks for laughing with me when I need it . . .thanks for letting me laugh with you when you need it . . . thanks for coming to visit often . . . and please do come more often . . . we miss you . . .

Kurt . . . thank you for the comic relief and not taking yourself too seriously . . . thank you for not making me nervous when you drive . . . thank you for making me feel really really old, all the time . . . thanks for the way you and Johnathan have bonded . . . thank you for keeping Mom and Dad young . . . thank you for all the chores you are going to do for Jeff and me now that you will be able to drive yourself (hehehe) and thanks for saying "yeah sure" when you read that . . . thank you for being a Buckeye fan with us and "freaking Jenkins" . . . thank you for "it's like crampete and uh oh hotdog" . . . thanks for all the inside jokes and all the ones down the line . . . i love you CB . . . .thank you for allowing me to mother you . . . thank you for sometimes actually listening to what I have to say . . . you are growing up to be an amazing young man . . .

Andy and Victoria . . . thank you for finding each other . . . I am so grateful that you two have fallen in love and are getting married . . . thank you for including me in the planning and letting me get excited with you . . . thank you for thinking of me as a sister . . .

Matt . . . thanks for always being so sweet . . . thank you for smiling in every picture I ask to take . . . thank you for always helping Jeff no matter when or where or for how long . . .

Aunty Karen, Uncle Drew, Meg, Em, and Nikki . . . . thank you Aunty Karen for letting me "screw up my baby any way I want" and for your always honest and upfront advice, thanks for letting me grow up into a friend . . . Uncle Drew, thanks for always asking "but what was the starting weight" hehehe . . . Megan, please stop growing up, you make me feel old too . . . thank you for allowing me to be part of your teenage world and not rolling your eyes at me when I start a sentence with "I remember when you were . . . ." . . . Emily, thanks for being so funny and helpful . . . thanks for your quirky-ness, never change . . . . Nikki, thanks for giving Jeff a hard time and for coming out of your shell a little more each time we spend time together . . . . thank you all of you for loving Johnathan . . . we love you

Janet, Jim, Jamie, Jill and Joey . . . thank you for welcoming me into the family . . . thank you for always being so happy and cheerful when we spend time together . . . thank you for loving Johnathan . . . thank you for letting me know that Jeff was truly a happier person once I came along . . . thank you for including us in all the family get togethers . . .

Grandma Betty . . . thank you for your silly words . . . and your delicious Roni and Macs sauce . . . thank you for the stories of how Bob and Janet were when they were growing up . . . thanks for being a wonderful Grandmother and Great Grandmother to the two most important loves of my life . . .

Granmda Doris . . . thank you for not getting too old, thank you for being active and fiesty yet sweet and caring . . . thank you for the ridiculous things you say and for . . . saying . . . them . . . really . . . slowly . . . thank you for the songs you tought me that I sing to Johnathan . . . thank you for teaching me how to crochet . . . thank you for never teaching me how you cook . . . thank you for no longer eating things that have mold growing on them, oh wait you still do that . . . . thanks for not hanging up on me because you think I'm a sales person . . . thank you for always sounding elated when I call "ohhhh HI Nicole!!!" . . . and for sounding as excited when I answer my own phone . . . thank you for your hugs and kisses . . .

Thank you Keri and Joe . . . we love you . . . thank you for being Johnathan's Godparents . . . thank you Joe for all of your handy-man work on Johnathan's nursery . . . thank you Keri for helping me paint the nursery while spilling paint on the floor :-) . . . thank you for loving Johnathan like a nephew . . . thank you Keri for always being a great friend . . .thank you for always listening to me and always helping me through whatever I need help with . . . thank you for being the voice of reason when I need it . . . thank you for always inviting us along and for being great friends . . .

Thank you Cindy and Tim for loving us like family . . . thank you for your cards that always come and always make me smile and cry (a good happy cry) . . . thank you for loving Johnathan like he was your own grandson . . .thank you for letting me grow up with your family . . .thank you for treating me like a friend and a daughter . . . thank you for your advice . . . thank you Tim for not throwing Johnathan in the air . . . thank you Cindy for hugging and kissing and loving Johnathan . . . . thank you for all your love and support throughout the years . . .

I am thankful for all of my family and friends . . . . my family, all of you . . . . thank you for being part of what makes me me . . . thank you for your cards . . . and all of the amazing baby presents . . . thank you for the advice . . . thank you for all the stories . . . thank you for keeping in touch and visiting when you can . . . and my friends . . . I am soo very thankful for all of you too . . . some of you have been like family to me this past year . . . having a baby is a huge change . . . and having friends like YOU has helped me through it all . . . thank you for your pregnancy helpful hints . . . your "bring to the hospital" list ideas . . . your do's and don't's . . . your "just take one day at a time" talks . . . your "it gets better I promise" . . . and your "I told you being a Mama is the best." Thank you for always taking my call and listening to me . . . thank you for helping me laugh when I needed it . . . thank you for the delicious meals you made when we brought Johnathan home . . . . thank you for getting together for Girls Nights (we need more of these) . . . thank you for being a great group of girls that I consider my sisters . . .

I am thankful for so so much . . . . and if I don't say it enough . . . I want you to know that I am thankful for each and every one of you . . . I am thankful that you care about me and my family and check in on us here to see what we are up to . . . thank you so very much . . .

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!