Grateful Heart

So it's all the trend right now (as it is every November) to pick something every day you are grateful for. I think this is great. I don't do it, but  I love to read what everyone else is grateful for.
I try  really hard to be grateful everyday. I just don't put it out there. So I decided I would make one list.
Things I'm grateful for, at least the major things....

• Sam- I can not thank him enough for all he does for me and our family. I love him. 
• Seth- I'm so grateful for his sweet, curious, adventurous, soft spirit that is an example to me every day.
• Christian- I'm so grateful for Chris and his positive spirit. He hands out compliments with out a second thought. He will tell you he likes your hair, your shoes, your smile whatever it is he likes and he's always so positive and I love it.
• Lexi- is my laid back happy go lucky angel baby. I love how easy going and just plain pleased with the world she is. 
• Being a Mom-  I know I've already listed being grateful for my kids. Because each of them bring me a different type of joy and happiness but I am so grateful to be their Mom. I love all that it teaches me. I love that I have what Seth calls "Magic Mommy Power" to make things better. I love that I get the cuddles, the kisses and everything else that comes with being a mom. It's my biggest challenge and one of my greatest blessings all at the same time.There are some moments when I feel like I lost my identity and have become just Mom and not Andrea any more but then I remind myself being a Mom has just become part of my identity and that's ok because I would not give up a single moment of being a Mom for being who I was before.
• My Savior- because without his sacrifice and the atonement I would be eternally damned and that just doesn't seem very fun.
• My Father in Heaven-  Knowing that I have a Father in Heaven is the basis of my moral compass and all that I treasure. My Father in Heaven gives me that never ending feeling of being loved, never forgotten and part of something bigger is very comforting me. And knowing that someone is watching over me gives me a peace  I can't explain. 
• Family- I am grateful for my family. My Brothers and Sister and their families. My parents. My Grandparents. My in laws. All my interactions with each have taught me different things which I appreciate. 
• 2nd Families- Sam and I both have families that we were kindof adopted into and for this we are grateful. People who love us when they don't have too and include us even though it's not blood.
• Adoption- Because without this selfless gift. I would not have my BooBoo. It has blessed our life in so many ways. I remember one day someone asked me if I felt like I was babysitting someone else's kid and I was just waiting for them to come get him. NO I do not. He is mine and he is mine because someone else loved him so much they wanted to let him have what they couldn't give him.
• My Puppy- Lucy is old, but she will forever be my puppy. She kept me alive as my Diabetic Alert Dog. She cuddled me when I was scared in my apartment by myself, she has trained our other dogs and cats, she has loved my kids, she encouraged me to walk, she has helped me make friends, pick up a few guys (when I was single), she's been my buddy for a long long time. 
• Tithing- handing over that check sometimes is hard but the blessings that come from it make it so worth it.
• Diabetes- I know it's a pain in my butt most days but it's also the thing that helped keep me from going to far off the straight and narrow. I spent many a weekend listening to bands at bars but never once had a drink because it would mess up my diabetes. The diabetes is also paying for school, and given me some great opportunities and many friends that I would not have met other wise. 
• Stubbing my Toe- Why? Because it's a reminder that  I can still feel my feet. And that  I am being so blessed because I have many friends who have lost that ability. I am so lucky.
• Active Children- Some days how active they are is a test of my patience, but I just have to remind myself of how many parents I worked with that would do anything to have their children be able to be active like mine and how easily it can be taken away. I worked with one Mom and her Daughter who was 15 when I started working with them. She had a traumatic brain injury, when she was in elementary school. It was taken away in a split second. Now she couldn't eat, walk or talk on her own. One day  I did her hair, make up and nails just like all the other girls at camp. I remember her Mom crying because she was just like one of the other kids. It was something so simple that I hadn't even thought of but it stuck with me because to see how grateful she was for that one moment her daughter got to be like everyone else makes me appreciate that my kids can do that all the time. 
• My home-  It's not what I thought I wanted, or where I wanted it. But being here has given me so many blessings and friends that I am so grateful for.
• Reality Checks- There is more than one way I get reality checks but one that sticks with me most days is judging people so I really try to be accepting. I let that trait get lost when I moved to Utah county. I was so worried about me being accepted that I started to change into something that I wasn't. I totally misjudged someone that is now a good friend. I have talked to her about what I thought/( She is a drop dead gorgeous woman who is super talented, can sing, her house is immaculate and she has it all together.) She isn't overly outgoing and a little shy and I judged that as being stuck up. I had an opportunity to get to know her better and I am so grateful I did. It's a constant reminder that you never know so I try to live by the saying Jesus said love everyone, treat them kindly too. (no don't get me wrong, I try really hard to love every one some people are just more difficult for me to like). So I am grateful for the reality checks that my Father in Heaven gives me to keep me in line and remind me that I can be better. 
• Medical Care- With out I would be dead. It's as simple as that. I am grateful for insulin, my pump, my meter and all that goes with that. I am also grateful for the other medical advances that made it so Lexi could survive and my boys could safely make their debut into the world. 
• Friends-  I have a strong support system of people who love me and accept me for who I am. They understand that I am a work in progress and forgive me when I slip up. I have friends who I love like family and they are a huge blessing to me and my family.
• The Temple-  The Temple has been a challenge for me that last 3 years. I haven't wanted to go, I guess that's not true I have really wanted to go. I wanted to go with my family and have Christian sealed to us. I never wanted him to feel left out. But I didn't want to go if I couldn't take my family. It's a weird situation. And after talking to many Priesthood leaders, Sam, my Father in Heaven, searching for every bit of information I could find on the sealing ordinance I've gained some acceptance in the fact that for now Christian isn't sealed to us... but he still has the ordinance so he won't be held back. and I have to believe that my Father in Heaven is merciful and won't take my little boy away from me in the eternity.  But the Temple gives me comfort that spending eternity together is an option. 
• My Health- my health is a fickle thing. It can never be just a cold or just something simple. Because my immune system sucks it never stays just a... anything. I have kidney stones regularly. My liver gets inflamed. My blood sugars are brittle. So those good days when I feel good I am so grateful for. And the fact that even though my health isn't the best I'm still alive and kicking. I get to see my kids grow for now and I'm going to treasure every moment of that I can.
• Cameras- I love pictures. I always have. I love how they capture my memories. I love that they cage my feelings and help me relive all those moments I might have forgot.
• My Garden- I'll say it again I think canning is a pain. But I am always grateful I did it. I love that I can get fresh things out of my garden through 3 seasons of the year. And I love that  I can have stuff that I know exactly what is in it the other season. It comes out cheaper for me to can than it does for me to buy the stuff that won't make me sick. 
• Formula- We have been so blessed. After the struggle with Lexi gaining weight and finally finding a formula that she would tolerate and gain weight on. The Premie formula was so expensive, we don't qualify for WIC, we were getting all the samples we could. Then a friend had a family member in California that had extra of the exact kind Lexi liked. They arranged to get it here for us and it has been a HUGE blessing for us. It was months worth of formula. I can't thank them enough.
• Sam- I know he's already on the list but I am so grateful for him. I am grateful for his love, acceptance, forgiving nature, selfless service, and just being amazing.
• Cats- I'm not a cat person. Growing up we didn't have cats. So when Sam wanted to get one when I was pregnant with Seth I was hesitant. The first cat he got  I HATED! She was old and she peed on everything. Then she got sick and he had to put her down. We got Mooshoe (the white cat that was donated to DI) He is a good cat. He is the reason I don't have mice. He cuddles like a dog. He doesn't have a littler box, because just just goes outside and buries his business. Mooshoe and Lucy trained Honeybear. Mooshoe and Honeybear play together. They play with the kids. They both are very patient and keep my house mice free which is really nice. They also helped with the bunny infestation last summer.
• Community Outings- I love to be out. I love taking my kids to do things in the community. I love exposing them to museums, farms, zoos, parks, people and so many other things. I love that they are good in the community. I love that they like to explore. I love that we can go out and explore and then come home to a safe place where I can teach my children. 
• School- I love the boy's school. I love that my boys feel welcomed and loved when they go. I love that they are learning. I love that the classes are well rounded. I love that they have academics, science, cooking, computers, art, music and friends. I am grateful that the school offered Seth a scholarship this year so he could go every day. 
• College- I am grateful for the challenge it is for me to go. I'm grateful for all that I am learning. And the realization I should have finished a long time ago. 
• Generosity of others- We have been so blessed because of the generosity of others. From the friend who hooked us up with formula, to the friend who showed up with stuff to help my kids breath, the same friend who loaned us the monitor to make sure Lexi continues to breath while she sleeps, to the friend who showed up with dinner even though I told her I didn't need it, to the friend who listens to me vent, to the friend who gives me deals on stuff she sells, to the friend who gave us a great deal on central air, to all the friends who helped with our roof, to the friends who watch my kids, to the friends who share their knowledge, I am so grateful for all the people who are in my life that have been so generous to share with us.

There is so much more I am grateful for (health insurance, bikes, spring, things that remind me of y grandparents, so many more) but some of my blessings need my attention now so maybe more on another day.