Thankfulness- the good, the bad and the ugly

Mike and I say to each other often, "Isn't our life great?" And it truly it. And I mean truly. Sometimes we list all the things we are thankful for and we thank God for blessing us beyond our dreams. I think he is naturally more thankful than I am, though. Whenever I am having a bad day or stressed or get caught up in what I wasn't able to accomplish in a day, he looks at me and says, "Isn't our life great?" I need that constant reminder because being a mom is something I am so so so thankful for and I don't ever want to loose sight of that due to my type A nature.

Today I was thinking about this topic and what I would write about. I got Madison ready to go to the store. We were in the car, listening to music and she was "singing" in the backseat. I LOVE it when she does that. I was so thankful for my life and the great things in it - then a ginormous bird pooped right in front of my face on my windshield. Awesome.

Sometimes we have to take the good, the bad and the ugly and just be thankful anyways.

The good - little smiles, little hands, little feet, little kisses, little discoveries. All the things you dream about when you are pregnant - those are the good things. Snuggles and laughs, first steps and holidays. The list really goes on and on and on. Everyone has their own favorite things. The other day Madison woke up earlier than normal. So I got up with her and was so tired and thought she was too so I brought her back in bed with us. She was laying between Mike and I. I told her that Mommy and Daddy are still sleeping and she needs to also. So she laid there looking bright-eyed at me. Then she turned toward Mike and poked him right in the nose and said "nose." Then she said, "Da-Da" "Hi" and waved. It was so funny we couldn't help but laugh. So instead of sleeping a little longer we were up playing with our daughter. Those are good times. Those are the memories you want to remember. Those are easy to be thankful for.

The Good - 3 Month Birthday

The bad - late nights, no free time, poop on your hand, discipline (Yuk), sharing your water glass (double yuk), messy house, gum licking, etc. I would really like to have a day where I can drink water from my glass and not have a toddler wanting to backwash in it. Sippy cups are not cool anymore. Its all about Mommy's glass. Its so much cooler - you can spit in it, you can spill it, you can hide it. I mean obviously, why would she drink from her own sippy? But seriously, there are things about being a Mom that aren't my favorite. But I need to be thankful anyway. I am learning to be stretched and I am helping raise an amazing little girl. When Madison was only a few months old, I remember Mike getting up with her. He went to change her diaper and was obviously not ready for what he found. These are the phrases I heard from my bed "Wow Madison, this is huge" "Oh no, it's on my hand" "Don't put your foot in it!" "Oh crap, now its on your jammies" "Stop kicking" To him it was bad, but I remember feeling so thankful and happy in that moment. I had an awesome daughter who could produce some major poops and I had a husband who took care of it instead of calling me to do it - plus he provided some entertainment. I was one blessed new Mommy.

The Bad - yes that is poop

The ugly - When I think about the ugly parts of Motherhood, to me it really is when something happens to your baby that is out of your control. Taking her to her first shots, the first time she bleeds, the first times another kid takes something away from her or she gets knocked down. And nothing is worse than when you provide the injury yourself. Yesterday, Madison was standing on the couch watching me put things away, when I was walking back down the hallway I looked at her like I was gonna tickle her - she laughed and threw her head back and on the way forward she slammed it into the wooden part of the couch. She cried forever and now looks like Rudolph. I feel so bad about it. I feel as if I personally hurt her. I have many stories like this and it is painful for me every time she gets hurt. She is a tough cookie so when she really cries you know it really hurt. It is hard to be thankful in these times. What I am thankful for is that she will grow up in a safe home with parents who love her and who would never purposefully hurt her.

The Ugly - Rudolph the red nosed toddler

God is waiting to bless us in all areas of our life - the good, the bad, and the ugly parts. Our job is to be thankful in every area.

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16

"O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!" 1 Chronicles 29:13

I need to remember that God's blessings are abundant in my life and I need to be thankful in all circumstances. Even when things are good or bad or just plain ugly - my life has purpose and it is awesome to be living for God! In what area of your life do you need to be more thankful?

What topic should I write about next week? Vote to the right.