Thanks Times Thirty

I was very inspired by my friends on facebook who are faithfully updating their status with what they are thankful for each day of this month.  I admire that they have the time and energy to do so.  Being a new mom of four has rocked my world more than I expected it to and so I decided to take it easy on myself.  I wanted to come up with a list of things I am thankful for, but I'm gonna do it all in one sitting when my kids are all in bed and I have some quiet to think.  Thirty one things is a LOT, but here goes.

I am thankful for...
1.  Jesus Christ - without Him, my life would be wasted and without purpose
2.  Rob - He is such an awesome partner to do life with.  He gets me.  He loves me for who I am, yet challenges me to become a better me.  He is also an extremely intelligent individual and I am so proud of his work and his teaching ability.
3.  Ethan - What an awesome kid.  I love his gentle spirit that wants to do the right thing and to be helpful.  His love language is touch and I LOVE getting my Ethan hug and kiss every day.
4.  Justus - This kid thinks so deeply that he challenges me to think more deeply.  He blows my socks off and on a regular basis I have to remind myself that he's only 9.
5.  Zac - My little buddy who wants to be just like his big brothers.  I love to watch him learn and connect the dots right now.
6.  Esther - What an amazing blessing to have a daughter.  I already see that she prefers to be around me.  Her dimpled smile brightens my day. The nuzzle and whimper she uses to tell me she's sleepy make me stop and cuddle daily.  What a good break in my day!
(So glad I have 4 kids, makes this list a bit easier to make)
7.  My family - mom, dad, brothers and sister.  I am so incredibly blessed to have a family that longs to spend time together and thoroughly enjoys being with each other.
8.  Rob's family - I would never have chosen to live with Rob's parents, but I still thank God that they sacrificed and allowed me to work part time and stay home and homeschool my oldest 2 boys while Rob went to school fulltime and worked part time.  That would never have worked without them.  I love Rob's siblings as my own.
9.  My church family - The best example of how awesome they are is that when I gave birth to Zac and then to Esther, I did not cook for weeks each time!  That's how blessed I am to have an extended family here.
10.  My middle school youth group girls - before I had my own daughter, they were my surrogates and will remain so in my heart.  I love having fun with them.
11.  My teaching job - I LOVE getting paid to do something that I would do for free.  (Don't tell them that).
12.  My MOPS group - Every other Thursday morning is sacred time for me.  Time to invest in my mothering.  Time for me to share my heart with friends and "talk shop" with other moms.
13.  The Shelter God has provided my family - for the situation that we have been in, God provided a great place at the right time for our family.  We may be bursting at the seams - but they ain't busted yet!
14.  Facebook - I love being able to connect with friends I have from the 7 different places I have lived.  I love knowing that the friends I am making here in Lincoln will remain my friends not just in my heart, but can help me transition as we look towards Rob graduating and getting a fulltime job somewhere.
15.  a Hope and a Future (Jer. 29:11) - God brought us to Lincoln, NE and He has been with us the whole time.  I know He has something in store for us once Rob graduates and I can't wait until He lets us know :)
16.  Our cars - since we have lived in NE, we have had NO major issues with our cars.  That is truly a miracle.  I praise God for keeping our cars running other than minor repairs and upkeep for the last 8 years.
17.  My health.  - I have not have health insurance (other than for pregnancy and the 6 mo. I worked fulltime) for 8 years.  Praise God I have remained healthy.
(okay, now this list is getting harder)
18.  the Seasons - I dreaded winter when we moved here and now I can't wait for it.  I love having times in the year when we snuggle inside together and then other times when we enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.
19.  cooking - what a fun creative outlet for me to show love to my family.  Thank you God for making such an incredible variety of food to create with.
(had to take a break here, so this actually took a couple of days to do)
20.  my creativity - I love crocheting a hat or hot gluing a hairbow or scrapbookking a picture book or creating a card or repainting furniture or sewing a curtain.  Thank you God for this wonderful outlet of being able to share a piece of me.
21.  peace that surpasses all understanding - I have come to realize this is truly a gift from God that in the midst of extremely stressful circumstances, all I have to do is turn to him and the floodwaters of peace cover my soul and I just know that He is in control and I can rest in him.
22.   God's protection - anyone in Lincoln will say that they would never choose to live in the neighborhood I currently live in.  Daily the drug dealers take a loop around my block, assaults and robberies happen consistently in my neck of the wood, and yet God has protected my family. 
23.  my Pampered Chef business - not only has it been a source of significant income for me these past 7 1/2 years, but it's given me adult time , wonderful friendships, an outlet for me to feel accomplished and flexibility
24.  my kid's full closets - seriously, I do way too much laundry.  I praise God that our dressers overflow when our bank account does not.
25.  coffee - I don't know how I'd get going in the morning without it.  Actually, I wouldn't - I've tried.
26.  the Wii - as much as I fought having a gaming system in my house, I love the fact that I can have 30 minutes of no one crying "mom". 
27.  Weight Watchers - I have struggled so much with overeating and I am grateful that I joined 2 months ago and have actually lost 10 lbs.  in the midst of being a busy mom, teacher, etc.
28.  technology - I remember when Ethan was born and no one was myspacing or facebooking or blogging yet and I was SO lonely.  I am grateful that I can connect with others while being stuck in the house with a baby.
29.  God's gift of faith - I took a survey 8 years ago and found out one of my spiritual gifts is faith.  I never thought of that as a gift before.  In the thick of this adventure in Nebraska, my faith was taken away from me and I found myself floundering and begging for it back.  I am thankful that I can trust a God that exists beyond my five senses and proves Himself to me over and over.
30.  A legacy of faith -  I count myself quadruply blessed to have 4 grandparents who were faithful in their relationship with God and taught it to my parents who in turn taught me.  I am excited to continue passing on this legacy to my own children.
31.  a great big turkey dinner - I cannot wait to make the spread for my family this year.  I love me some good turkey :)

Wow!  I have a LOT to be thankful for this year.  What are you thankful for?