Beyond Thankful

*Disclaimer: people are listed in no particular order.*

I am sitting here after quite a day. I won't go into many details (or try not to) but it consisted of getting ready with no electricity, finding out our sitter was sick so she was unavailable today, and spread to a few other things throughout the day.

There is one thing that I am so thankful for today, in the midst of all these annoyances . . . that is family.

I have NO idea how people can raise their children without the loving support of family both near and far. Let me explain just a bit . . .



You see . . . this is Andrew's mom. Not only does she take care of Abigail for us two days a week (and any other time we ask) but today when I called in a panic because our sitter was sick (and woke her up), she gladly took on another day of childcare and even came to pick Abigail up from me at work. Beyond that, she had us over for a yummy dinner tonight and does so frequently. All of this is such a huge blessing to me. I am always so thankful that Abigail is being cared for by loving family members and not having to do dishes or cook is a huge help for me right now. I love to see the wonderful things Abigail is learning from my mother-in-law who is a wonderful teacher. I'm hoping Abigail will learn the beautiful art of quilting, as our family has been blessed by many beautiful homemade quilts from Andrew's mom as well as learn the art of hospitality from her as well.

Let me explain further what I mean . . .



This guy, a.k.a. my dad, does live far far away in Kansas. However, his long distance support, interest in Abigail and joy when he does get to see her, mean the world to me as a parent. I love to see the way he interacts with her when he is here, or we are there, and how he wants me to go away (ha!) so that he can babysit. I remember his visit right after Abigail was born and how she was wearing a particularly tricky outfit (dress) and my dad managed to get her dressed without even a peep from her. He certainly has a way with newborn babies. I called him the baby whisperer!

And Andrew's dad (right side of the picture). . . how many times has he saved me from catastrophe. Let's see . . . there is the time he taped up my car window one cold morning because it wouldn't roll up. There's the time he drove my purse over to my house in the early morning because I had left it at a restaurant the night before (and they rescued it) and it had my car keys in it so we were stuck - not to mention all the mornings that he spends feeding Abigail breakfast and playing with her. Some of her favorite things to do are to water the plants with "papa" each morning. I also couldn't go without mentioning all the stuff he does to help out around our house.


And of course, my own mama. First of all, I am blessed by her, simply because she is my mom. I know that raising a quick-tempered, stubborn, selfish (whatever else applies) person like me wasn't easy but I learned a great deal from her gentleness and caring. Now that I'm a mom, she is the first person that I turn to for advice. If my daughter is sick, my first reaction is to sit down at the computer and email my mom for advice or give her a call. She is always there for an encouraging word and helpful suggestion. I am blessed beyond measure to know that I have her wealth of knowledge to lean on as a mother.

Do you see what I mean now? How do other people raise children without a wonderful support system like this? . . . And I didn't even get to the great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, cousins, etc, that give us help each and every day.

Believe me, I could type pages of ways that Abigail's wonderful grandparents help us out.

There is no way I can repay this kind of support and help to my family, except to say that you have my word it will be passed on to the next generation (and beyond).