Love, Laura Beth

I love food and I love family...which makes Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. Now don't get me wrong, I love me some Christmas. I love the significance of the holiday, two arm raises to God, thanks for my salvation! However, sometimes I can get caught up in the gift-giving stress and it makes me lose sight of what the holiday truly represents. I get caught up in the "ooooh will he like it? Oh my goodness--how can we afford this? I wish we could give more! Umm....will she get me a gift? I better get one for her just.in.case!! Yea....you know the deal.

With Thanksgiving, there is no gift giving stress-- just food, family, love, PIE, mashed potatoes, games, laughter, parades, floats, ehh..football, gravy...oh the gravy, and memories. I'm big into reflecting. I love to reminisce. While driving down to my parents house on Thanksgiving I compiled a mental list of the things I was most thankful for this year. It was a BIG year for the gambrels. THANK YOU LORD FOR....

1. multi-pack pregnancy tests ( one just wasn't good enough for me...i required 6)

2. my husband who has and will love me unconditionally ( he deserves four gold stars for enduring my hormones during pregnancy)

3. sonic's strawberry limeades and the glorious half price happy hour from 2-4

4. elastic

5. chicken salad...my go to lunch when i realized that they weren't kidding about lunch meat

6. my family and friends, who were there for me when I was excited, ecstatic, scared, happy, weepy, psychotic, nervous, overwhelmed and joyful

7. my anesthesiologist (PTL for him...PTL)
8. narcotics

9. our small group ( a support system within THE largest support system)

10. paradise bakery...paradise bakery...paradise bakery

11. my parents who were there to answer my "Is it normal's? Should I's? What would you do's? I don't know if I can do this's? Do I look chunky's? and Can you help me's???"

12. disposable diapers....nuf' said.

13. my crazy, cuddly, wiggly, beautiful lilly--the biggest and greatest blessing of 2009

14. digital cameras and LARGE memory cards

15. D batteries...the amazing power that makes Lilly's swing addiction possible

16. COOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEE

17. Jeremiah 29:11 (look it up......right now.)

18. upbeat music and it's ability to alter my mood in a positive way.

19. forgiveness
--from my Jesus because I'm a hopeless mess and he loves me anyway
-- from my friends because this baby business has made my hang out sessions and phone calls few and far between
--from my husband for my irrational and endearing behavior ;)
-- from Lilly for being my guinea pig and "well, let's try it!" for EVERYTHING parent related. So sorry bout the tip of your finger during my "I could totally clip your nails while you're awake" phase.
-- to anyone reading this blog, because I've realized that lately, I've been rather longwinded!!!

20. countless baby items that have been essential in keeping this chick alive for the past two months. I could never thank you enough Carters, Playtex, Enfamil, Johnson and Johnson, Fisher Price, and Boppy!!

Now wasn't that fun??? :)