Time Flies
Well, I can't believe it's already November! It's been almost a full year since we (suddenly) packed up our things and moved back to Santa Barbara. It's also been a full year since Aiden was diagnosed with transient myeloproliferative disorder (aka transient leukemia), hypothyroidism, and jaundice. At the time, I could have never have thought ahead to where we are now. I could only think day by day. This time last year, everything felt hopeless... Every time we went to the Dr, we felt like we would receive another diagnosis that would place another brick on the wall around our hearts that prevented us from fully loving our son.. as we were scared we would lose him.
One year later, that brick wall is gone, shattered, and in its place is only love.
A Time to be Thankful
This is the first year I think I am fully grasping what it means to be thankful. Our family has gone through a lot in the past 1.5 years only to come out stronger and filled with a great amount of love and hope.With this being the 'month of thankfulness', here are a few of the many things I am truly thankful for.
1. Aiden- I am so thankful that he is (still) in our lives and HEALTHY! He brings so much joy to Adam and my life. Aiden seems to think his sole purpose in life is to laugh and make others laugh and smile too!
2. Annabelle- While she was not planned, I am thankful for my beautiful baby girl. Through her pregnancy and birth, I learned how strong I truly am. (side note- also thankful for Dr. Fischbein in making my home birth/vbac desires a reality). She is a wonderfully demanding little girl who is teaching me patience and how to multitask (like how to do EVERYTHING while wearing a baby). Her wrinkly-nosed smiles and coo's make it all worth while.
3. Adam- He carried this family through a lot over the past year. His near-endless patience and ability to listen has really helped us through such a difficult time. I appreciate his ability to look optimistically toward the future, when all I could see was the difficult present. I appreciate his willingness to be open-minded and supportive in my decision to have a home vbac. But most of all, I appreciate his amazing ability to be a great dad.
4. My family- I am thankful we now live close to our parents and in-laws, so they can be a part of our children's' lives. (Sorry, Bruce and Ann... I don't have any pictures of you both with the kids... we will need to fix this!)
5. Our home- We are lucky to have a home. I am thankful we are home owners, but more importantly, I am thankful for a roof over our heads and a warm place to go to sleep at night. There are many people in this economy who are not as lucky.
6. Being Back in Santa Barbara- While I loved Oregon and still miss all my amazing Oregon friends, I am also thankful to be back in Santa Barbara. The abundance of close-by outdoor activities and great weather has allowed our family to really start enjoying the activities that Adam and I love. Since moving back, we take almost daily walks, hikes, bikes, horseback rides, and just enjoying what Santa Barbara has to offer. I look forward to continuing to teach my children to love the great outdoors in such a beautiful place.
More Mesa Sunset Walk
Annabelle's First Official Hike up Cold Springs Trail
View from the top of Cold Springs
Cold Springs Again...
"The" Cold Spring?
7. Our 4 legged family
There are so many things to be thankful for, that I cannot post it all without creating a novel of a post... if I haven't done so already. While Thanksgiving itself may be somewhat of a sham of a holiday, I think the idea of being ""thankful" should never go out of season.
