Gratitude

Happy November everyone! I decided that for the month of November, I'm going to blog everyday about something I'm grateful for. They might be big serious things, or little silly things, but I have SO MUCH to be thankful for, so here goes!

Day 1 - My children

I know, I know...I can hear the boo's already "geez, Cil...could be you be a little more cliche?" but it's TRUE...and after spending 18 days without my boys and only spending 5 with my sweet girl before telling her goodbye, I'm an emotional wreck about these awesome little people! I'll try to post a pic that shows each of their personalities. <3

Dylan

My sweet child. He is so kindhearted, loves to help people, and just has a really tender spirit. If you hurt, he hurts, so I try to keep things in his little world happy and carefree. He's growing up so fast. It seems like he went from a little boy to a tween in a matter of months. I'm not quite ready to face the fact that he won't be my baby for  much longer. Aside from being a sweetie, he's also stinkin' cute...his future wife is going to hit the jackpot with this one. ;)

Meet Jack.

What can I say about this crazy ball of energy? He can most often be found lurking around the kitchen, naked, asking for string cheese. If he isn't lurking around naked, he's probably watching Barney...naked. The kid can't stand clothing! He's wild, into everything, never sits still, never stops talking, and right when you think you're going to straight up LOSE IT...he walks up to you, says "hold me mommy", lays his head on your shoulder and says "I loves you". For as independent at he thinks he is, he still has moments where he needs you, and the baby in him comes out. I love those moments. When he's going to sleep at night and he curls up around my arm to ensure that I can't leave the room without him noticing, when he gets tired at the park and just wants to snuggle for a few minutes before running off to play again. He has never been a snuggler the way his brother was, and still is, so I cherish those moments with him..who knows when the last time he lets me hold him will be!

Kenzi

This pic sums her up pretty well. Blurry, because she's so busy you can't get many good pics of her! Fingers coiled in my hair because the future hair stylist is OBSESSED with "fixing" (aka ripping out) hair, and last but not least...staring holes through your eyes. She stares at you so deeply, and for so long...what is she seeing? What is she thinking? I know there is SO MUCH going on in her little mind, it's going to be amazing to watch her learn and grow and start expressing herself more and more. She loves attention, undivided attention! In a room full of toys, the only toy she's interested in playing with is YOU. Hold her, rock her, tickle her, snuggle her, fly her through the air...it doesn't matter WHAT you're doing, as long as she has your full focus. My diva in training. :)

***

I never thought I would have three kids. That's a LOT of babies! Maybe not to some but to me, it's a really big family. Dylan was an only child for seven years, so that's proof of where my mentality was for a long time regarding family size. I guess as you get older, your opinions change, you shift your focus and redefine what matters. Material things used to rate very high in my book, and now they don't even make the list. I don't care if I have the latest version of a phone or computer, expensive clothes and jewelry, it just stopped mattering to me. I am far more content in my jeans, Wal-Mart hoodie, and wrapping up in my kids than I ever was in designer clothes. I have time for one more cliche: Love is all that matters. <3