Blessed

In this busy season of our lives, Jonathan and I often reflect on how blessed we are by the wonderful family that surrounds us. I thank God every day for the support he's built around us. I hope those that read this don't mind, but I'm spending time on this post being sentimental and reflective - something I thing we all should spend time doing regularly.

In no particular order (and no offense to anyone not mentioned)... I thank God for....

My Dad: He has spent countless hours helping Jonathan on the deck in our backyard. The past two Fridays he has come over to cut boards while Jonathan was at work so that they could get more done on Saturday. I'm thankful for his patience, his time and the time we've gotten to talk while they take breaks or finish up at the end of the day. He constantly reminds me that he and my mom are available to help us as we get closer to Aaron's arrival. It's such a blessing to know he truly means it when he says to call if I need anything.

My Mom: Last Friday, while doing laundry, an almost new, value size laundry detergent fell off my washing machine and spilled all over my laundry room floor. Simply putting down towels to contain the mess before it spread and wiping off two items left me in pain. My mom came over and cleaned up the whole mess, spending well over an hour on her hands and knees wiping up laundry detergent (which is rather difficult to get up if you aren't aware) and trying to make sure the floor wouldn't be too slick for me to walk on. She then spent a while at the sink wringing out towels and trying to get most of the detergent off of them. She did this all without complaining while telling me to go sit down. Besides that huge help, she's been watching Caleb so I can make it to doctor appointments and called me earlier this week just to remind me that she was around if I needed any help. Again, it's so nice to know she's available in these next few weeks.

My Mother-in-Law: Since Caleb was fairly little, Mal has always come babysit on Wednesday mornings so that I can have some time to not just be Mommy. I don't think she realizes how much I appreciate that time each week. I get a chance to do some volunteering at the church and run errands when needed. She constantly reminds me that she can stay longer if I need her to and I can tell Caleb has a lot of fun when she is here. That time each week gives me a chance to regenerate and refocus. The weeks that other things come up and I don't get that time are truly longer and more difficult, it's amazing what just a few hours can do for the spirit. She also has been reminding me that she's around if I need some help and is looking forward to continuing Wednesday mornings with Caleb so that he gets some good one-on-one attention after Aaron arrives.

I could go on...there's GG - she fusses that she doesn't get to spend enough time with Caleb and spoils me rotten. Katy - she is hoping that Aaron waits until the scheduled c-section because she's already asked for the day off so that she can watch Caleb all day. Kristen - she threw me a lovely baby shower and spent a lot of time to help us prepare for Aaron. Derrill - he plays with Caleb anytime we're over because he truly loves him... and then friends that keep showing up with diapers and other goodies just because they love us and keep asking if there's anything we need!

I would be lucky to have any one of these people around me, but instead I am blessed beyond belief to have such amazing support all living so close to us. There are many others, some in states far away and others just an hour or two, that I know are praying for us and supporting us in so many other ways.

How blessed is our family! Jonathan, Caleb and I are so appreciative of you all. Thank you for your prayers, your support and your love. We are so blessed!