I am thankful.

1. I am thankful that this morning during the two hour delay before school, Leia made herself a crown out of paper with Queen Elizabeth written across it. And then she wore the crown to school. She wore it proudly on the school bus. She doesn't seem to let what anyone else would think bother her. I hope she is always like this.

2. I am thankful that Gary took a good portion of the Halloween candy out of the house today and it's not going to be wasted. I'd rather he and a friend eat it during a game night than have to fight with the kids about it for who knows how long.

3. I am thankful for my car pool and the two girls I do it with. The trip to Nathan's pre-school takes about 15 minutes one way and without the car pool, I would have to drive Nathan to school and back three times a week. As it is I only have to do the journey once a week and then on my off days, like today I can take a nap if I need to. That's gold to me right now. I slept well again last night but when 12.30pm rolled around I could hardly keep my eyes open. Growing a person literally sucks all the energy out of me.

4. I am thankful that Gary and I decided to try civilian life. I can easily credit the military with helping a very unfocused 20 something Gary to make some goals and follow through with his education but with what's going on in the world right now, I know that we made the right decision for our family. We can be together and the kids (especially the boys) who desperately need attention from their father always have it.

5. I am thankful that my kids will eat healthy food. Tonight I made a pork roast with potatoes and carrots. I also steamed some broccoli on the side. I serve the kids first so their food can cool a little. While I was serving Gary and myself, the kids were sitting at the table with their plates. Usually they'll wait for us to join them before we begin. By the time I had served Gary and I and we sat down, Nathan had stuffed all his broccoli into his mouth and was looking guilty as if he had sneaked some of my chocolate chips I use for baking. I couldn't be mad.