things to be thankful for

(I picked this picture cause she's cute and funny and I'm thankful for her...sorry cat you don't make the list)

Have you ever thought about all the work that goes into thanksgiving dinner? All the planning and timing (which is crucial), the buying and preparing. It's amazing that anyone gets thanksgiving dinner at all...seriously, if it were up to me to do all the cooking it probably wouldn't happen. All I did was choose to make a couple of pies and a cake, and as you can see I'm up till 1 AM waiting for them to finish baking. So the first thing I'm thankful for this thanksgiving is Moms and Grandmas and all the lovely ladies in our lives who take amazing care of us/me. Not only do they plan and execute thanksgiving, but every meal everyday for many many years. Mother's do so much, not to mention keeping the house clean (laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc, blech!), loving and caring and teaching their children, and finding time to whatever else needs to be done in or outside of the home. I've honestly never taken the time to think about how this stuff happens, I just always knew it always would be taken care of. So mom, grandma I love you and am thankful for all your hard work through the years. I could go on about mother's cause there is so much they do, but I won't.
I'll just talk about my family. I'm so lucky to have the family that I do. My entire family is the greatest and I love them so much. Chad's family is so helpful and kind and I love them too. Chad is the smartest, strongest husband ;), and I'm grateful for his hard work and perseverance in school and work. And Kaiya, the immense joy that comes to me from such a small little package is unbelievable. She's literally one...okay, sorry but...my most favorite person in the entire world. It's hard to describe the love you have for your own child. It's a mixture of the type of love you have for your other family members (but magnified), plus this "I would gladly poke my own eye out so you don't have to hurt" feeling. And when I say gladly thats exactly what I mean. Maybe it's more selfish than anything though because to see her hurt most likely hurts me more than it does her, so by poking my own eye out I'm actually saving myself from the pain of her suffering.
Lastly, not the last thing I'm grateful for but the last thing I'm going to say: my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, and the joy and peace it brings to my life. I'm grateful that heavenly father loves us so much, that he sent his son to die for us--so that we could return to live with him again. I think about how hard it would be if I didn't know my propose and why I'm here. I know he loves us and wants us to be happy, he's given us this beautiful earth to live on, our eternal families and the knowledge of the gospel. He doesn't have to be so generous, but He is because he loves and he wants us to be happy. Also if I didn't know that I would see my family again and that this life is not the end, it would be so hard-- I'm so grateful I know that. Watching these videos evokes feeling of gratefulness. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints and am so thankful for it and the simple truths it brings to my life.
Those are some of the many things I'm thankful for. Ahh thanksgiving. A time of reflection for the things we have, the things we love the things we're so thankful for. I'm thankful for thanksgiving!:)
Oh yeah and our neighbors who play guitar hero all night, and make us laugh!:)