Dear Child,
2021 has been an amazing year so far and I have many things and people to be thankful for.
As usual, I am always most thankful for my children. You were all prayed about and wished for more than you could possibly imagine and not a day goes by that I don’t pray for God to keep you safe. My world revolves around the four of you, and everything else comes after.
Here is a list of other things I am thankful for in 2021:
1 – My Increased Spirituality
Without being able to go to Church this year, I turned to a publication that I was already receiving in the mail and began reading this at the start and end of each day. I also began listening to Joyce Meyer daily. I’ve found her to be an amazing resource for biblical interpretation as well as offering down to earth advice in today’s world. This has helped me strengthen my bond with the Lord and has helped to make me a happier and more understanding person.
2 – My Husband
Daddy never ceases to amaze me. I thought my constant goal setting and planning would drive him crazy, but instead, he bought me a High Performance Planner so I could better track my progress. When we decided to increase our focus on our health and fitness, he found us an app that would work for both of our goals.
He supports my interests, is constantly asking how he can help me more and keeps me laughing. Top that off with the fact that he is a patient and understanding dad and step-dad, and it’s no wonder I thank God every day for bringing us together.
High Performance Planner 
Chris Hemsworth’s Centr App
3 – Our New Pool
This might seem like a silly thing to add to a list that, so far, has been of incredibly important things, but this was the realization of a goal we set six years ago, so having it come to fruition is definitely something to be thankful for.
When I was growing up, we had a huge above ground pool. We swam all the time, often putting our bathing suits on as soon as we got up in the morning and only taking them off to change into pajamas at night. Grandma was a stay-at-home mom, so our summers were filled with an ever rotating schedule of visits by her friends and their kids. They all loved the pool as much as we did. Summer was the best time of the year.
When we bought our house six years ago, we bought a steel framed pool that was twelve feet by twenty feet. It was not a permanent pool – it needed to be set up each spring and taken down in the fall. It was a lot of work, but the cost was reasonable, and it would give us a chance to see if we would use a pool as much as we thought we would. As it turned out, you were a little fish (or mermaid, perhaps?) and you never wanted to get out. We would sometimes make you get out when your little lips would tremble from the cold, but you always insisted you still wanted to swim.
Five years later we were still setting up the same pool every spring and cleaning it thoroughly before storing it inside in the winter. I was searching to buy us a new permanent pool online, but because of Covid, pools were hard to find. The website I wanted to buy from said there would be new arrivals coming in the third week of July, so I logged on at 5am every morning, and sure enough, one day the pool I wanted was available. It was fifteen feet by thirty feet. We had put enough money aside for this, so I purchased it immediately. It was delivered two days later. I scheduled the installation through another company, and asked for it to take place in the fall. We took down our current pool for the last time, cleaning it thoroughly once again and packing it up to be delivered to one of Daddy’s friends, who will hopefully enjoy it as much as we did. Our new permanent pool was installed two weeks ago.
6 great years with this pool! 
LOVE our new pool!
Now every morning when I let Henry out, I walk out onto the deck with my coffee and I smile as I look at the pool that six years ago was only a dream. Daddy will build our new deck in the spring and hopefully your summers will be as amazing as my childhood summers were.
In a few hours we will be sitting down, all together, to Thanksgiving dinner, and I will be able to look around the table at the ones I love the most and thank God for the amazing life He has created for me.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love Mommy
xoxo
