3x2 = Yes, S-I-X!

Today I'm thankful for my three kiddos...

Breck Reid - 4.5 years old

Adelaide Pearl - 2.75 years old

Ainslee Rose - 1 year old

And the opportunity to babysit for some friends' kiddos...

Girl - 4.5 years old

Boy 1 - 2 years old

Boy 2 - 6 months

We decided to have a babysitter swap - we got their kids tonight, they get our kids tomorrow.  Hopefully this will be the start of occasional date nights for all of us!

It's interesting, because I've always wanted a large family - and six has been kinda the perfect number in my mind.  More recently we've talked about how difficult a larger family could be, and that for a while we'd like to wait before deciding if we have any more.  Nothing's changed on that front, but it was just interesting having 6 tonight... Not saying we'll ever have six, or even ever have more than our 3, but it was fun to have lots of energy and excitement for a night!

Hugs N' Kisses

Today I am thankful for crying kids - and the lack thereof this morning!

Nearly everyday for the past week or two, one of the older two (Breck and/or Adelaide) has come running out of the house when I leave for work to:

1.  Say they need a kiss and a hug

OR, (and this has been more prevalent, and what melts my heart:)

2. Come screaming out of the house to tell me that I forgot to give the other, or Ainslee, or Mommy a hug and a kiss.

Mind you, in the past two weeks, I have never failed to give anyone a hug or a kiss, unless they were still sleeping - and with 3 kiddos under 4, that HARDLY ever happens.

On some days, this has been frustrating because I am hurrying, or I worry about sending them back to Amber crying and upset - but overall this reminds me that my kids LOVE me!!  And, not only do they love me, they love EACH OTHER, because they are worried if their siblings or mommy haven't gotten their share of love from Daddy.

This morning, I was able to escape with no cries.... (I did have pass out 5 rounds of lovin' before I shot out the door!)

So, I am thankful that my kids make me feel love and accepted, even when there are days I might forget or not feel super loved and appreciated!

Long time Coming....

So, I looked back, and the last time I posted, I only had one kid - Breck!  Now, I have 2 daughters, Adelaide and Ainslee, to add to the mix of thankfulness, craziness, and fun!

Amber, my wife, has been encouraging me to remember the things I am thankful for - which reminded me that I had started (if you can call my previous feeble attempt a start!) a blog documenting what I am thankful for about being a dad.  So, I am going to again use this medium as a place to express my daily thanks for the things that I DO have in my life - my wife, my kids, my job, etc.

Today, I am thankful that for 3 days in a row Amber has made me a delicious lunch to have at work, and that keeps me on track as we are progressing through an Advocare 24 Day Challenge - 2 1/2 days down!

I am also thankful for the funny things that Adelaide says - yesterday was a happy day for her - she was telling stories, laughing and joking, not always the norm for a 2 year old little girl!

So - this is the first day of a new habit in showing thanks!  Hope you enjoy!