A New Year

Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

- Thankful by Josh Groban

I know this song wasn't intended for parents, but as I sat down to update my blog for the New Year it was playing and suddenly the words hit me. How often do I get tired from opening at Starbucks or sick of my "mommy duties" so that I want to just sit down and take time for myself? Maybe watch one of my recorded shows or play around on the Internet. I get caught up inside myself and miss the joy that surrounds me. So this year, I am praying for what I know can be. I really was made to live for so much more.

But, what I love the most about these lyrics, is the ending line. There is so much more to do and so much change to accomplish, but there's so much to be thankful for. So, here in the beginning of 2009, I'm going to focus on what I am thankful for ...

- My husband, Landon Tyler

On December 29th we celebrated our fifth anniversary. Still just a baby in the married world, but a momentous milestone nonetheless. We tend to be low key, so I had assumed we would just go on a date that night. Landon had other plans. Saturday morning he walked into our bathroom with a suitcase. I gave him a confused look and he explained we were going away for the night. He had been planning this for a couple of months! He got the weekend off from work, asked my parents to watch the kids, and booked a night at the Scottsdale Resort.

First we went to a movie and In n' Out for lunch and then spent the afternoon relaxing in our room reading our books (something we rarely get the time to do). That night, we went to Outback for dinner and then to the McCormick Railroad Park for a train ride surrounded by a huge lights display. He knows how much I love Christmas lights. It was such a special time to spend alone, reveling in our years together and talking about the future.

Later that week, to commemorate our five years together, we got matching tattoos. Some wives get jewelry ... this is SO much more fun =)

My sister got one at the same time.

The tattoo is the Hebrew word one from this verse - Genesis 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

I'm not sure where we'll be in five years, but I am thankful for the man I married.

- My three year old Trenton David

I am thankful for the laughter he brings with his constantly expanding vocabulary and his thoughtful, inquisitive phrases. The other day, after going to the bathroom on the toilet and flushing he told me, "Mom, poops go home to hims mommy and daddy." I almost fell over laughing and yet he was completely serious. I guess when your world revolves around your own mommy and daddy, you assume everything should be so lucky.

I am thankful for his tender spirit. A year ago when Mimi was visiting, she put some water on a cut for him to make it feel better. He now believes water is the cure to any ailment and in the absence of water, spit will do. Anytime he gets hurt, a bump on the head or a scrape, he instantly sticks all four fingers in his mouth and wipes them on his owie to make it better. Well, now we are all recipients of this benediction. If he sees a cut on my hand from work, for instance, he says "mommy you owie? mommy wawa. (wipes his wet fingers on the cut) all better!" He is such a caring boy and a precious cuddler.

- My 18 month old Sawyer Kemp (aka Bobby)

I am thankful for his expressive demeanor and adventurous nature. He is quick to tell you how he's feeling at any given moment and it never ceases to bring a smile to my face. He is also a climber. Trenton would climb too, but then get stuck and yell for help. Sawyer climbs everywhere and figures out his own way down, even if it means falling. He has fallen off our kitchen chairs half a dozen times onto the tile and I would think the bumps and bruises and the cries after would deter him from doing it again - not a chance! He climbs in the cabinets of the entertainment center and lets Trenton shut the door on him, all the while thinking it's a great game. He has no fear.

I am thankful for his social side. He'll play with anyone, anywhere, anytime and only throw a fit when he's left out of something. He follows Trenton around constantly, trying to play with the same toys and the same games, just to be a part of what his older brother is doing. And between the roughhousing and tussles over toys, he is going to be a tough kid.

What a joy these two dancing, giggling boys of mine.

- Our families

We have the most amazing, supportive, giving parents and siblings; their love for us has spread to our kids. Trenton and Sawyer adore their grandparents, aunts, and uncles and cherish every moment spent with them.

- Our friends

Thank you for doing life alongside us and willingly putting up with Landon =)

I pray for the year ahead and the woman I know I can be, but with the same voice I praise God for all the He has blessed me with.

Happy 2009 from the Andersons