I'm thankful for....poopy diapers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Twenty years ago (holy crap) I wasn't married yet. The Man and I were engaged and our wedding was happening two months after Thanksgiving. He was in the Navy and stationed about 4 hours from where I lived and all of our family was. Because he had to work that day, he wasn't able to come home for the holiday. So I went to him.

It was the first time I was away from my family for a holiday. It was strange. But wonderful. I roasted a Cornish game hen (first and last time I ever did that) and managed to make a nice meal for us. It was really special and we decided then that Thanksgiving would be our holiday---one that we set aside just for us to celebrate our life together and to give us a way to connect before the busy holiday season.

And we've done that for the (almost) 20 years we've been married. Things have changed significantly in those years. We've lived in 8 different houses, 7 different towns, and 3 different states. We've both changed careers. Our views on religion and politics have transformed. We are both vegetarians.

And we are now parents! Sort of mind boggling to think of all the changes we've been through together.

Yesterday I cooked up a feast with a Tofurky taking center stage instead of Cornish game hens. (I am actually working today so we celebrated Thanksgiving a day early.) The Man kept Little Man entertained for hours while I made the feast. While I chopped and stirred and cooked I thought about things that I am thankful for. This year's list was especially long. It's easy to guess what who was at the top of it!

I kept thinking about this blog post from Future Mama at  Expecting A Blessing who shared this family tradition:

'Growing up, our family had a Thanksgiving tradition where we went around the table and said something that we normally viewed as a burden, but that was in fact a blessing.  My favorite one to use was "I'm thankful for a dirty litter box, because it means we have a cat."'

So it got me thinking of a list of my own. Here goes:

I'm thankful for poopy diapers to change, because that means our son is home.

I'm thankful for tantrums--it's how LM tells me exactly what he needs.

I'm thankful for things not being put away because it means I am married to The Man. :)

I'm thankful for dealing with iChat glitches and dropped cell calls because it means we can stay in touch with our family.

I'm thankful for dirty dishes because it means we are eating well.

I'm thankful to get up early, because it means I get to do a job that I love.

Hope your Turkey (or Tofurky) day is awesome!