Even though it is the day after Thanksgiving – I still need to count my blessings.  I try to live each day with gratitude because there is so much in my life I’m thankful for.

[It sort of goes without saying, but I’ll put it in plain English anyway – these are in NO PARTICULAR ORDER]

1.  So Thankful for Family.  This year my family has been so amazingly supportive.  I’m a lucky girl:

God really has blessed me with family, I’ll never ever be able to justify in words how much they mean to me.

My sister, Nicole:  You are AMAZING. So strong. So beautiful.

My brother, Joey:  You are capable of great things, I’m holding you to that standard.  Lets get at it.

My mother: Clearly, I wouldn’t be where I am today without your love and support.  We’ve discussed this, but simply you are amazing in every.way.

My father:  Your warmth and love knows no bounds. I love you.

2.  My son.  Evan.  He is my world.  My little bundle of joy that I just can’t get enough of – he is perfection in a tiny package.  My little love who just melts.my.heart:

3. I’m also grateful for the little things in life:  Light traffic days, smiles at work and kind words on rough days.

4.  My morning coffee:

I need to make a point to enjoy it a bit more each day.

4.  My wonderful puppy, Oso – with the new baby and getting adjusted to our new family member – he has been amazing.  He is still the biggest love bug and gets so excited for love sometimes he cries kind of like “please don’t stop petting me.”  I can’t wait until we get the new house and can take him on more walks because he is just a blast still.

5.  Speaking of dogs, Mr. Gandalf – a golden retriever that I can’t imagine life without:

He is 11 years old, and just the sweetest dog I have ever met.  He is so gentle and loving ❤

6.  Food!  I have to be thankful that I have the knowledge and passion for healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.  I also have to be thankful that I can afford fresh fruits, veggies and all that good stuff that helps me and my little family stay healthy.

7.  A home.  I am thankful everyday that I have a roof over my head, walls that keep my baby warm.

8.  My laptop – so I can blog, surf the web and spend way too much time comparison shopping 😉

9.  My FRIENDS.  Again, this year really has been a great one and my friends have never been more supportive and wonderful.  I simply can’t imagine my life without them.  In fact, they are family to me.  I’m so excited to share all the memories we build together.  I have a beautiful nephew that is going to teach my son how cool cars are and how to play angry birds.  I have a friend who is kicking butt on a Pilates mat that inspires me to further my fitness (she is my other fitness half 😉 ) – I also have another friend who reminds me that school was worth it – if I wouldn’t have been working towards my degree I would have never met her, and she is just the most wonderful person.  I’m so excited for all of our futures together and organizing a wine and book night.

10. itunes:  When I was first pregnant (this time last year) I was so sick that I couldn’t even listen to music.  I remember feeling SICK when music would play I have no idea what caused this but it was like ALL of my favorite things were taken away: coffee, music, veggies… But that part of pregnancy made me appreciate how much I love them again and that I have to cherish it.  I love my music library and ipods so I’m super grateful for that.

11.  Being employed.

12. Evan’s swing.  He loves this thing.  I love that it can comfort him.

13. My Gym and everything FITNESS related   I’m so blessed to be able to go to the gym, work out my muscles and hit the yoga mat.  As Evan gets a bit older, I push it a little harder.  My cuddle time with him is everything to me – but keeping myself strong and healthy for him is also something I’m immeasurably thankful for.

14. Nursing goodies – medela and lansinoh keep my baby happy and healthy.  Sure I’m not always excited to spend the 15 minutes hooked up to a machine but it allows me to give my baby the best nourishment I can – and for that – I’m beyond beyond beyond far beyond grateful.

15. My Camera – how could I capture as much as I can without it?

16.  My kindle – with the click of a button I can borrow a book (thanks Amazon Prime! I love you too!) or buy a new hit without leaving the comfort of my bed or disturbing a sweet sleeping baby in my arms.

17. Girly things like nail polish, awesome smelling candles and undying love for the special people in my life 😉

18. My First Time Mom’s group on facebook – there is something so special about sharing my new mom journey with them.  I’m totally grateful for the wonderful ladies I have met on that site. ❤

19. My yoga mat(s) – LOTS and LOTS of stress is released here. As well as some serious strengthening.  On my Christmas list this year is a Manduka Pro 😉 it will likely be a gift to myself.

20.  Fresh flowers and beautiful weather. Falling leaves, the smell of burning wood and sounds of people leading their daily lives on my runs (i.e. skateboards, kids screaming at each other and people chit chatting with neighbors).  I LOVE taking in the sights & sounds when I’m on a run ❤

21.  Friendly hugs any day 😉

22. Aden & Anais blankets [Especially the Bamboo ones] – These almost instantly sooth my sweet baby and he has been wrapped up in one (or two) of these every day since his first day of life:

23. My Husband.  There are days when I totally take him for granted.  He is absolutely amazing though and this year has been a huge year.  I mean we got married, had a baby and bought a house [under contract as we speak, fingers crossed it works out ;-)] in ONE year.  Also in that year he had supported my fitness efforts, carrying our beautiful baby, dealt with my SUPER emotional days (both the good days and bad) and he has always stuck by my side.  He is my best friend and soulmate and I’m SO PROUD to be his wife and I’m SO PROUD of all he does every day.  He is absolutely amazing with our son and I look forward to every second they spend together.  I truly cherish you my husband: