Blessed and thankful

To say that I am blessed is a complete understatement. I am way beyond blessed...more than I deserve, really. And let's be honest, I sometimes take it for granted. My life is simply amazing. I love it and I am so thankful for so many things. I remember once while I was in college our preacher challenged us to write down something that we were thankful for for an entire year. He said you would be amazed at the little things that we overlook on a day to day basis, that other people would literally die to have. So I have done something similar to that challenge. Over the past month I have compiled a list of things in my life that I have to be thankful for. I am sure there are so many more, but this is the working list that I have going.

1. God's mercy and grace. I stand in awe of the compassion that God pours out to me on a daily  basis. I am thankful that he feels I deserve it, because there are times I feel totally unworthy.

2. My amazingly awesome husband. He is the best person I have ever known. He is the best leader to our family, husband to me and father to our baby girl. I am so lucky that for the rest of my life I get to call him mine!

3. Our healthy baby. It seems like Facebook is flooded with children who are not healthy. I am not only thankful I get to be Addison's mommy, but that she is a healthy little girl!

4. Great parents. Talk about parents who are totally selfless for my sisters and I. They would literally do anything for us and I'm grateful that they showed me a great example if what it means to be a parent.

5. A safe home that I also love coming home to each day.

6. the right to vote and voice my opinion.

7. that my husband and I both have a steady job.

8. Friends. My college experience at uk would be what it was without my sorority sisters and I'm so thankful for the memories we've created. I'm also so thankful for the friends that I've made post college and that we are all in the same stage in life with small little ones who can grow up together.

9. Health. Not only for me, but for Addy and Mike. I am constantly thinking if Lane Goodwin and the hurt that his family feels because of his poor health and I'm so thankful everyone in my family is healthy.

10. veterans who have fought for our country as well as people who are active in our military.

11. safe drinking water. At church a few weeks ago our preacher talked about an infant in Haiti who died because of unsanitary drinking water. I can't imagine.

12. Southland Christian Church. The church that built me.

13. cousins for Addison. She and Olivia are getting old enough to where they interact with one another and I'm so thankful they will have each other to grow up with.

14. In laws. Some people don't like theirs, but I love both of mine. They treat me like I am their child and that is so nice. When Mike and I married, we moved an hour and a half from my family and having his parents close made it not so hard.

15. Pumpkin...I love that crazy dog and the fact that he has adjusted to Addison so well.

16. Pinterest. They have the best ideas. I can recreate things I've seen, but I sometimes have a hard time coming up with things. Pinterest is great for people like me!

16. clean sheets. Love em!

17. short work weeks because then I get to be home with my family all day and see Addison when she wakes up in the morning. It's my favorite time of day with her.

18. A reliable car.

19. Mike's grandmas. It is safe to say my sister's and I got the short end if the stick when it comes to grandparents. My papaw (who was great) passed when I was 6 and my other grandparents haven't been very involved. Mike's grandma's treat me like their own ( just like my in laws) and it's nice to see how it should be :)

20. My sisters. I am lucky enough to be a big sister two times. They are not only great sisters, but great friends.

21. Music. I love that just one tune can take you back to a place in time and give you the best memory.

22. My college education. I got my master's in education last year and I'm so thankful for it. I am also thankful that Addison will see how her daddy and I value education since I earned two degrees and Mike was a double major.

23. My husband's business sense. Money burns a hole in my pocket at times, but he's very sensible about our finances.

24. Vacations. We recently took our first one as a family of three and I love the memories that were created.

Happy Thanksgiving! We sure do have a lot to be thankful for...(even if it's not in my list above!)

Sleepyheads

These sleepyheads are enjoying a lazy Saturday

Giveaway winner...

Because I'm no good with the random number generator and feared I would mess it up, I did things the old fashioned way. I did the names in a hat kind of drawing to get the winner of the giveaway and the prize goes to....

Lauralee Samples!

Yay!!! I'll bring your treat to work tomorrow! Thank you I everyone who entered the drawing and thank you for keeping up with the blog. We love you all!!

We are alive!

We've been very sickly around the Fogle household the past two weeks and I think we are starting to be on the mend. We aren't really sure where it all started, but Addy ended up at the doctor's office two times last week and was even tested for RSV. Luckily it was negative. I missed work last Monday because of a stomach bug I caught and then ended up with a cold as well. Mike is also feeling kinda cruddy and spent the day laying low, but we are still alive and feeling better! Proof we are still alive and have been getting lots if cuddles in because that helps a lot when you don't feel well :)

Yum!

Addison is getting to be such a big girl! Last week she tried baby food for the fist time and loved it! We started her with a veggie, carrots, because we have heard if you start with fruit they will want that instead if veggies....because of the sweetness and sugar I guess. She took about a tablespoon the first time which I was really pleased with and since then has eaten carrots once a day. I obviously think everything she does is beyond cute, but it really was adorable to watch her discover this new texture for the first time. At first she kinda rolled it around in her mouth and didn't know what to think, but she quickly warmed up to the idea and loved them! I'm hoping she will like most fruits and veggies. I know I sure tried to eat healthy while I was pregnant so she would be a good eater!

Winner, winner chicken dinner!

On Facebook I follow the orchard that is right by my parent's house and a couple of weeks ago they were doing a photo contest to win a gift basket. The photo had to be taken this fall at the orchard and since we took Addy there to get a pumpkin, I though that I would participate. So I entered a photo and guess what? We won! Mike and I just picked up the cutest little gift basket with lots of goodies for Addison. First of all they gave us a pass to the orchard for all next season. This is great because they have so much to do! Pick pumpkins, go on a train ride around the property, ride horses, see animals at the petting zoo, slide down a huge hay slide, play on the playground and eat lunch are just a few of the things you can do there and I'm so excited we have a season pass now! We also got some of their homemade apple butter and raspberry jelly. Addy got a pink flamingo goof ballz toy, a rubber ducky, a mudpie loofa that is adorable and a mudpie ice pack that is also precious. I'm so excited that we won lots of new goodies! We are so proud :) here are some photos of the picture I entered in the contest as well as the goodies we scored upon our victory!

The winning picture :) One of my favorites of our family

Yum

I love these! I wanted to get Addison a fish one in Gatlinburg...funny we got one as a prize

The ice pack is on the left and the loofa is on the right. Aren't they adorable?!

Best Buds

So the other day I was doing what I love to do the most...taking pictures of Addison, and Pumpkin was quite the hit with little miss. I had  Addy in her bumbo beside the bunny so we could get the monthly growth picture and Addison was fixated on Pumpkin. I could see her slowly making her way toward Addison out of the corner of my eye and before I knew it, she was right beside her. Addison LOVES Pumpkin, so she started reaching for her and playing with her. It was too cute and I could resist taking pictures. So, the monthly picture that I was trying to capture turned into Pumpkin/Addy playtime. I think these snapshots are pretty cute...

she isn't licking her mouth...just the angle of the picture!