30 Days of Thanks 2012 (recap)

I realized I never recaped my 30 Days of Thanks 2012. Thankfully, it was all on facebook, so I was able to copy and paste everything. Just reread all of them. We are definitely going to do this next year!


Day 1: Today, I am thankful for my season tickets to VCU Basketball. I am so grateful to be able to raise cooper around something I LOVED growing up around. Some of my earliest memories are of ordering roy rodgers and shirley temples at the presidents club with our homemade VCU sweatshirts... and getting candy at 6th street to take into the game. Thank you mom and dad!

Day 2: Today,  I am most thankful for my son's jibberish. It reminds me to be patient, take my time and listen to every sound. What he is saying is as important as he thinks it is because he is really just 2 and its not fair to expect him to be anything but 2.

Day 3: Today, I am most thankful for ability to spend the entire day with my son. I am so lucky to have a husband to pick up the chores so that I am able to give Coop my undivided attention for potty. I feel like I know Coop better than I did yesterday and no matter whether our potty party is successful or not (although it happens to be going wonderfully), that makes the day totally worth it.

Day 4: Today, I am most thankful for the love my husband has for our son. Listening to rick cheer for coop in the potty after nap time makes me smile. I'm laying in bed now listening to him and cooper play in the backyard and you don't have to know rick to know he's having as much fun as coop. I know he cares so deeply about coop and he will do whatever it takes to be a good dad. I am so excited to see him with our #2.

Day 5: Today, I am most thankful for my son's teacher, Ms. Marley. I was SO nervous taking Coop to school today after such a successful potty weekend and she was helpful and relaxed and ready for the challenge. I realized today she deserves all of my trust in this parent-teacher relationship and that makes me SO grateful.

Day 6: Honestly, today I am most thankful that today is actually here. All the politics has really gotten me down. There is a mature and polite way to support your personal beliefs and I have been very disappointed with the way people have been putting others down for their beliefs. The beauty of our life as an American is not only the right to vote but that we also have the ability to agree to disagree. I'm ready for facebook to go back to funny e-cards about jeggings and the cute thing your kid said about boogers.

Day 7: Today, I am most thankful for my work family. Working with a group of wonderful people that give me parenting advice, remind me to feed my belly (and often make me food to eat!), let my son borrow their son's clothes and care about my family enough to to be great friends and even the godmother to funfetti makes going to work a breeze. I am so blessed to work with people whom I choose to spend time with outside of my work week. Thank you for caring not only about me, but my sweet babies too.

Day 8: Today, I am most thankful to Mike Maggi's parents for hosting Lauren and Mike's rehearsal dinner. After months on a strict diet due to my gallbladder, I was beyond excited to indulge in the deliciousness that is Julep's while enjoying awesome company. So happy to be a part of all the wedding festivities!

(Apparently I missed Day 9... but I made up for it on Day 29!)

Day 10: Today, I am most thankful for my friendship with Lauren Moreno. Today, I am honored to stand with her as she marries the love of her life. Lauren is always telling me how much I have taught her but the truth is I am the one that has learned so much. I am so glad the stars finally aligned for us to meet and become friends. RAWR! Today it means you are going to be the most beautiful bride. Congratulations to you Mike Maggi for scooping up one amazing woman. Happy Wedding Day!

Day 11: Thankful for the day of catch-up sleep... funfetti and I both needed it more than I realized.

Day 12: Today, I am most thankful that coop went potty at school. Last week, although home training was going smooth, it was really tough staying relaxed about coop not going for 8 hours at a time. I am hopeful the worst of the worrying is behind us and we are on our way to being potty trained, totally rocking the "before the new baby" deadline!

Day 13: I am honestly most thankful its not my night for coop's bedtime routine. After that ram loss and staying up past my bedtime, all I want is my pillow!

Day 14: Today, I am most thankful for Cooper's doctors, Dr. Elliott and Dr. Brager. As he went to sleep tonight, even with his yucky cold, he was quiet as a mouse. I am so thankful Cooper's doctors never gave up and found the answer, even if he is known throughout the Richmond pediatric medical community as "the peanut boy." :)

Day 15: Today, I am most thankful for bubble baths. Watching Coop swim in bubbles for the first time was sheer joy for both of us. Even with this yucky cold, the bubbles were exactly what he needed. Here's hoping the "bedtime" solution helps him settle down quickly because this momma is ready for bed!

Day 16: Today, I am most thankful that daddy is almost home. Although I appreciate the time with Coop alone and it does remind me how blessed I am to have a permanent teammate, I am ready for a night where I can go to bed before Coop and catch up on some sleep!

Day 17: I'm most thankful for my mom's bbq bacon wrapped pineapple and shrimp skewers. Yes, they are as addictive as they sound and yes, I ate more than my share.

Day 18: Today, I am most thankful for my stylish mom. Shopping with her today was stress-free and very productive. I love that she can see how things will look on me before I try them on so I end up liking 98% of what I take to the dressing room, which is particularly effective while pregnant since I have this bump to clothe and the emotions are high. She even brought me snacks to get me through! :)

Day 20: Today, I am most thankful that traveling for thanksgiving also happens to be traveling to see the tigers play. Packing is incredibly stressful for me except for lsu trips... all of our suitcases are filled with all items purple and gold in our closets. Easy peasy! :)

Day 21: Today, I am most thankful for the ability to fly to Arkansas for yet another hilarious adventure with my wonderful family. Coop did an outstanding job waking up at 4am for a day full of traveling, pottying anywhere we could find, and being just about too busy to eat. We are so blessed to have a pretty easy going kid, even if it did include a few meltdowns. :)

Day 22: Today, I am most thankful to be a Shelton. My maiden name is more than a name... It means lsu football and laughing until our bellies hurt because the grandkids are wild. It means everyone saying "god is great" for grace bc it makes coop that happy. It means crafting at the dinner table where we shared thanksgiving lunch/dinner together with mom's famous feta cheese mashed potatoes. It means loving each other and always caring for each other through everything no matter what and even welcoming new loved ones into the fold. So blessed. So thankful.

Day 23: I am most thankful for lsu football. My love for the tigers is way more than first downs and touchdowns. Its years of memories and bonding. Whether its going to shreveport for a bowl game and being happy about it, dance parties at tailgates in the lumberyards of south carolina or a saturday night in death valley, these games are more about being a family that plays together and sharing with our friends through the years what being a shelton is all about. Thank you dad for making these memories possible. I'm excited my kids get to grow up with a similar experience! :)

Day 24: Today I am most thankful for bowling with the family. not only was it fun (and I may have beat my husband both games) but brings back years of memories of thanksgivings in Roanoke rolling 30 deep! A family that plays together stays together! :)

Day 25: I am most thankful that coop is a traveler. Watching he and laney sit together on the plane without needing a parent to sit with them was pretty awesome. He is better than a typical 2 year old on flights and will pee or hold it as requested by his momma. I'm excited for all of the adventures in our future!

Day 26: Today, I am most thankful to learn at the doctor today that our sweet funfetti is "normal" as the perinatal specialist said. He also called us "boring patients" and said he didn't want to see us again. He added, that he hoped I wasn't offended. I replied that was the best response we could get. So blessed to have a healthy baby on the way! :)

Day 27: I am most thankful for the arrival of my LL Bean pine wreath. Every year, I am so excited when the box arrives to unleash the smell of pine. This year, my wonderful husband had it hung on the door when we got home so the house was already filled with my favorite Christmas smell. It official feels like Christmas and I'm now ready to pull all of our boxes from the attic. Thank you Steve Shelton and Pam Stone Shelton for keeping the tradition alive because it means a lot to us! :)

Day 28: Today, I am most thankful for eskimo kisses. Watching Coop repeatedly give out eskimos kisses to everyone in our group was the sweetest thing and made my heart melt. Its definitely the little things! :)

Day 29: I am most thankful today for the gift of giving. I love that feeling when you came up with the PERFECT gift or surprise for someone and you just cant wait to see the look on their face when they open it. I am so blessed to have been raised in an enviroment where it really is the thought that counts. Thanks to Tiffany Linick for helping Cooper and I (and Emery, too!) spoil their teachers!

Day 29 (part 2): Okay, so I had to do a second one I just remembered. I am also thankful for the innocence and excitement of my son. As I opened the front door with Coop to leave this am, he noticed the wreath on the door. He said with his eyes bright and jaw agape, "Look, Momma! Cwissmiss time!" I was just so excited to see his excitement. I am so thankful God's path for me includes motherhood. Everything about life is so much more exciting when reminded what it looks like through a child's eyes. I can't begin to imagine how much better our life will be with funfetti in it!

Day 30: I feel a lot of pressure selecting just one thing I am most thankful for today because I know its the last day. Honestly, I think I am most thankful today is the last day before we find out Funfetti's gender! Less than 18 hours!! I am sooo thankful that I participated in the 30 days of thanks. It encouraged me look past the usuals... friends, family and a career, which obviously I am thankful for, but helped me to truly find the best out of each day. Thanks for humoring my daily posts!