Top 10, no, 11 reasons I love Life!

I FINALLY changed my layout!! Not that it's important, but change is always good. (At least Avery's excited and cheering me on...)
I thought I'd write a few things I'm grateful for...

1. Nights I can SLEEP more than 5 hours at a time!! (It's starting to happen more regularly!)
2. Girls who love to play in the snow. It may take 20 minutes to get all the "gear" on, but they can spend hours out there if they wear all the right stuff!
3. Girls who remember to use the bathroom before they start the 20 min ritual to get on the snow gear...
4. Childlike confidence: Rilee got a guitar for Christmas, and after just a few strums, she thought she was a superstar!! She had it strapped to her constantly for a few days (slinging it over her shoulder if she wasn't using it). She just knew she was good!!
5. Times when I get a "yeah!" instead of hunched shoulders and chin sticking out while saying "ahhh", when my kids ask, "What's for dinner?!"
6. Days, weeks, or months without sickness!!! We've just gone through 2 bouts of strep throat, coughs, colds, and even a small bout of RSV with Avery. Luckily, it was mild, and although I've felt like I'd never get to go out again as we've kept isolated, I think we're finally through!
7. Family--who loves you even when you lose your mind! It is nice to know that no matter how bad I look, how little sleep I got, how grumpy I am, or how much I vent, my family stillloves me and knows who I really am, even when I don't act like it!
8. Fat Burning Yoga and days I actually get to exercise...I know this sounds cheesy, but I have really come to rely on the stress reliever that exercise is for me. Since the sick girls, I haven't been able to go to the gym and MISS IT! (I never thought I'd say that and really mean it!) So, Denise Austin's Fat Burning Yoga has to do it for now! I especially love it when Eden joins me, then tells me how sore she is the next day holding all the poses!!
9. 1Week Husband--I can't tell you how great it was to have a husband around for a whole week!! Especially since he told the girls, "Hey, run everything through Dad...Mom is off limits for the next few days!" He let me go to lunch, go to the gym, read, or just do anything that was impossible without help. Love that!
10. Friends, Life lessons, and Prayer--I am constantly inspired by the people around me. There are those who are facing true difficulty with grace, humility, and perspective. There are great people I see that serve because that's who they are and want to be, and it makes me want to do even better. I love lessons life teaches if we are humble enough to surrender to the Lord, knowing that is the only way we'll get through it. And, what would life be without a lifeline to Heaven?! We can gain peace, understanding, strength, feel true Love, whenever we want/need it, from the God of the Universe. And, as busy as He is, He constantly calls for us to "come unto [Him]", let Him take our burdens, and make us equal to every challenge we face. Amazing Grace.
11. Oh, and Exclamation Points!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My brother, Jeremy, just made fun of all of us sisters/Mom with our back and forth emails planning a Girls' Retreat, because he noticed that every sentence ended with an exclamation point. He pointed out that not all sentences need to end with one, two, or three exclamation points, unless we are shouting each one. Well, here's to being excited, and LOVING life so much, we have to end each expression with !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I win--we now have a contest of who can use them more often)