10 Things that Make Me Happy :)

1. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Jesus makes me happy because without Him in my life I would have no purpose or meaning. He gives me love, a relationship with Himself, and a life full of purpose! He has surrounded me with people, experiences, and a life full of blessings that I can never count!

2. My husband John. John makes me happy by just being himself. He can be silly, serious, deep, loving, compassionate, generous, patient, and fun! There are so many wonderful qualities he has. I am so proud of his recent accomplishment of passing his series 7 test with flying colors. It is known as the most difficult test in the country and he got a 90!!! Woohoo! Babe, all your hard work and tireless nights paid off. Thank you for your commitment to me and our family. I love you.

3. My Julia Star. Julia, now 2 years old, is my little bundle of activity. She talks non stop and now we can have mini conversations which I love. I can see her exploring the world around her and figuring things out and it is so neat to have a little person around the house. She makes every holiday and regular day unique and special because her perspective on life is so new and curious. I am loving this age.

4. My Mark (Boy). Having a son is such a great gift too. And 9 months is a spectacular age because they are trying to talk and can crawl and are eating new things everyday...it is awesome! I'm loving seeing the relationship between my two children grow as well as they play and learn to share. I love Mark because he loves to cuddle with me. He is my snuggle bunny. I've learned how to do just about everything in the kitchen and every cleaning task imaginable with one hand, because Mark loves just to be hanging out on my hip.

5. My family. My parents and sisters are such a blessing. They make me happy because they love me unconditionally and they love my husband and children. I can't explain it but when your family embraces your new family it just gives you this sense of joy and peace that you just can't describe, but it makes you so happy. I love watching my parents and sisters play with the kids and pick them up and take them places. I also come from a family that loves to help and encourage...and this is a great gift.

6. The sunshine. I love the sunshine! Sunshine yellow is one of my favorite colors to wear and I love spring and summer so we can enjoy the sunshine. I love the heat on our face and the warmth on our body. I love taking the stroller out and going for long walks with the kids.

7. Date nights. I love spending one on one time with John. Now that our wonderful kids are here these nights are sometimes few and far between, but they are still so great and really needed. If someone offers, John and I go! I've learned not to say no (due to my pride of trying to do it all) anymore and to take advantage of the opportunities as they come! It can be a concert, going to a restaurant, or strolling through the Barnes and Noble, it doesn't matter, as long as we are together.

8. My friends. I've been super blessed with such faithful and encouraging and awesome friends. My grade school friends, teacher friends, my roommates in college, grad school friends, fellow mom friends at church, mom friends I meet at MOPS and at play groups and even people I grew up with in church, over time have proven to be such a blessing and a mode of comfort and happiness for me. A friend has a special way of giving you her perspective on your situation and really making big issues that seem impossible really small! I'm so thankful for my friends.

9. A clean, peaceful house. There's nothing like an empty sink, an empty hamper, a newly washed counter, no crumbs on the floor, finger print free windows, a warm scented candle going in the bathroom. The smell of fabric softener in the air or bleach. I love a clean house. I think it makes it easier to think, more welcoming to guests, and definitely more fun to find toys to play with!

10. A warm cup of tea and a good book. I've been reading a series of books about the Amish people called Sisters of the Heart and I'm really enjoying it. I usually am able to read while the kids are napping or have gone off to bed and John is eating dinner or studying. I love curling up on the couch with a book and picking up where I left off. Going into another world for a bit is very relaxing and it keeps our t.v. turned off. (I'm really getting so worried about what is on t.v., but that is for another post.)