So often we get stuck in the day-to-day hustle and forget to acknowledge what’s really important. If someone were to ask “What’s most important to you?” we would be quick to respond with things like family, friends, being a good person, and so on. Unfortunately, we allow ourselves to get sidetracked a lot and temporarily “forget” our priorities. Unanswered emails clamor for our attention, deadlines and “to-do” lists clutter up our minds and steal our attention. As a way to temporarily silence these outside distractions, I like to look back over the past month and remind myself what is beautiful in my life. I try to identify three things that have happened in the past few weeks that I am grateful for and recognize them. I remind myself that these are what make up my life and have value. And for them, I am grateful.

October was a pretty good month. It’s been super busy and chaotic and there have been lots of changes, but most were good. Zachary is growing and thriving, Andy and I are both happy in our careers, and we finished working on Grandma’s house and already have it sold! All in all, no complaints!

Top 3 things I’m grateful for in October

1. A new Job! As of October 10th, I’m officially a working mama again. It’s great to be financially secure again, and I like my new job, but I really loved being home with Zachary. I missed him a lot in the beginning while I was getting used to it again. Luckily, I’m pretty busy all day at work so I have very little time to think about it! As much as I’d love to still be home with him every day, I’m glad I no longer have to be concerned about what will happen if I don’t find work. We can make plans and work on our house and not have to worry so much about how much we spend.
2. Zachary’s first Trick-or-Treat-Our little pumpkin went trick or treating for the first time this year! He actually went twice; once by our house and once by my grandma’s with family. The weather was really nice compared to previous years and he was such an adorable little pumpkin!
   

   Photo courtesy of Lichter Photography

3. Living close to family-Lately, Zachary has been quite a handful. Since going back to work, he’s really fighting taking his second nap of the day. So every day, he’s extra sleepy. That makes him extra rough and causes him to push boundaries more. That mostly results in more of him trying to hit the dogs and more of us scolding him. He’s also doing some hardcore teething right now which is only increasing the crabbiness. It’s been nice to have family around to visit, or ask to watch him. That way we can get away for a bit to have dinner or even run a few errands without him. We love being with him so much, but it’s nice to be able to get away to refresh and recharge our patience.