Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving! I love the fall weather, tons of delicious food, spending time with family and just sitting back relaxing. I remember going to my Grandma's house for a big feast and lots of fun with all my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, which was normal for any holiday really. :) I remember everybody going around saying what they were thankful for, which always bothered me, shouldn't we be thankful EVERYDAY?! But I guess it is a day to express what you are grateful for (again something I think should be done daily). Anyways, here it goes, I am thankful for:

• Family and friends. I am so glad to have people to share all of my achievements, stepping stones, hurts, pains and everything else in life with. I am also grateful to be available to offer support and love to those people as well.
• For the opportunity to live in a country in which I have freedom and rights. I am so grateful for any and all who have served our country so that I may have those rights and freedoms. I couldn't even imagine living anywhere else. I think we all take for granted what we have and how lucky we are, and I am vowing to try harder to appreciate it each and every day.
  
• Electricity. This is one I know I take for granted all the time. But I often find myself stopping and realizing how much I use it and how convenient it makes life. There are days I would definitely struggle without my T.V., computer, microwave, lights, heat, etc.
  
• Jobs and Education. I am so grateful that we are able to choose what we would like to do with our lives and are given the chance to expand our minds and grow as people as well as a society.
• Health. I am so glad that I am healthy, that I have the use of my limbs, ears, eyes and everything else. I admire those that go through life without the use of any of these things. I am grateful that is not a trial that I have to face. I don't think I 'd be strong enough.
• Transportation. I am so glad that we have cars, trains, boats, buses and so on. I am a lazy person, I will admit, and would hate it if I had to walk everywhere. Or if I could not visit places or people I would like to. I am also thankful for all that transportation has provided us as a bigger picture.
• Technology. I guess this includes electricity and transportation and whatnot. But I am grateful for modern technology, for the ability to keep in touch with one another, for medicine and all the other things we use in health care, just everything that we have today and all that we are constantly discovering.
• LIFE. I am so thankful for life! I am grateful for an earthly body, for the ability to grow and learn, the opportunity to have children to teach and love and a wonderful husband to go through every twist and turn of life with!

Those are just a few of the basics that I am thankful for each and every day! I am very glad that we are given a day to reflect on them and share them with loved ones.  I am also very glad that I can share them with whomever reads this.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Coda's 5!

So when I began this post I was searching for photos of Coda and for some reason I couldn't find a single one!!! There were plenty of Melody and Cadence but where was Coda? Then the thought that has occurred to me plenty of times came into my mind "Coda is the middle child and the stereotype is so true, the middle child is often left out or forgotten"  That is when I found the mother load, tons and tons of pictures of  The Codeman, each one capturing his sweet, loving, wonderful personality. It was so difficult to choose which ones to use. I became overwhelmed with emotion as I was reminded what a challenge yet such an amazing blessing Coda has been to me! 

Coda Craig came only 13 months after Melody on November 5, 2004 and the pregnancy was somewhat rough on me, here I was chasing around a sweet, very energetic little girl, taking care of our dog, Bill and still adjusting to being a wife. I put on many pounds and had gallstones during my pregnancy with Coda, but enjoyed most of it even if I was exhausted! Coda finally decided to join us after 15 hours of labor at 5:30 in the evening and as he came into this world he grabbed onto my gown and the Dr. laughed as he pried these tiny fingers off me and said  what a strong grip this little guy had. Coda knew he wanted to stay with Mom and was not a very happy guy in the hospital and I was worried that I had my work cut out for me!  Luckily, when we arrived home he was so well behaved and Melody quickly grew a strong bond with him!

Coda definitely has his Daddy's disposition and personality which caused them to bump head for a bit and that but now they are such great friends and I love watching them play. Coda is a great help and he gets along with both of his siblings so wonderfully. He loves being an older brother, teaching and playing with Cadence and he enjoys being able to look up to Melody and tries to impress her constantly.

Coda loves gadgets and buttons and when he was about 10 months old, he took apart Mom's vacuum, screws and all! He is very interested in how things work and is very smart, even though we have had a tough time with his speech, he speaks volumes with his actions, emotions and affection. He has taught me so much! I love the passion and excitement he exudes!

I can't believe he has grown so quickly! It seems like time has gone by even quicker with Coda then the other 2! I am very proud of all Coda has achieved and all the happiness he brings us all!
Happy 5th Birthday Coda! We love you!!