The alphabet song is definitely Top 40 at our house these days.  And I must say I never grow tired of hearing my little guy gleefully sing “em-em-ento-pee” in between bites of PBJ.  So instead of bullet-listing what first comes to mind that I’m grateful for, I thought I would honor my favorite little boy’s play list and come up with something for every letter of the alphabet.  So here’s my “thankful” list (in ABC order, of course ;))

Kind of a low quality picture, but definitely high quality fun factor!

 A – Autumn.  I could make a case for any season, but I really do think Autumn is my favorite time of year.  

B – Basketball Season.  So many fun (and melo-dramatic) moments on the court and on the TV over the years, particularly in March!

C – Cragbaby.  He is my sunshine, and my life is 100 times better now that he is in it.

D – Daylight Savings Time.  I’m already tired of it being dark at 5.  

E – Early mornings in our tent, when no one else is awake except for me.

F – Flowers.  Especially ones that I’ve planted myself.  

G – Grandparents.  I’m thankful that I still have 2 living, and C has 4 living, all within a 2 hour drive.  

H – Holidays.  I’m thankful that for yearly traditions that bring family and friends together.  

I – Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!  And it’s been a post-climbing staple for too many occasions to count!

J – Jesus.  It may not be politically correct or socially cool to say it anymore, but I owe it all to a man who died on a cross.

K – Kisses from either of my two favorite boys!

L – Long summer nights spent outside.

M – Music.  From the music that represents every important phase of my life to the music that keeps me running for one more mile.

N – Night Time Cuddles with C.  Our bedtime conversations are quite often the best part of my day, and I’m savoring it while it lasts because he’s growing up all too soon!

O – Ocean.  This past summer I was reminded of just how much fun it is to ride the waves!

P – Parenting.  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…but never a dull moment!

Q – Queen’s City (aka Charlotte, NC).  We’ve been here for almost 2 years, and it’s really starting to feel like home.  

Let’s hear it for a good book!

R – Rock Climbing.  This sport and this community are truly special and have been the catalyst for so many family adventures and opportunities.

S – Steve.  He’s not a perfect person, but he’s the perfect match for me, and the perfect dad for C.

T – The Tiny Hand that silently slips into mine when we hike along the trail.

U – United States of America.  Though we’ve been anything but united of late, most days I’m still proud to be an American.

V – Vacations.  Climbing trips out west, family week at the beach, or a weekend at the New with friends…life would be a lot less colorful without them!

W – Wildest dreams.  “If you can conceive it, you can achieve it.”  Maybe not always, but I do know the best parts of my life are mere extensions from my wildest dreams.

X – X-ercise.  Ok that one might be stretching it a bit, but the only other X word I could think of was “X-ray.”  Regardless, I’m thankful for the ability to move my body!

Y – YOU, if you’ve read this entire thing!  Seriously though, I’m thankful for people that seem to enjoy reading my ramblings.  

Z – “A Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see.”  It’s a line from one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books.  I’m thankful for books of all kinds – big ones, small ones, wordy ones, and picture ones!

And with that, happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Enjoy your time with family and friends, and don’t forget to tell the what you’re thankful for – especially if one of those things is THEM!