Thankful Thursday is back in business (at least for this week).

I’m thankful that Liv Ellen is sound asleep in her swing and Kade is sound asleep in his bed, which means I have at least 15 minutes to write this.

I’m thankful that my husband is such a good photographer because now I longer have to endure mall photo-studio hell. It totally makes using my half of our birthday money to buy the super-expensive camera worth it.

I’m thankful for yesterday morning when I noticed a wet, sticky spot on the side of Liv’s head and I knew it must have been from a kiss that Kade snuck when I wasn’t looking.

I’m thankful for the electric breast-pump that my mom bought for me (thanks mom). I actually have a developing stockpile of milk in the freezer and I haven’t even owned it for a full week yet. This thing is amazing (although I feel a bit like a cow when using it) and it makes the idea of leaving Liv for a short period of time a little easier to think about, but I’m still not ready to do it just yet.

I’m thankful for fall. There is something so comforting in the changing of the seasons - the chance to start over, to shed the past and regenerate for the future. Of all the seasons, fall is my favorite. It’s the colors of the leaves, the smell of spice and pumpkin pie, Saturdays filled with college football, and Steelers Sundays. It’s even better now that I can relive all the childhood joys of fall through my own children - finding the perfect pumpkin, decorating the house with images of fall and Halloween, jumping in a freshly raked pile of leaves, and the all important costume hunt. The only downfall is that it is so short-lived, so I enjoy every second of it while it’s here because winter is just around the corner.