I'm hopping on the band wagon! My friends Ami, Nicole & Jen Corbelli have blogged about 29 Things they are thankful for, so I thought I would do the same. The idea came from Jen who bought the book,
"29 Gifts in 29 Days". So here goes, in no particular order...
1.
Brian. He is the best thing that has happened to me. He drives me crazy like no other person on earth can, but I truly couldn't be without him. He is a great husband and I am lucky to be married to him (as he is to me!)
2.
Jaxon. I love this little boy more than anything! He has been such a gift to us, we cannot even imagine our lives without this little guy. He is such a happy, easy-going, friendly kid.
3.
Abigail, the mid-wife. I don't think a day goes by that I do not give thanks for Abigail. She is the one who found the lump on my thyroid and told me to get it checked out. If it hadn't been for her, who knows how bad my health would have become.
4.
Dr. Coffman, aka Dr. McDreamy. As thankful as I am for Abigail finding the lump, I am as equally grateful for Dr. Coffman. He was able to take out more thyroid tissue than expected and was able to remove the cancer that had spread to my lymphnodes. He also did an amazing job on my scar (does that make sense?). It has only been 7 months since the surgery, but my scar is almost non-existent. We have seen other people who have had thryoidectomys and their scar does not look nearly as good as mine. Dr. Coffman had the best bedside manners. He was genuinely concerned about my health, was patient with Brian & me when we asked a million and one questions, and truly didn't mind that we called him a few times on his cell. And, let's be honest, I'm also thankful that he was so cute!
5.
Health Insurance. Boy am I ever grateful we had this! I can't even imagine where we would be financially after that surgery without health insurance.
6.
Hospital Bills are done! Whew, this one was a doozy. For months after the surgery we would get bill after bill after bill. I am thankful those have been paid and have stopped cluttering our mailbox!
7.
Healthy Preemie. This is another one of those things that I think about almost daily. I am amazed that Jaxon was born 6 weeks early and never had to go to the NICU and has not had any health problems. We were super blessed!
8.
My Parents. I cannot even begin to say how thankful I am for them! They have always been parents that would do anything for their kids and they certainly have showed it in the past year and half! They have done everything from taking care Jaxon while Brian and I go on vacation, to showing our house to possible renters, to taking care of their "sick" daughter after surgery and making special meals while I was on my low iodine diet for 2 weeks, etc, etc. Brian & I really don't know what we would do without them!
9.
Living in New Mexico. I never thought Iwould ever say this! I am happy that we moved here almost 4 years ago (can you believe it's been that long?) I believe that living here has made our marriage stronger and made me more independent.
10.
Brian Saving Money. Again, who would have thought? But, yes, I am grateful to Brian for being as financially savvy & smart as he is. If it were up to me we would have loads of cute clothes & shoes and absolutely NO money in the bank! But thanks to BP, we have savings and a "future".
11.
Team Work. I am truly happy that Brian and I are a team when it comes to raising Jaxon. We truly work well together in parenting. We always take turns with getting up in the middle of the night when needed,changing diapers, giving baths, getting Jaxon dressed, etc.
12.
Frances. Frances is Jaxon's "new" babysitter. She started taking care of him at the end of May. She takes care of about 9 other kids who range from 5 months to 4 yrs. She loves Jax as if he were her own. She takes great care of him and her other "charges". She feeds him healthy meals, gives him love, makes sure he sleeps and provides a nice routine. I am happy to have found her.
13
. Lucy. Lucy definitely has her quirks, ok, lots of them! She is obsessed with light, plastic bottles & food, but we love her just the same. She is such a wonderful dog. She loves Jaxon (almost to a fault) and is extremely patient with him when he yells at her, pulls her hair or kisses her.
14.
Working Part Time. I found out this summer that being a stay-at-home mom is NOT for me! I have also learned this school year that working full time is not for me either! I feel so lucky to have found a happy medium in working part time. It is the perfect arrangement for our family.
15.
My Principal. Strange, I know, but I am thankful to her for allowing me to work part time. This year has been a bit of a whirlwind for us... working full-time, then hiring someone to go part time with me, then that lady quits, working full-time again, then finding someone NEW to work with me. Through it all, she has been patient and supportive. She could have told me that I had to stay full time for this year, but she didn't.
16.
Patience & Strength. I always new I was a patient person, I mean how could you teach kindergarten and
not be, but having a child of your own teaches you a whole new level of patience. I am thankful that I have ALL of the patience that I do because Brian certainly does not :) This year has also taught me that I am a strong person. Being diagnosed with cancer and not breaking down is a sign of a strong person (not to toot my own horn or anything). I am still amazed at myself and how well I handled a tough situation.
17.
A Baby Who Sleeps. Yes, we were blessed with a baby who LOVES to sleep! I have friends whose babies do not sleep through the night, and if it were me, I would go insane! Brian & I worked hard to get Jaxon on a schedule and thankfully he took to it. He has been sleeping 12-13 hours a night since he was 3 months old, with 1-2 2 1/2 hour naps during the day.
18.
Kyphon/Medtronic. This is the company Brian works for and I am so thankful he found this job 5 years ago. He has a fairly flexible schedule that allows him to pick Jax up from Frances' in the afternoon, lets him help me get Jaxon out the door in the mornings and is almost always home to help with dinner & bath time (does he ever work???) I not only love the flexibility, but I also love that it pays well enough that I can work part time, go to Target whenever I like & he can still save money.
19.
Sue. My mother-in-law. She is great! She is truly the best mother-in-law any girl could ask for. You always hear the horror stories of other mothers-in-law and Sue couldn't be farther from that. We get along fabulously and I really enjoy her company.
20.
Friends: Ami, Sarah, Nicole & Mary. I have a great group of friends back in Tucson that I don't know what I would do without. I love how I can pop into town and we can get together on a whim as if no time has passed at all. We have all been through our own difficult times and we always have each other to lean on. We have also gone through rough patches in our friendships, but we manage to pull through and stay friends. I guess it's because of them that I haven't made too many friends here in ABQ! They are irreplaceable.
21.
Blue Puppy, aka, Papi. You all have seen and heard of the love Jaxon has for "Papi". I am thankful for him because sometimes Papi can soothe Jaxon more than even his mama can.
22.
Being Puerto Rican. Random, I know, but I am thankful for being Puerto Rican. I love the food, the culture, the language, family, everything.
23.
Golf. This is another one that I never thought I would be thankful for, I mean I am pretty much a golf widow on weekends. Really, I am thankful for Chamisa Hills Country Club! We live literally less than a mile from the country club and Brian is able to go up there daily to hit balls or just play 9 holes. I am thankful, because he doesn't have to invest an entire day when he wants to play golf. I am also thankful because Jaxon is now at the age where he can go with Brian and I can have some time to myself :)
24.
Wine. Enough said.
25.
My Toyota Highlander.
26.
Sunny Days.
27.
Flip Flops, Skirts & Dresses.28.
Tall, no water, non-fat Chai Tea from Starbucks.29.
Target.The last 6 are silly, but I am eternally grateful to them. They would make my days a little less happy if I didn't have them.
That's it. My list of 29 things I am thankful for! Jaymee... it's your turn!
Marianne, J, & Avery
Brian, Lucy & Anabelle
Sue & Lucy
Wedding Day!
The beautiful bride Rebecca and Brooks
Daddy and his pilgrim 
Grammie Sue & Jaxon
Ta Da! Willard the 2nd!
Grammie Sue feeding Jaxon mashed potatoes. He wasn't a fan that year, but this year he ate a feast!
Daddy & Jaxon (no pilgrim this year)
Brian, Jaxon & Uncle Mike
The Pearson and the Rios Families: 
Every year Jaxon's babysitter, Frances, has a Halloween party for her kids and they all go trick-or-treating together in her neighborhood. So off to our first kid party we went!
Trick-or-Treating was made for Jaxon! He would walk right up to the door and say, 
