Love letter, 8 months, and a Thanksgiving Cruise

Lately I've been thinking about how thankful I am for my husband. Here are a few reasons why I love him so much.

1. He is always making me laugh.

2. On the longest traveling day we've ever experienced (by ourselves or with Maia) he regularly asked me "What can I do to help you?".

3. He doesn't hold a grudge when I'm super cranky with him in the middle of the night. Granted, I shouldn't be mean even if I'm tired, but he's figured out how to ignore the crazy things that come out of my mouth at 4 a.m.

4. When we were on the cruise and I was in the cabin most of the day while Maia was sleeping, he let me use his Kindle, even though he was in the middle of a book.

5. He sometimes goes out after dinner to get me ice cream.

6. He likes to cook, so I don't always have to make dinner.

7. He comes home after work to watch Maia while I teach and never complains about it.

8. He works his butt off applying for jobs and competitions.

9. I know that he's always trying to better himself professionally and personally.

10. He cleans the bathrooms.

I'm so blessed to have him as a partner.

Maia is 8 months old on Friday! It's hard to believe that she's already that old. She's cut her first tooth, it's the bottom, front left one. She's not crawling, and just until recently hasn't been too interested in it. However, in just the past few days, she's been rolling all over the floor to get from one thing to the next, so I think crawling is in the near future. She gives kisses when you say "Can I have a kiss?", open mouth and everything! We've started getting some really good belly laughs from her and it's becoming apparent that Maia has a good sense of humor. The other day she thought it was very funny that I couldn't find her boots as we looked all over the house. Maia also knows to look around for Daddy when I ask her where he is. She also says dada, we think in reference to Aleks, but it's not consistent yet. On the cruise we held up a ball and said "ball" and she said "ba". Coincidence? We're not sure, but it seems like she's definitely begining to at least think about talking!

For Thanksgiving, Danni took us on a cruise to celebrate her 60th birthday, which was in June. We had a wonderful time and Maia was the queen of the cruise. By the end of the week, almost all of the dining staff knew her name and loved saying good morning to her. Maia would bestow smiles on all who said hello. I'm sure she's wondering where all her loyal subjects are now that we're home.

Bathing Beauty in Jamaica

Lunch in Cozumel, Mexico.

All dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner.

Flirting with the restaurant staff in Grand Cayman.

In the ocean in Jamaica.

Swimming in Jamaica. Maia loves the water!