As I was cooking dinner tonight I turned to the living room just in time to watch my almost two-year-old son ever so gently knock over our Christmas tree while his four-year-old sister “took a picture” with the remote control.

You might have expected that I lost my cool, cried or said a few choice words under my breath – because I definitely have before - but I did something far more shocking.

I laughed.

Yep, I stood there stirring the soup and I laughed with my kids who at this point were giggling together in the floor by the fallen tree.

They had the biggest smiles on their mischievous faces and all I could think was, “Thank you, God, for making me their mama.”

My mother, who is a saint for helping so much with the kids, gave us as a sign that hangs in our laundry room that says: “Welcome to our beautiful chaos.”

Yep, that about sums up this season for our family.

Beautiful chaos.

I’ve got two little kids, a husband, a full time job, a house and 5,000 other things to manage every day and yes, it’s A LOT. Some would call it chaos – but it’s my chaos. It’s my circus and these are my monkeys. And I love it.

There is so much beauty in the chaos of the every day and when I slow down long enough to really see it, I happy sigh with deep gratitude.

I am thankful for two little ones who love each other so much.

I am thankful to hear “Mama” no less than 65 times per day.

I am thankful for a husband who tells me how beautiful I am even when my hair is 85% dry shampoo.

I am thankful for coffee, which helps me do all the things.

I am thankful for dirty dishes because that means we have plenty of food to eat and yes, I am even more thankful for my dishwasher.

I am thankful for loads upon loads of laundry because that reminds me I have people entrusted to my care.

I am thankful for a backyard littered with slides and balls, because that reminds me the beauty of kids running around in nature.

I am thankful for our village that loves on our babies and us in countless ways.

I am thankful for a house to clean because that means we have a safe, warm place to call home.

I am thankful we are all healthy and relatively still sane after the wackiness of this year.

I am thankful for Target Drive-Up and Chick-Fil-A, for without them I would be utterly lost.

I am thankful for my parents who live down the street, who are such a big part of our lives because it’s an amazing thing when your parents help you be a good parent.

I am thankful for the extra together time this year, even if some days I drove around our neighborhood just to get some “Mama time.”

I am thankful our home is never quiet because that means it’s filled with family.

I am thankful when my big girl 4-year-old crawls in my lap because she needs some snuggles.

I am thankful for never being bored because one day is never like the next.

I am thankful when my almost 2-year-old runs across the room to give me a hug and big, wet kiss.

I am thankful for never feeling like there are enough hours in the day because that means life is FULL – and that’s an incredible thing.

I am thankful for text messaging because it allows me to text my best girlfriends multiple times a day and stay connected.

I am thankful that my kids drop everything and run to the door when they hear Dada is home from work because that reminds me I married way up.

I am thankful for an SUV filled with coloring sheets and stale crackers and random articles of kid’s clothing because that means I have two darlings to run to and fro.

I am thankful for the utter exhaustion I feel at the end of every day because means I gave that day my all.

I am thankful for two little darlings to chase and read to and sing with, who constantly remind me what is important in this life - and what to let go of.

I am thankful that my perspective is shifting and I am embracing the chaos, taking the good with the bad, and actively looking for the beauty – and fun - in the every day.

I am thankful for a crooked Christmas tree – because it reminds me that I am the luckiest Mama in the whole world.