30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 18-19}

Day 18
So thankful for
- a beautiful warm day
- finding the birthday gifts I need
- hanging out with O. and working together
- watching a new movie that the kids love but I had never seen and they wanted to share it with me
- the gentle rhythms of ironing M's work shirts
- a reminder to no panic and always trust in my Father, He will never fail me
- knowing that I'm married to a Godly man who pursues God in everything he does
- listening to M. talk about his day when he finally arrived home late
- M and I snuggling S. in his bed while we talked and seeing how content he was to have us both right there with him
-being able to turn the days' events over to the Lord and be at peace about them all


Day 19

- being at home, most of the day
- observing S/R lie on the couch and watch O while she practices the violin and then clap after every song
- seeing S/R's creativity come out when it's her turn to practice
-watching the kids play together
- seeings S's delight as we pull out the trains and tracks per his request and then getting to listen to his little train conversations as he plays with them
- the small sense of accomplishment from helping S/R make a loom bracelet while helping O with her pronouns (all 6 different kinds of them!) and nursing S and balancing the laptop all at the same time
- sunlight coming through my living room windows
- M not going out to dinner with his overseas guests from work and pulling in the driveway right after us
- my kids delight screams of "Daddy's home!!!!" as they see his truck park beside us
- the fact that he enjoys my company better than anyone else's

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 17}

Today  I am thankful for
-conversations with a mom-friend at church that blessed and encouraged us both in this hard mothering job of pre-teens and teens.
- getting to surprise our girlies by fulfilling S/R's big birthday request of getting her ears pierced! What a memorable experience for all of us. They both did so well. S/R was 1st  and was quite surprised at how much it hurt to get it done. Thankfully, we had a great girl doing it and she saw the panic on S/R's face and was quick to finish the other ear. O. did amazing! She was surprisef at how little it hurt, compared to what she had anticipated. I'm so glad I was able to be right there to hold their hands and encourage them. My big girls!
I'm still so surprised at how much the earrings changed O. She looks so much older and grown up now. She came to me in the evening and said, "Mommy, I just walked past my mirror in my room and I didn't even recognize myself with my hair in a ponytail and my ears pierced! I look so much older!" And I totally agree. She does. She's such a gorgeous girl, it's beautiful and painful to see her look so grown-up!
It didn't change S/R at all though. She's still just her adorable cute self. I was so tickled by her. This day was the worst day by far of the canker sore in her mouth hurting her. She hadn't smiled or laughed all day and was very solemn faced. So much so that M. and I were starting to get pretty worried about her by the middle of the afternoon. She's such a smiley girl. We had gotten home from the whole ear piercing after church experience and M. and I were cooking lunch for the kids when we heard an ear-splitting scream come from the bathroom. We both stared at each other and M. asked "Is that a good scream or a bad scream? I can't tell." "I'm not sure either," I said. I headed to the bathroom, dreading what I was going to find, and I poked my head around the door and said, "S/R! Are you ok???" She looked up at me, completely solemn and non-smiling, "Oh yes momma. I'm just so excited that I got my ears pierced and you know I've got to just give a little scream of excitement every now and then to let it out." Apparently, it doesn't hurt as much to scream as it does to grin ear-to-ear. :)
- today is the 12th anniversary of M. asking me to marry him. I'm ever so thankful that he did!
- S/R's comment on the way home from AWANA. "Is God going to be there when we get to heaven? Well, I'm glad he is! Cause I'm going to run up and give him a great big hug and tell him how much I love him when I see him!"

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 12 - 16}

I'll be honest, this week sucked. It was a whole week of no-fun-ness. School work was a whine/nag/whine/nag/cry/ fest all week. No violin practicing happened at all. Small children were restless and slept badly. S/R had a canker sore in her mouth which made her cranky and difficult for her to talk, eat, smile, or laugh. M. was getting ready for a very stressful week of work (that would be this week!) and I was in a pretty bad mood every single day. We hung in there and persevered though.
What I am thankful for is
-God grace that is sufficient to cover any and all of my mistakes
- my children's' hearts
- new mercies and new beginnings every day

On Saturday, we were just plain crazy. M. got up at 3:30 to go hunting. S. woke up before 6am (nutty boy!) and demanded that I get up too. We had a birthday party at noon. M. came home (with no deer), we came back by the house at 2 (after the party,)  picked M. up and went to another birthday party, and finally came home a 5:30pm to cook dinner, give baths, and go to bed. Oh. my. word. 2 birthday parties back to back is way too much partying for anybody, just sayin'!
But, I'm thankful that we have friends who love our kids and invite us to their parties. It's a blessing to get to see my kids playing with their friends.

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 20}

This is all so true. I'm also thankful for
- a boy who is talking in such darling complete sentences
- O.'s help when I'm struggling to manage S.
- getting a last minute birthday errand run
- extended breastfeeding
- new body care recipes to try out
- dancing in the kitchen with M.
- a delicious dinner and a mostly clean kitchen
- warm sweaters and tall boots
- S/r's help in the kitchen with breakfast and dinner
- seeing her eyes light up when we praise her for a job well done peeling carrots
- being in the home stretch for our Thanksgiving break  from school
- getting rooms ready for company

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 11}

Today I am thankful for:
- our Veteran's! It's Veteran's Day here and I'm thankful that we are free and to all the men and women who have served to keep us that way. From my Daddy and both uncles who fought in WW2 to my father in-law who fought in Vietnam and all of my friends of my every day life who are military themselves or who's husbands are serving or have served, I want to say "thank you."  

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 10}

Today I'm thankful for:
- my husband, he drives me crazy but he's totally awesome too
- lots of coffee
- pulling out a favorite autumn time dress to wear
- church with my family
- chats with friends
- no shopping after 2 services of church
- smelling dinner in the crockpot when we got home and opened the door
- S's comment to M at lunch as he climbed up on his lap, "I wob uuu daddy! I wob uuu!"
- AWANA and seeing S/R's face when she got her "wings" and 1st jewel
- hot cups of tea

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 9}

Today I am thankful for:
- my parents, today is their 23rd anniversary. I'm thankful that we got to become a family, that they did the best they could with the circumstances that life handed them, that God's grace covers everything - if you ask Him.
I got to be at my parents wedding, which is a pretty special thing for a 6 year old. It was the start of a wonderful childhood and life. The people that I know as "parents" are completely different people than what people who knew them, 10 years or more, prior to that knew. My childhood and growing up years were beautiful and precious and I treasure those memories. Our little family of 5 was the best. I could not have wished for better. I am thankful that my parents stuck through the hard times to get to their wedding and after that, it was pretty much smooth sailing. And their anniversary's always make me thankful, because my life and who I am today could have been so completely different if they had not said, "I do." And I am thankful that it's not.

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 8}

Today I am thankful for:
- prayer, the opportunity to take all my worries and cares and stress to the Father and give it to Him, knowing He'll take care of all of it
- sunshine in my windows
- chats with my mom on her way to work
- working on some projects to sell for Christmas presents
- sweet conversations with S/R while I fix her hair for dance
- getting to be the one who wipes away my children's tears and make them smile again
- tall boots and wool sock weather
- M handling my worries and fears way better than I expected
- helpful hands in the kitchen
- apple cinnamon muffins baking in the oven for tomorrows ladies breakfast at church

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 7}

Today I am thankful for:
- being at home all day, again (our regular weekly violin lessons were canceled this week)
- the mountain of laundry at the foot of my bed getting folded
-S/R's total excitement about her new school books. "Gosh! I'm actually getting to be a big girl now!" was her comment
- listening to S/R read to me from her school books
- our neighbor letting me take all the Spanish moss I wanted after cleaning it off his trees
- silly talk between M and I in the kitchen, smiling, giggling, and being silly together never gets old
- S's request to S/R "come pwa wit me!" in the backyard
- hearing their giggling and playing
- relaxing in the evening as a family

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 6}

Today I am thankful for:
- still adjusting to the time changes which makes me wake earlier than normal which helps me be more alert by the time my kids wake and also just some quiet time to get things done
- early morning snuggles and chats with S. His almost 3 year old conversations are the sweetest thing ever
- knowing that I had a completely commitment free day ahead of us
- getting to watch my kids be so excited to *finally* get to hang up their Thanksgiving window stickers. (Our living room windows are now adorned with gel-cling turkeys, squirrles, acorns, and Thanksgiving phrases.)
- the dollar bin at Target that yields such simple pleasures
- long brain storming chats with my older sister
- long relaxed phone calls from my baby sister
- fun day-early packages arriving
- spending several hours working with the girls, learning how to make rainbow loom bracelets
- time spent crafting with my kids and learning something new myself. Just so incredibly good for my mental state of mind and my ever-loving-crafting heart.
- tucking my soundly sleeping little man into his bed and lying in my bed close by, listening to his quite breathing. So peaceful. 

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 5}

Today I am thankful for:
- a mostly clean house from the day before
- the opportunity and blessing to open  our home to host small group
- the blessing of being "forced" to study our pastor's sermon more in depth and getting to prepare our groups discussion questions
- the feel of bread dough n my hands
- the sight of it rising on the back of my stove
- and the scent of it baking filling my house
- the smell of fresh apple pie and beef stew, also cooking at the same time
- O.'s  help in getting our home ready
- our house filling with friends for an evening of breaking bread together, getting to know each other more, and pursuing a deeper relationship with Christ
- our amazing babysitter who bravely manages all of our children, all 15 of them, ranging in age from 2 1/2 years old to almost 14. We couldn't do this without her!

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 4}

Today I am thankful for:
- the beautiful giving heart of my child.

Today we had friends over, the kiddos to play and momma friend and I to work on a craft project. S/R has been looking forward to and planning out this playdate for a week and a half. Our earlier arrangment for last Wed. fell through and we postponed until today. Little Friend is just as girly and princess-y as S/R, maybe even a little bit more, and  that just speaks to S/R's heart. :)
S/R had made a plan that her and Little Friend would dress up like princesses. She in her Sleeping Beauty dress and Little Friend in the Snow White dress. She had hair bows picked out and everything, lying out in her room since last Tues evening. This morning, she carefully moved both dresses into our den and laid them out meticulously on a trunk. She was ready! 
Little Friend got here, S/R presented "the plan" and both girls jumped into their dresses immediately and had the best time ever. They were utterly adorable.
Several hours later, it was time for Little Friend to go home. Momma Friend called Little Friend over and told her it was time to take the dress off and head home. Little Friend was devastated. She had fallen in-love with the pretty princess dress and it was hard on her little heart to give it back. S/R saw Little Friend crying and piped up, "It's ok! Little Friend can take it home! I don't mind!" Momma Friend responded exactly like I would have with a, "Oh no honey! It's ok! She'll be fine. She can wear it again next time we come over!"
S/R quietly walked over to me, leaned in and said, "Momma? Can I please give Little Friend my Snow White dress? It would make her happy."
I looked at this little girl of mine. Her face was so honest and dear. I struggled internally because I had an emotional tie to that dress. It had been give to S/R on her 3rd birthday by another little friend who gave it from her own collection to bless S/R, knowing how much my (at the time) tiny girl loved to dress up. And S/R wears that dress frequently. But, the struggle only lasted a few moments as I realized the beautiful heart of giving and the desire to offer love to her friend that S/R had. Shame on me for even hesitating 1 second! 
"S/R, it's your dress. If you want to give it to Little Friend, you go right ahead if you feel that that's the right thing to do."
Her face lit up. "Ok momma!" and she ran and grabbed the dress and went running out the door to give it to Little Friend.
Momma Friend looked up from putting shoes on another little person's foot and said, "Oh no! She doesn't have to do that! It's her dress! Little Friend will be ok!"
I shrugged and said, "Dear, that dress belongs to her and I can not deny her the blessing of giving something to a friend. She wants to give and I can't  tell her 'no.'"
S/R came back in, I never did see Little Friend's reaction, but it doesn't matter. As they were pulling out of the driveway a minute latter, S/R was standing beside me, holding onto my skirt and rubbing her face on it a bit. I was instantly worried that she was crying and having remorse over giving away her dress, but holding sleeping S. in my arms I couldn't bend down to see her face to check, so I just said, "S/R? Are you ok dear?"
"Oh momma," she said and looked up at me with her eyes all lit up and the biggest smile on her face, "I'm so happy!"
I'm not a crying person. Most people, my children included, have rarely - if ever- seen me cry, but that right there made me want to go find a quiet corner and cry.
I took a moment to hug her tight and tell her how proud I was of her and what a big heart she had for other people and how much I loved that about her.
She was on cloud 9. All evening! (Not from me words, but from her own actions.) She quietly told her daddy when he got home what she had done and how happy it had made her to be able to give something to Little Friend that she loved so much. I know it seems like a kind of small thing, but to me, it was huge. I struggle with giving things away because I want to save them "for the future." "I might need it some day!" is a thought that runs through my head frequently while cleaning out. Watching my child so freely, quickly, and unabashedly give something, pretty dear to her, away without a 2nd though was a big deal. I'm so thankful to see my own personal areas of struggle have not all trickled down to my children. S/R is a much better person than I will probably ever be.

                                              O. and S/R in the Snow White dress on her 3rd birthday.

                     S/R in the Snow White dress, age 5 1/2, just 3 days after breaking her arm this summer.

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 3}

Today I'm thankful for:
- the early morning wake-up call of a screech owl in our back yard
- remembering that we had an extra hour to sleep
- a baby boy who slept late
- my husband who makes coffee and eggs for me every single Sunday morning to make sure that I get something to eat and drink before our 2 services of church
- the privilege and blessing of being able to go to church
- wonderful nursery workers who love my boy and take good care of him for me
- the blessing that O gets from getting to be a volunteer as a class assistant
- getting half of our grocery shopping done while O was working 2nd service
- sunshine all afternoon
- being able to serve in our church's AWANA program
- all of the other volunteers who work with our kiddos
- enjoying popcorn and hot tea in the evening after we get home

30 Day of Thankfulness {Day 2}

Today I am thankful for:
- early early morning snuggles with S/R
- witnessing the grins exchanged by S/R and S when he realized that she was sitting beside his bed as he woke up
- a delicious breakfast
- a relaxing morning at home
- M. making it home in time to go with us to practice
- getting to watch my girls play and practice with their fellow violin students and piano accompaniest
- a peaceful hour of sitting, listening, and list making
- a quite late afternoon followed by a lovely walk with the family
- beautiful weather
- spending some with M cleaning up our courtyard/porch
- watching our littles play and giggle with each other in the front yard
 

30 Days of Thankfulness {Day 1}

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It's November! How is that possible?
This is my 4th year of doing 30 Days of Thankfulness. I always look forward to it and love it. A lot of people post theirs on facebook now, but I've gotten farther and farther away from posting too much on FB anymore, so back to the blog I come. My hope it to, one day soon, compile these Nov. posts into a book for my family to look back on and remember. It's always fun and a blessing to see what was going on in our daily lives and how everyone has grown and what has changed.


Today I am thankful for:
- a quiet moment all to myself in the early morning
- a new notebook to make all of my holiday lists in
- making plans
- small people to snuggle with
- the neighbors trees across the road turning pretty colors
- peace
- leftover pizza from last night
- the most beautiful weather to enjoy while O, S, and myself take our Friday evening stroll around the block
- smiling faces that know us at the dance studio, book store, and quilt shop as we pop in to say "hi"
- S's delight and happiness over getting to drop our water bill in the drop box
- cinnamon scented pincones
- the patterns I need being on sale
- a kindly clerk at the grocery store who bagged my groceries, let S help him, chatted with him on the way to the car, and unloaded my million bags into the back of my van while I tried to buckle a slithering writhing  toddler into his carseat
- O's love of adventures in odessey
- a glass of wine and a moment of quiet
- M making it safely home to us after getting lost in the woods and the dark while hunting
- reading books at bedtime to my boy while he delightedly snuggles under the covers of his bed