Thankfulness

I know I am a day late, but I have an excuse. I had Thanksgiving at my house yesterday and was very busy. I was going to do this last night and fell asleep on the couch!

I have spent the last couple of days thinking about all I have to be thankful for. My list goes on and on and on. I feel bad even listing the things I am thankful for because there is so much I won't be able to mention. But, I will try and list the things that come to mind.

* My relationship with the Lord ~ I have been working through some things in my life this past year and have deepened my relationship with the Lord. I have found my need for Him is deep. I can't go through my day without Him. Trying to keep up with the kids, the house, the activities, the shopping, and so forth - I can't do it without Him. I also struggle with fear in my life. If I don't lean on Him to help me when I become fearful, I become a mess. I am so thankful He is there for me and cares for me!

* My husband~ I am SO thankful for Tim and the relationship we have. What a blessing he is to me. We are in this together and I am so thankful for that. He is involved with my life and all that I have going on. I love him so much and feel so blessed for the marriage we have.

* My church ~ After a long road of church stuff, we finally have found a home. We are settled and are very thankful for a solid Church with a solid staff. We love Pastor Kenny and the way he delivers the word of God. Grace and Halle are adjusted and like their classes. We are thankful for the opportunity to direct a small group. We are thankful for the couples that are in the class. God is good!

* My family ~ Both of our families are in town and it is such a blessing to us. They are a huge help to us and we are thankful that our kids know all of their grandparents really well.

* My friends ~ I have a couple friends who know me really well and who are there for me no matter what. They pray for me, encourage me, laugh with me, and cry with me. For this I am thankful. I don't have many deep friendships, but the ones I have, I cherish.

* My kids ~ I am thankful for the way they change me. It didn't take me long to realize that they pick up and everything! Good things and bad things! It makes me reevaluate the way I act and respond. For this I am thankful.

* People who have influenced me ~ On Wednesday night our Pastor encouraged us to thank God for the people who have helped us grow in our lives. It made me think of all the people who have influenced me. I thanked God for a long list of people - I am thankful for these people!

There is so much more to list, but time is short. I am not sure who all reads my blog, but I am thankful for the ones who have helped me grow, who love me, who encourage me, and who pray for me.

ER

So, do you think we have been to the ER a couple times too many???

I was making dinner and the girls were very busy playing in Avery's room. Grace came to me and asked for tape. I gave it to her not knowing what they were doing. I later went back to Avery's room, knocked on the door and entered after I was told to do so. Grace was taking care of "sick" Halle. An IV had to be administered and was properly done so.

The "nurse" then went over to her station to write everything down in the chart.

She then went back to cover the patient and check on her. She was such a good nurse! She even let Halle hold her baby!

Now back to the real world.....I had to take Grace to the ER in the middle of the night. She woke up and was struggling to breath and had a cough that sounded like a barking seal. I knew it was croup from the sound of it, but knew she needed help. They gave her medicine in the ER and we were sent home. She is much better and is now playing the part of the nurse and not that patient!!

Gracie and Daddy time

(Check out the 2 new posts below. I had some time to get caught up!)


Grace came up with the idea to roast marshmallows. She was so excited to be able to do this in the family room! She chattered away the entire time about how fun it was. I am so glad I grabbed the camera!

Grandpa

I just had to share these two pictures. I am so blessed that my Grandpa could be at Grace's party. These are moments I will never forget!

Gracie turns 5

My little girl turned 5 on Friday. Wow! I am still trying to take it in. Not sure where the 5 years went! I wrote Gracie a letter when she turned one, that I will give her one day. I pulled it out the night before her birthday and read it. Things were so simple then and I loved spending time with this short, chubby little girl. I loved spending all my time with her and it was just her and I. I miss those days, but I love what we have now. We have a relationship that is much deeper and I know her so much more. Grace has a strong personality and knows what she wants. At times that can be hard to work with, and other times it is nice to know what she is thinking and why. For the most part Grace is very caring and motherly. She is always worried about others and making sure they are doing what they should be doing (in a loving way). She loves life and loves to be busy. She can't really sit still (I think many would agree she gets this from me). She loves to be where the action is. I love this about her!!

We had a party for her on Friday night and it went really well. She loved every minute of it and couldn't fall asleep till 11:oo that night. She was wide awake at 6:30, ready to play with all her new things!












Dear Gracie,

I can't believe you are 5 now. Wow, have you grown. I remember when I was pregnant with you and Daddy and I were not sure what was up ahead. We didn't know if you would be a boy or a girl. Our lives changed on November 7, 2003. We had a new little girl that we fell in love with. It was all so new to us. We had so much to learn. We didn't have to learn how to love you though. That came so naturally to us. We have enjoyed watching you grow and learn. You are a smart little girl who knows what she wants. I love watching you learn and figure things out. I love our alone time together. I love taking you to Cubbies and hearing all about it as we drive home. I love going shopping with you. I love it when I pick you up from preschool and run to me. I love watching you interact with Halle. I love how you help with Avery and love on her. I love watching you love your Daddy. I love the relationship you have with him.

Thank you for loving me and forgiving me when I have not been the best Mommy. Thank you for being a great big sister to Halle and Avery. Thank you for the joy you bring to this family.

I thank God for you and pray that you will seek after Him and desire Him with your whole heart. I also pray Daddy and I can be the parents we are supposed to be.

I love you Gracie Girl!

My husband

I saw this on another blog that I read and I thought I would try it. These are 10 of my husband's favorite things.

1.) His Savior ~ Tim loves the Lord and loves to serve Him. I am so blessed that we both love the Lord and love to serve together. It makes our marriage stronger.

2.) Me/Us ~ Tim is committed to me and our relationship. For this I am thankful and blessed. We love being together and spending time together. He knows my days are busy with 3 little ones, and he makes sure I have time for myself. He is always encouraging me to get out of the house while he watches the girls. We are more then husband and wife - we are soul mates and best friends.

3.) His girls ~ Tim LOVES his little girls! I know Tim's heart and he was thrilled to learn Avery was a girl! He never had/has to have a boy. He wouldn't have minded it, but said he always saw himself with girls. He is so good with them and is so committed to them. What a blessing.

4.) Sports ~ Tim loves sports!! I love to watch him as he watches sports!! He can make any game look good! I love to sit and watch a baseball game with him.

5.) Basement ~ I know, odd title, but he is in the process of finishing our basement. He loves to work on it. I have enjoyed watching him as he has gone through the process. I am so proud of him and the work he has done. We both can't wait for it to be done - or maybe that is just me!

6.) Guitar ~ He loves to play his guitar! I gave him lessons for a present when we got married. I am amazed at how well he plays for only having a couple of lessons. He used to play for church and loved it. My prayer is that he can do it again one day.

7.) Hitting golf balls ~ Another odd one, but he loves to go outside and hit golf balls around in our yard. If he is ever missing from the house I just look out the window and find a ball whizzing by!

8.) Home Depot!! ~ He loves this place! He takes the girls on dates there! It is his home away from home.

9.) Summer ~ We both love summer and being outside in the sun. He loves the sun, sand and water.

10.) Life ~ Tim loves life and is a very optimistic person. He doesn't complain much and is very fun to be with. He is the love of my life and I want the world to know that! I love you, Timothy!

The girls.

I just had to share. Grace and Halle were playing on the kitchen floor last night. I was busy cleaning up the kitchen. I hear Grace say to Halle "Aren't we having so much fun?" Halle doesn't respond. They play a little more and then Halle says " I love you, Grace" Grace says, "Since you said you love me, then I love you!" I love moments like these. It just makes me realize they do love each other and they do have fun playing together. I can't wait for Avery to join in on their fun and conversations. I went in their room last night to put something away. They were both in bed, tucked in. They were sitting up and singing "If you're Happy and You Know it". Another cute moment...a sister moment!