Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...

1. A stranger (a black man in his 50's) in the parking lot of the library who called out loudly to me, "Are those your children?" I answered, "Yes, sir." He went on to tell me what a marvelous thing adoption was & that I should never listen to people of his ethnicity who say these children are missing out on their culture by being adopted by white parents. He said, "culture is how you're loved and that's all that matters." What sweet words of affirmation from a complete stranger!

2. Miss B and Cowboy are home after having a great time at church camp.

3. The opportunity to take 4 middle school girls from our homeschool group to our local food bank to volunteer. We worked with other volunteers today to organize and box 10,179 pounds of food to be distributed throughout our state to people who are hungry.

4. Tonight! I can hardly wait! I get to go work with some other ladies to prepare for the school year for our homeschool group. We're going to the home of Miss Musicality (my sister) & the 5 of us will get to talk, eat, plan, talk, eat, work, giggle, talk, and sleep a little. There are still some details that we need God to iron out for the year and we can't wait for Him to show up tonight & reveal those details to us!!!

5. New springs on the garage door. Although it did cost money to replace them, thanks to my couponing we were fairly stocked around here and I didn't have to make many more purchases for this week.

6. The Crockpot. I love the smell of the house when I've planned ahead and put a roast in it for the day. And we all love the taste of a yummy dinner.

7. Camp laundry being caught up. All the gross lake clothes are clean.

8. My marriage. I know several people right now whose marriages are struggling and I'm grateful for a Godly husband who adores me.

9. Family being so close to us.

Kinder, Gentler

Cowboy and I marvel at the kinder, gentler side of our sweet C-Man. Yes, his 10-year old voice is getting deeper by the day. Yes, we see peach fuzz above his upper lip. Yes, he STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN when he forgets his deodorant. Yes, he gets annoyed with his siblings and lets it show.



However, he has a very special bond with NoBo. He is tender and gentle in a way that many would think not possible for a pre-adolescent kid. We know he is going to be such an amazing dad some day. Until then, we're just grateful for the wonderful brother that he is.

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

1. Cowboy's Dad. After a major scare on the golf course yesterday, he is fine. Apparently he was dehydrated to the point of almost having a heat stroke. He's staying cool and resting for a few days. (I think I'm going to start saying stupid things like, "Stay cool," or, "Cool your jets".)

2. My mom's sight. She went to the optometrist this week & he discovered that she has one more major problem with her eyes. However, she is getting a new prescription that will help her tremendously and there's a plan to help her keep her sight!

3. SO many wonderful kids that came to our church this week for Sports Camp. I can't wait to get to know more of them better on Sunday morning when I work with the kiddos at church. Over 1/3 of the kids who came to Sports Camp this week came on church vans. AMAZING opportunities to minister to the families of these awesome kids!

4. My home being unharmed by the flooding that happened in our metro area this week.

5. My 3 biggest kids' birthdays being over for the year! It was a fun few weeks of celebrating & I'm grateful to not have another party to plan until October.

6. A wonderful Child Development Specialist who's worked with NoBo the whole time he's been in our family. She's moving & we'll miss her, but we're excited for the wealth of knowledge the new CDS will offer us.

7. Miss B & Cowboy leaving for church camp tomorrow. I LOVE what God does in our lives when we separate ourselves from our normal daily lives to be with Him. I can't wait to hear stories of what God does while they're gone.

8. New tires being put on the van tomorrow. I am grateful that Cowboy has taken care of all the details for me.

9. Sleeping in a couple days ago. It was ridiculously late when I finally rolled out of bed. It was wonderful to get to be so lazy!!!

Ten Years Ago Today

10 years ago today Cowboy & I woke up Miss B and got her dressed in her red, white, and blue to welcome her baby brother on Flag Day. We got ourselves ready and out the door while it was still dark.

10 years ago today I was hooked up to monitors and such as I began to have my labor induced, for what we had already decided would be our last child. One girl, one boy. Couldn't ask for more.

10 years ago today I was in shock when our nurse, who was a sweet friend from church, said to C-Man while she was checking to see how far my cervix was dilated, "C-Man, that's not funny. Let go of my finger."

10 years ago today I labored all day, then had the doctor tell me that I had 20 minutes to try to push. If nothing happened, C-Man was coming via emergency c-section.

10 years ago today I was operated on for the first time.

10 years ago today C-Man entered this world as a fat, beautiful baby with a very swollen arm, which had been stuck above his head in the birth canal for quite some time. His cord had been wrapped around his neck, which explained the dangerous decelerations his heart rate was having.

10 years ago today, not long after my swollen abdomen was stitched up and I was allowed to go to my private hospital room, I informed Cowboy that we had to do this again.

10 years ago today we were blessed through the birth of our amazing C-Man. He's a breath of fresh air to me!!!

Five Years Ago

5 years ago God & I had already convinced Cowboy that we needed a third child, but nothing was happening. We were beginning fertility testing.

5 years ago God had a plan for us that we knew nothing about.

5 years ago I was thrilled to be welcoming very soon a new niece and nephew. In vitro miracles!!!

5 years ago God was opening the womb of Baby Sister, who had longed for a baby for many years.

5 years ago I was beginning to think like a desperate woman. Desperate to have another baby. I knew these desperate thoughts. I'd had them all before. 8 years before.

5 years ago there was a woman recovering from delivering a 6 pound 2 ounce beautiful baby boy.

5 years ago my womb was closed and I was aching for a baby.

5 years ago our family didn't know that what we were missing had already been brought into this world by God.

Today I am amazed that God chose us to be his family.

Little I, we can't believe you are 5!!!

Thankful Thursday

OK, I'm a day late, but I'm thankful for so many things this week. I don't want to miss a chance to count the blessings from God.



So, here are in random order my list of things I'm thankful for this week (drum roll, please)....



1. Little I!!! We celebrated his 5th birthday with family & his friends. He had a Pink Olympics birthday party. He got it in his mind during the Winter Olympics that he needed to have a Pink Olympics party & I did not let him down. I am in awe at the work God has done in his sweet little life & brain. TRULY a miracle that he is learning to read & doing everything else a 5-year old should be doing. Thank you, Lord!



2. Cowboy made it home safely from a business trip last week. His job is such a blessing. I love that he gets paid to minister to his company's employees. There are a couple of employees that he's had a part in their coming to know Christ who will be baptized this weekend. AWESOME!!!

3. I got to video (from the ground) my Dad ride a B17 on my birthday, which also happens to be D-Day. A HUGE thing for him!!! His dad was in WWII and he has a great love for the planes, tanks, and people who served in this war. What a wonderful way to spend my birthday afternoon!

4. I'm only a few days from completing this 14-day cleanse! I am thankful that when it's done I will be able to get a Coke Zero. (Yes, I'm ready to start junking up my body again, apparently.)

5. All of Miss B's funds are raised for her mission trip this summer. Cowboy & I are so excited that she'll be going with a well-known mission organization (YWAM) and that God is preparing our hearts and hers for what she'll experience.

6. Coupons! I'm becoming a bit of an addict! I LOVE saving money for our family.

7. A great evening with 2 of my friends from high school & college. We haven't gotten together in several years & we had a great time talking about our families and our lives.

Thankful Thursday

Here's my list for this week, in random order because my life is full of random order:

1. I'm thankful that today, unlike the last who knows how many Thursdays, we only have 1 therapy appointment & no tumbling!!!

2. I'm thankful that we had an amazing Memorial Day Weekend with my parents and my sisters' families on Family Vacation. SO MUCH FUN!!!

3. I'm thankful that mine & Cowboy's immediate families are all serving God.

4. I'm thankful that I have a husband who challenges me spiritually to be the person God desires me to be (& that he now has me reading Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt).

5. I'm thankful for a 13-year old daughter who thanks me for checking her texts.

6. I'm thankful for several new windows in our home. (& looking forward to not having frost form on the insides of the 6' x 6' windows this next winter & hoping the amount of dust our home has will decrease & hoping the west side of our home will not be so warm when the afternoon sun is pouring in)

7. I'm thankful for an amazing time of bonding with NoBo over the weekend. Totally unexpected. A true gift from God.

8. I'm thankful for friends who encourage me through tough times.

9. I'm thankful that NoBo gained a couple ounces in between his last 2 visits with his GI specialist.

10. I'm super-dee-duper thankful that NoBo doesn't have to see the psychologist every single week for his eating issues anymore. (Yes, he still has eating issures, but we're on the right path).

11. And last, but not least, I'm thankful for my Mom. She turned 60 while we were on Family Vacation. While most women dread this birthday, God has given my mom a refreshing, embracing perspective. She's thrilled to have her sight, which at one point this past year she thought she might lose.

Black & White

I am a rule follower. A black and white person. An all or nothing person.

For the last...who knows how long...I've been completely undisciplined with my eating.

Until yesterday. I started a 14-day burn & cleanse program.

I'm basically starving to death.

But I'm a rule follower & I will NOT cheat! I will look better, feel better, & be healthier when it's all said and done.

Until then I'm praying regularly that my habits change & I seek my Heavenly Father before chocolate or other comfort food during times of stress, exhaustion, & overwhelmedness.

I'm also praying that I'll make it through each and every one of these 800 calorie days!