Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

I am thankful for…

32. beautiful Fall days.
33. blowing wind and swirling leaves.
34. healthy children (it seems I’m reminded constantly these days that children get sick/die due to the fall of man).
35. friends who are more like family.
36. in depth Bible studies.
37. God’s faithfulness.
38. the promise that although life is failing now (Fall/mortal bodies) it will be renewed (Spring/eternity).
39. days at home in my pajamas.
40. fun weekends with Nonnie and Pops.
41. the washer and dryer running in the background (we have plenty of clothes and the ability to clean them in our home).
42. cloth diapers.
43. the abundance God has blessed us with and the responsibility to share that with others.
44. warm days in November.
45. contentment in my soul.

(All of my “Thankfulness” posts can be viewed here.)

Part 1
Part 2

I am thankful for…

21. a beautiful day at the zoo with the kiddos.
22. chances to share with & get to know women who are new to my life.
23. medicine to treat headaches.
24. growing up with my grandparents in my life.
25. new visions of routine things.
26. the ability to cloth my children well (although sometimes the volume of clothing is overwhelming).
27. 7+ years that we didn’t think we would get to spend with Grandma.
28. opportunities to share our resources.
29. prayer.
30. a good day with the baby (minimal screaming so far) after a tough day yesterday.
31. leftover tacos for dinner tonight.

A few things I’m thankful for of late.
Part 1

11. the long awaited check that arrived in the mail the day before the hospital bill.
12. an “emergency” fund big enough to cover our medical expenses this Summer.
13. unexpected time off from work (Matt) at Christmas.
14. time spent with Matt’s grandparents last Friday.
15. friends – encouragement, accountability, fun times.
16. cooler weather (with much cooler temps headed our way).
17. forgiveness and grace.
18. contentment with our living arrangements (something I battle).
19. the weight of my baby in my arms (so many long for this)
20. new realizations of who I am and what I’m called to.

What are you thankful for today?

While I haven’t yet read Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts I have heard great reviews of it (and do plan to read it one day soon). Inspired by the book and reviews, I want to keep a kind of thankfulness journal chronicling those every day things that so often get lost in the shuffle. So, from time to time, I will be listing a few, several, maybe just one thing that I have noticed in my days and for which I am thankful. I also plan to incorporate a list of thanks into our Fall schooling and encourage the older children to record a thanks for something each day.

Today I am thankful for…

1. the start of the Bible Study Fellowship year. The children and I were excited to get back to it this morning.

2. a toddler class at BSF so S can go to class instead of the nursery.

3. friends and family who have overwhelmed us with love and celebration as we welcome Baby M into our lives.

4. the abundance of meals that have been provided for our family the last few weeks.

5. the privilege of teaching E to read and the ability to school her at home.

6. a wonderful husband who loves, supports, encourages, and helps me. He’s the best!

7. 4 healthy children.

8. the privilege and responsibility of raising these little ones.

9. the laughter and joy that fill our house (most of the time, anyway).

10. rest time (which will begin as soon as I finish this post).

The Sleepy Wrap was my first baby carrier (other than the Infantino front carrier I used with Little) and I fell in love with it the first time I wore Boo in it. The wrap is still my favorite newborn carrier (I recommend them to everyone who asks – and maybe even a few people who don’t), and I used the Sleepy Wrap a lot with Baby Girl in her first few months (it is currently out on loan). The makers of the Sleepy Wrap, Nap, Inc., are a great company with great products and great customer service.

About a year ago, Nap, Inc. introduced a new carrier, the Boba, designed for older infants and toddlers (9 months to 4 years), and as soon as I saw it I wanted one. They retail for $100+, and I just couldn’t justify the cost since I don’t have that many opportunities to wear Boo right now because I’m usually wearing Baby Girl. I did, however, begin entering any Boba giveaway that I came across and hoping that I might get one that way.

So, imagine my surprise when I received an email from Lindsey while I was out of town in which she casually mentioned seeing a comment on my blog from Drea about me winning the Boba giveaway on her blog. I was so excited! It had been a few days since Drea left the comment, so I quickly e-mailed her hoping it hadn’t been too long and she’d drawn another winner. It hadn’t! I soon had a shipping confirmation and the package was scheduled to arrive at my house the day after we got home from our trip.

The delivery guy in brown dropped my new Boba off during naptime, and I couldn’t wait until a child was awake to try it on. So, I unpacked it and put it on right away. After Matt got home I tried it on with Boo and wore him around the house for a few minutes. He didn’t want to get out, but he had to so Matt and Little could try it out. Little loved it, too (she rode again for a few minutes the other night when I was showing it to a friend and didn’t want to get out).

Finally I have a carrier that Matt hasn’t deemed too “girly” for him to wear! It is the Aspen pattern; very neutral, very lovely. And I think he liked the idea of wearing one of the older kids while I wear Baby Girl.

Now we just need the weather to cool down a bit so we can go hiking!

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated for this post. I’m just excited about winning this carrier. And I love Nap, Inc. products and would recommend them to anyone.

To my three little ones:

I am so glad you were born. Each day you bring joy, laughter, and love into my life. I thought my heart was full until you came along, but with each of you I’ve discovered a new depth in my ability to love.

I am so glad you were born. Sweet voices, precious baby giggles, adorable belly laughs. Unexpected bear hugs around the knees, snuggles on the couch, kisses from cute little lips. These things fill my days, my home, and my heart.

I am so glad you were born. We have our share of tantrums, whining, and tears (sometimes from Mommy, too). But the good days far outweigh the bad. Even in the midst of the hard times, looking into your eyes makes me glad that I’m the one you call Mommy.

I am so glad you were born. Watching each of you grow, seeing your personalities develop, observing your discovery of the world. God made you, He designed each facet of you for a purpose. His purpose.

I am so glad you were born. The days are sometimes long and hard, filled with teaching and training, with correction and cautions. Other days are fun, filled with light and laughter, with playing and pretending. But each day is a gift that we share together.

I am so glad you were born. We were given to each other for very specific reasons. I am to prayerfully help you become the women and man God has designed you to be. You help to make me a better person, mother, and Christian.

I am so glad you were born. You are gift like no other. It is a privilege to be your mother. I love you more than you will be able to fathom until you have children of your own.

I am so glad you were born.

This post was also entered into a contest to win a $100 gift certificate to Cottonbabies. If you’re a cloth diapering Momma you should check out the contest and check out the Cottonbabies website.

Last week my friend Lindsey passed along a blog award that included directions to list 10 things that make you happy. While I don’t do the whole “blog award” thing, I will list 10 things that make me happy (in no particular order).

1. hearing/seeing the older kiddos playing happily together.
2. when the kids laugh (baby girl has started giving us a few giggles)
3. when Little asks questions about Jesus (although she’s beginning to get pretty deep in her theology)
4. spending time with Matt
5. hanging out with friends
6. enjoying beautiful Spring days
7. daffodils and tulips and the other lovely, colorful Spring flowers
8. doing things as a family (even the simple things like grocery shopping…well, usually:-)
9. reading with my kids
10. having extended, uninterrupted time to read a good book

So, what makes you happy?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (which is approaching much more rapidly than I like to think about), I thought I would post a list of 10 things that I’m thankful for today.

1. Jesus
2. My wonderful, loving, and supportive husband
3. Two happy, healthy little people and one more on the way
4. God’s generous and gracious provision for our family
5. Great friends
6. Our extended family who love us so much
7. Bible Study Fellowship
8. Beautiful Fall weather
9. Matt’s good job (see #4) in the midst of economic hard times
10. A brand new day, another chance, God’s renewed mercies

What are you thankful for today?

About three weeks ago our vacuum (which has served us pretty well during these 8+ years of marriage) died a smoky death as it cleaned out the dryer vent. With a preschooler and a crazy toddler roaming around this place we really can’t do without a vacuum for even a short period of time, so the search began.

Matt did some research, and we did some shopping, and we settled on a small canister vac that would serve our needs. All the while I dreamed and drooled over the Dyson vacuum that I would love to have but just wasn’t in the budget.

Then…a week after we purchased our vacuum I was notified by 5 Minutes for Mom that I was randomly selected as the winner of their Dyson DC25 giveaway. I was so excited! Matt, being the resident skeptic, was, well, a bit skeptical in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” sort of way.

The following Tuesday our new vacuum arrived. We excitedly opened the box expecting to put together the new toy vacuum and try it. We were unpleasantly surprised to find that the box did not contain the vacuum attachments or, more importantly, the front part of the vacuum (you know, the part that touches the floor and picks up the dirt).

On Wednesday morning I set out to find a way to remedy the situation. I e-mailed the prize coordinator at 5M4M and she got in touch with the PR rep for Dyson. I expected to receive an e-mail saying that they would ship me the missing parts and we would live happily with our new, fully assembled vacuum. When the PR rep contacted me, he was extremely apologetic for the problem and offered, not to get me the missing parts, but to upgrade us to a DC28, Dyson’s most powerful vacuum!

Our new vacuum arrived on Tuesday, and Tuesday night we put it together and tried it. From our first run, I think this is a great vacuum!

God is so good! A super-dooper vacuum was not something we had to have, but is definitely something for which we are thankful. God knows all of our wants and needs, the big and the small, and provides for us in ways that we couldn’t even imagine.

Wow, it’s been two weeks since I posted last. What have we been up to? Let’s start with Thanksgiving…

This year, for the first time, Matt and I decided to stay home for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed being home and hosting the holiday for a change.

Thursday was spent preparing since we weren’t having our Thanksgiving meal until Friday. I cooked all day, and Matt and Little raked the yard and played in the leaves. We have some cute video of Little playing in the leaves – scooping them into a bucket, throwing them around, and rolling around in them. She had a big time playing outside with her Daddy.

Bebe and Grandad arrived about 8:00 Friday morning and our Thanksgiving really began. I cooked and washed dishes for another several hours while Little enjoyed playing with her grandparents. We enjoyed a delicious (if I do say so myself) meal and good company.

We all had a great weekend visiting and playing and being together. We have a lot for which to be thankful.