Thankful List ~ March 2014

Thankful List ~ March 2014

Yet again another month has gone by and the things we are thankful for continues to grow.  Here are just a few highlights from the month of March that remind us to always be thankful.

*  I was able to begin a bible study with some women in our small group. I have had some really rich times in the Word as I’ve prepared to teach on some basic principles of Christianity. So far, we have covered importance of scripture, the trinity, creation, the fall, and a few other foundational elements of the Christian faith. The girls in my small group who have attended have been faithful to study the Word and contribute to conversation. If I had to choose one thing to do for the rest of my life, it would be teaching and meditating on the Word of God with other women. It’s so rewarding!
*  I am thankful for swim lessons! I’m not a naturally strong swimmer and I didn’t have the faintest clue how to begin teaching my kids to swim. We used some left over Christmas money from our family to enroll the kids in swim lessons. It has been such a joy to see the kids confidence growing while they splash around in the water. Addi loves to make sure we are watching her, she listens well to her teacher, and has a great time watching and encouraging her brother during his class. She still needs to grow in jumping off the side of the pool and blowing bubbles (putting her face in the water) but I’m so proud of how far she came in a few short weeks. Josiah is, of course, my little crazy man. From day one, he was jumping and splashing with immeasurable excitement. The best part was learning the tricks of the trade so I can teach the kids myself. We’ve been back to the pool already and plan to go a lot more before this summer.

*  At the beginning of the month a friend told me Kohls was having a huge sale. I got Josiah 11 long-sleeved T-shirts, one short sleeve T-shirt, and a hoodie. I also got Addi two pairs of pajamas, 3 sweaters, a long sleeve t-shirt and 5 pairs of pants. Every bit of this can fit them now but will certainly fit them next fall and winter! I was thrilled because I only spent $70 (and technically saved over $365).
*  I’m so thankful for my kids starting to use their imaginations. Everyday it’s something new. It doesn’t matter if they are outside, inside, or riding in the car, nothing is as it seems. One day we were having a completely calm lunch and then...

Addi: Guess what animal this is mommy? (While holding up a piece of food that has been shaped into something interesting from her taking a few bites of it)
Me: Hmmm, I don't know. A sheep?
Addi: No silly. It's a fluffy-doodle.
Me: Oh, wow. I love fluffy-doodles. (By the way, what in the world is a fluffy doodles?)
Addi: (Very sad-almost in tears) Mommy, you can't like fluffy-doodles. They are so mean.
Me: Oh.
Josiah: It okay. Spaceship save you... (While making his piece of food clearly blast off the table- complete with sound effects- and then knocking Addi's food out of her hand on to the floor).
Addi: Horray! Big Boy saves the day! Good job Buddy Bear!
Then instantly everyone went back to calmly eating as if nothing had ever happened.

*  Josh and I had needed time to talk about some topics for awhile and just had not had the time. This month we took a mini marriage retreat. No, we didn’t go anywhere special but we didn't need to.  We had intentional time after we put the kids to bed on Friday night, went to the YMCA on saturday morning and put the kids in nursery for more discussion.  Then, after spending some quality time with the kids, we had a great afternoon chat during their nap time. We hired a babysitter so we could continue our conversations over dinner and enjoyed one final conversation during the kids’ nap time on Sunday. We covered topics such as our personal spiritual walks, communication, finances, intimacy, ministry, children’s needs and discipline, and other fun things. It was such a refreshing and rewarding time for both of us! I would encourage every couple to make time for this at least once a year if not more often.
*  This month we sold our old living room furniture and got a newer set really cheap! We are so happy with our craigslist find!
*  I LOVE daylight savings time. Our kids, who were in the habit of waking up at 6:00, are now back to waking up closer to 7:00! Hooray!
*  Some friends of ours, Karen and Gray, invited us to their house for dinner- one night. Anyone who has young children knows what a special treat this is. Once you have a few kids, you learn that not many invitations come your way, especially from those who don’t have kids. We were really thankful for this couple taking time to show us love.
*  The kids and I made bird feeders with pinecones, peanut butter and birdseed. Within 24 hours the pinecones were bare. We have thoroughly enjoyed bird-watching this month and have re-seeded our pinecones at least 4 times.

*  One day we went with our preschool friends to the NC History Museum and had a lesson on flying. We learned that you need more lift than weight and more thrust than drag to make something fly. We learned about birds, balloons, blimps, and then read the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright and their first flight in an airplane. Next we made fun little kites and tested them outside. After a good nap we went back outside and flew our kites all afternoon. I pulled out our big kite and got it stuck on a neighbors roof (whoops).  It was a wonderful day!

*  I’m so thankful for warm days in the midst of the cold days. North Carolina weather has been so weird. One afternoon we pulled out the grill and cooked out with friends. I’m pretty sure the kids and I spent about 6 hours playing outside that day, if not more.

*  I have also been thankful for other moms who make time to hang out and have adult conversations. Specifically this month, my friend Melanie came to visit, Betsy had me over for tea, Kari had me over for a great theological discussion, Amanda invited me over and we got to catch up on life in general. I’m so thankful for these moms who can relate to a busy life but see the importance of friendship. Of course, I’m also thankful for my not-yet-mommy friends who also make time for me.
*  I’m so thankful for opportunities to use my giftings at church. One of our pastors invited me to help plan part of our Easter Festival. I’m beyond thrilled and can’t wait. It’s going to be so much fun and I hope the Lord uses it to reach many in our community. In addition, I was asked to help coordinate the women’s ministry event for May. Anyone who knows me can testify how much I absolutely LOVE coordinating events and organizing activities.
* This month our small group had an adult’s night out where we all went out to play putt-putt, and then ate dinner together. It was wonderful. We even had some of our former members who had moved away drive back just to hang out with us. We all had a great time and I’m so thankful for our small group!
*  I’m thankful for our Mac products and the apple care program. This month both of our phones and our computer had minor problems that were easily fixed at the Apple store at no cost to us.
*  A friend made some wonderful strawberry jam and shared a jar with us. A few days later I was so inspired I packed up the kids and took them to the farmers market where be bought a ton of strawberries. A few hours later we have 13 jars of delicious jam stored in our fridge.
*  I’m thankful for the new Twilight Thursdays at the Kids Museum in our area. Now, I can take the kids for a fun inexpensive outing. We went the first week they offered the discounted rate and Addilyn and Josiah had a blast. I’m excited to go more frequently and let them get all their energy out!

*  Last but not least, the kids and I made spontaneous quick trip to Georgia to visit family! We didn’t get to see everyone we would have liked to see, but we did get to spend some time with many we love. We were thankful for my Aunt and Uncle who hosted us and for the opportunity for Addilyn and Josiah to see relatives they typically only see once a year.



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