Thankful Thursday

"Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings." ~ Psalm 116:7

Is it me? Or do Thursdays come around quicker these days than they used to? It is certainly not a complaint, just makes me nostalgic for how quickly time passes and how much we have to be grateful for.




I am thankful to Linette, who posted this great devotional on her blog. I mentioned to my mother the name of this devotional and voila, my mom ordered it and picked it up for me.

So, I am also thankful to my mother. She does things like that, always has. She has a way of making life simpler, easier, flow better. As a child, I recall my mom never got a helping hand. My dad travelled for business, my grandparents never offered to help out in any way, she and my aunt were on their own and they did a great job. They hosted countless family dinners and events - they both still do these. They have always helped with babysitting and have been trusted companions in the lives of their children and grandchildren. My mother is a "no frills" kind of lady - she just gets it done. For all those behind the scenes gestures and offerings, Mom, you should know, you have taught me well and now teach my children also.



I am thankful for educational, fun, children's literature. Emily receives Highlights and Big Backyard and Hannah receives Babybug - oh, how we love Babybug. She will gather them up, get comfy in her chair and "read" away. Emily loves the puzzles and challenges in hers, and I am grateful for resources like this, that help me spend that kind of special time with them.





I am thankful for prayerful children. Hannah began with a really awful rash last week, in several locations and we suspect they are all due to different reasons. So we are treating her for three separate issues. As we try to ascertain what allergy could be maintaining the one rash, we are frustrated. We pray every morning, and doesn't that Emily get right to it interceding for her sister. From the daily chronicles of Mom-dom, you have got to be grateful for that!

I am thankful for the snow we are seeing today - it is not quite cold enough for it to lay on the ground, but it is pretty and the kids just love it:)

I am thankful to be part of a network of adoptive parents. I never imagined the friendships that would form, the bonds that would feel unbreakable because of our unique connection. I will always be eternally grateful for the people I have been blessed to know and for the incredibly important message we carry with us, each and every day. I was working in one of the schools this week, when a mother overheard someone ask me about our younger child and it began this whole delicate discussion about adoption. It is a blessing I would never have known if God did not lead us to this place.

Ooooh Mommy's computer...


Just grab here...


PUUULLLLLLL...

I am standing on the chair! Mom, don't panic...


Just want to check the blogs:)


I am thankful for the spunk and spontenaity of Hannah. Our little Evil Kenevil just loves to climb these days, she is downright nosy! She also likes to dress herself, which is hilarious and actually quite fun. I love her spiciness and relish in her joyful nature.

I am thankful for my friends. Some new, some old, all of them. I cleaned out my hope chest last week and reminisced about so many really amazing life events. The recurrent theme was the people who have been in my life all along. We may speak every three days, three months or three years, but the relationship doesn't change. I think that is special.

Finally, I am thankful for a tender moment I got to share with Emily this afternoon. Today was "Mom's Day In" at dance class. I spent the better part of my life in a dance studio, so it makes sense I dreamed of a daughter who would dance. Truth be told, I really don't care now or moving forward if she ever decides she does not want to dance. But, as I sat watching her...I am amazed by her. At the end they asked us to dance with our child. It was one of the finest hours of my entire life - I was completely moved and I am thankful that I didn't weep and embarrass my sweet child.

Hope you have had a wonderful week. What are you thankful for?