10 final things...

And now, for the final installment of "Things I'm thankful for".....

1. Living somewhere it's sunny most of the time. I love the occasional cloudy, snowy or rainy day, but I don't think I could handle it every day.
2. Digital cameras. I can remember the days of taking pictures and being so excited to finish off the roll of film, taking it to the store to get developed and waiting a week to be able to see if/how the pictures turned out. Definitely not really practical with kids....so glad they figured out how to do it all digitally.
3. Sundays. They are usually a family day for us......church, football, AFV, popcorn and lots of family time!
4. Crossing things off my to-do list. I love the feeling of getting stuff done, and having a list where I can cross it off once it's done is even better!
5. Target. It's such a fun store to shop at, I could spend hours there just looking around.
6. That I can now cook and eat again without getting sick and only craving one thing. It's nice to have an appetite back. I especially like being able to eat ice cream again!
7. Our pets. They drive me crazy and there are days I'd love to get rid of them, but the boys really enjoy them, especially Logan just loves on them all the time.
8. Our boys are pretty easy to put to bed at night. I'm usually fried by that time and I'm glad it's not a nightly fight with them to get them to stay in bed and go to sleep.
9. My sisters. I miss them and love them. I'm sad for our daughter that she'll never have a sister. She will have 3 brothers though, that's pretty special.
10. My God. This is certainly not the least of things I am thankful for, even though it is the last. He loves me, takes care of me and guides me each and every day. I wouldn't be where/who I am today without Him.

Homemade bread

My breadmaker broke about a year ago and I really miss it. I miss dumping in all the ingredients, turning it on, and three hours later having a fresh, warm loaf of homemade bread.

However, I found this bread recipe and really like it. I've only made it twice because I still would prefer the ease of a breadmaker, but for made-from-scratch, let-it-rise bread, this one is pretty easy. I served it the other night with some Black Bean Soup (noticing a pattern to where these recipes are from?). Chris, who normally hates beans, said he loves this soup, he says it tastes more like chili. What a yummy, easy dinner!

10 more things I'm thankful for

I'm continuing my "Things I'm thankful for" post from awhile ago.

1. Cute maternity shirts. This will be the last time I'll get to wear them. I love how they show off the cute baby belly and are usually loose-fitting and comfy. (I wish the same could be said for maternity pants.)
2. Christmas. It's my favorite holiday! I'm so anxious to put up the tree and start celebrating Christ's birth in all the ways that we usually do (and maybe some new ones).
3. Brayden. He is so inquisitive, intelligent and animated. He is also a very good big brother and a good helper to me.
4. Logan. He is so tender-hearted and especially loves animals. He moves through life at his own pace and really takes time to enjoy what's around him.
5. Preston. What a sweetie! He can be very strong-willed, but he is also persistent and knows what he wants. He is so excited to be a big brother, he kisses my belly all the time and tells me to be careful to not hurt the baby when I bend over or something.
6. Facebook. Some days it is the only adult "conversation" or interaction I get (till Chris gets home) and it's nice to be able to log on and see how my friends are doing.
7. Wrestle time. I'm not involved in this, but I just love watching Chris and the boys play rough and bond while they roll on the floor and tackle each other.
8. Hot chocolate. I especially like it with a little peppermint melted in it, yum! I shouldn't drink much caffeine and all the really good coffee drinks have caffeine in them, so hot chocolate it is, for now.
9. Having more than I need. I know that God says he will supply all our needs, according to his riches in glory, but he has definitely blessed me above and beyond what my basic needs are. I am thankful for the jobs, possessions and family that Chris and I have that make our lives comfortable and bordering on extravagant, compared to most of the world.
10. My friends. I don't have many, but I really enjoy the ones I do have. I love getting together for playdates and just chatting all morning while the kids play.

Big helpers

The boys have been such good helpers to me lately. We've been cleaning out all the baby stuff, books, toys, puzzles, games, etc because we just have too much and don't need it all. We are giving it to "kids who don't have any toys" (that's what the boys say when they explain it). This week Preston and Logan helped me for about 2 hours sort through all their stuff and didn't complain once about having to give away some things they used to play with. In fact, they kept asking what else we could go through and get rid of, even when we were done. When Brayden got home from school, he was eager to find a box of things to take to church and donate as well.

Preston even took it a step further, asking me if he could help sweep. He has asked every day this week.

I'm glad for my big helpers, I hope they're always this eager to help me!

Corrrrrecto

Chris and the boys have this spelling game they play sometimes. Chris will ask Brayden or Logan to spell a certain word and if they get it right, he says "corrrrecto". The boys think it's hilarious.

Preston, not one to be left out, wanted to start playing too. However, he spells everything "P-H-I-K". We think maybe he's got a future in a fraternity or some kind of Greek language study!

10 things I'm thankful for

I need to be thankful today. It's so easy for me to focus on the not-right things in my life that I wish I could change, but that wouldn't be very obedient. "...Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God for everything..." (Ephesians 5:19-20).

I have a bloggy friend (I hope I can call her that...I only know her through her blog, but we have a lot in common) who is doing one thing she's thankful for every day, and I think I'll steal her idea. But I doubt I'll find time to do it every day, so I'll probably just have a few longer posts.

1. Chris's job, which is pretty much recession-proof. There will always be a need for teachers, right?
2. Our house, which is just the right size for our family.
3. Being able to stay at home with our three boys. There are days I get a little sick of the job, but overall I love it and am glad I have the option (some moms don't)!
4. A husband who loves me no matter how crazy, emotional, naggy or demanding I can be.
5. Living close to our families. They help us with projects around the house and are always willing to babysit (for free!).
6. The Bible. I daily take it for granted, but I know I am very lucky to own several copies of it and that I can read it without fear of being put in jail.
7. Our church. It has been a breath of fresh air for us. Our boys are growing in the Lord and making new friends. So are Chris and I.
8. 1 o'clock -3 o'clock in the afternoon. Preston and Madison are usually sleeping and Logan is resting on the couch watching a movie. I can get stuff done around the house, play around on the computer or take a nap myself (I usually choose the latter).
9. Our baby girl, yet to make her appearance. She is already so special to us.
10. Music. It calms me and keeps me company. The boys love it too, each one has their favorite CD that they listen to in the car or at bedtime.

Only in America

I am so tired of complete strangers telling me how sorry they are for me that I have 3 boys, or how happy they are for me that I am "finally" having a girl.

Why is it that boys are so looked down upon in our culture? In almost every other culture in the world, having boys is regarded as much more special and prestigious than having a girl. In fact, some people will kill their baby girls just to wait until they have a boy.

I treasure the boys I have and I also treasure my unborn baby girl. But I don't treasure her more or them less. All my children are a gift from God and all were given to me in the exact right time for a special reason and purpose.

Please strangers, quit telling me how horrible my life must have been up to this point and how great my life will be after my baby arrives! It doesn't make me feel very good and I'm pretty sure it doesn't make my three boys, who are standing right there listening, feel very good either.

I just love this picture of Brayden and Logan. We went to a fall festival at Brayden's school a few weeks ago and they got to get their faces painted. They thought that was pretty cool!

A new creation

This morning Logan was crying while I was trying to get lunch ready. This isn't an altogether unusual occurrence, but this time I didn't know why he was crying, so I asked.

Logan: Because my heart hurts.

Me: Why does your heart hurt Logan?

Logan: Because Jesus isn't in it.

We proceeded to talk more about what it meant for Jesus to come into your heart and he prayed to accept Jesus right there on our kitchen floor! He was so excited, he wanted to call Chris right away. Chris and I of course, are ecstatic. This is an answer to prayer for both of us.

In the past when we have talked to Logan about why he would want to ask Jesus in his heart, all he ever mentions is that he wants to ask Jesus in his heart so he can have crackers and juice (communion). However, this time, he didn't really talk about that. He mentioned how he wants to go to heaven someday and he wants Jesus to clean his heart. Obviously only God knows Logan's heart, and only time will tell if Logan is showing the fruit of being a Christian, but I am very happy that he has made this decision today!!

H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N

Every time Brayden hears or says the word Halloween, he spells it too. It was on his spelling test a week or so ago and he is very proud of himself that he learned to spell such a big word. I am too!

Brayden - Darth VaderLogan - Buzz LightyearPreston - puppyThey called this their "superhero pose"

We went to Boo at the Zoo again this year. It is fun to get outside and we've found if we get there early enough, the lines and crowds aren't too bad.

Chris also took the boys trick-or-treating in the neighborhood at night. This is the first year they've done that in the neighborhood and they thought it was pretty fun. We have SO much candy to show for the fun day, oh boy!!

Ned the Snowman

We got almost two feet of snow this past week and Chris and Brayden had two snow days off from school. The boys loved going outside with Chris to shovel and play in the snow. I mentioned to Brayden after they had been playing in the snow one time that we had a book about snow. It was one of my books when I was a little girl and I loved it! I still have most of it memorized. It's a classic book, if you haven't read it, you should!

So, Brayden and Logan decided to make a snowman too. They named him Ned the snowman, after the one in the book.