24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 10

I'm thankful I get to be a stay-at-home mom

It has been my dream ever since I was a little girl to have children and stay at home with them.  I am so extremely thankful to God for placing that desire in my heart and allowing it to come true in my life.  I also am extremely thankful to my husband who works so hard to provide for our family because he 100% supports me and his desire is for me to be at home as well. 

This job is not always a "dream" job for me though.  There are days when I feel totally overwhelmed and underqualified.  There are times I wish I could just have a conversation about something other than bathroom humor with someone other than a toddler!  But the pros definitely outweigh the cons, even on the worst of days.  I get to do this!!!  I get to teach and watch my children learn new things.  I get to be there for their first steps, first words, first day of school, etc.  I get to know them so personally and spend so much quality time with them.  I am the one who dries their tears and gives them a hug when they fall down.  I get to do this!! 

Being a one-income family is not without its challenges.  We have had to make sacrifices and do without many times.  But, even in the lean times, God has blessed us so incredibly.  I could tell you so many stories when God has come through in a big way for us.  I believe that God is blessing our obedience to Him, our trust in Him to provide for us as we step out in faith and do something that, by the world's standards, is crazy.

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 9

I'm thankful for my sisters

This is not the best picture of the 4 of us, but it's the only one I have dating back to 2006, so it will have to do!  And to my sisters (if you're reading this): we need to get a new picture of the 4 of us ASAP!



Growing up with sisters was fun.  We could talk for hours about nothing boys and clothes and other girls, etc.  We could bond over painting our toes and doing our hair and makeup.  We could get on each other's nerves like the best of them.  Our relationships have changed over the years as we all have grown up and moved on with our own lives and our own families, but in some ways it has brought us closer.  I love you gals!

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 8

I'm thankful for our church

In early 2009 we felt led to find a new church.  It was scary and a little hard to venture away from the familiarity of our old church and find a new and better fit for our family.  God certainly blessed us when He led us to Riverside Baptist Church.  We visited there on our second week of "church hunting" and haven't left since.  We love it!  From day 1 we felt accepted and included.  The pastor himself called us to welcome us, which we thought was very unique and special  for a larger church like ours.  Our kids are growing so much spiritually due to awesome teachers who faithfully teach the Bible each week.  We have made many new friends, and been able to serve in several different capacities.  Thank you Lord, for our church.

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 7

I'm thankful that soccer is over

As much as I enjoyed watching the boys play soccer, I am so glad that we now have back the time that was being taken up by soccer, which by the way was 4 nights a week and half the day on Saturday.  We will have more downtime and more time as a family.  The boys will have time to play AND get their homework done AND get to bed on time.  We will all be able to sit down to a home-cooked dinner at the same time and the same place.  I am grateful that God has a time for everything in our lives (Ecclesiates 3:1-15).

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 6

I'm thankful for God's never-ending love



God loved me before I loved Him.  God actually gave me love so I could love Him.  He loved me when He knew how I'd act and how I would hurt Him.  He loves me even when I am unloving to others.  He will love me for the rest of eternity.  I don't deserve God's love, he just loves me anyway.  I'm so thankful to be wrapped up in the love of God, it's a cozy place to be!

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 5

I'm thankful for Legos



  

Wanna know why?  Because they provide the boys hours of fun playing with each other with little to no fighting!  They allow for so much creativity and imaginative play.  I've had my frustrations with Legos in the past (try putting together one of the Lego houses and you'll know what I mean), but for the boys, Legos come easily and they can build so much fun stuff.  And Lego now has all these "brands" within the brand, like Hero Factory, Heroica, Star Wars, Ninjago, etc.  So it's not just bricks anymore, it's all kinds of fun characters.  The kids love them and they play so well together with them, so color me extremely grateful!

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 4

I'm thankful for my children

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.  Psalm 127:3

I know my children are not here by accident, not by my choosing and not because of anything Chris or I did.  Our children are here because God placed them here, in our lives, at this time, in this order, for a specific purpose.  

I am so thankful that God chose to give us four happy and healthy children.  I often feel overwhelmed by God's goodness to us.  The fact that none of our children are sick and we have had relatively no problems with them is a blessing in and of itself.  I love seeing how each child is different from the next.  None of their personalities are the same.  How creative of God to use the same DNA to make four completely unique and yet similar children. 

I don't always view my children as a reward from God, but I know that is how God intended them to be.  I love you Brayden, Logan, Preston and Ashten.  You are special to me and your daddy and you are especially special to God!

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 3

I'm thankful for coffee

I was so good when I was pregnant or nursing, not one drop of caffeine, including coffee and pop.  Well, mabye I did have a sip of pop here and there, but basically I abstained.  But then this past July I stopped nursing Ashten and gradually got back into the habit of drinking coffee regularly.  It started innocently enough, just a cup of coffee every few days when I was feeling a little groggy.  Then I started trying different flavors of liquid creamers and even broke out my old drip coffeemaker that we got as a wedding gift that I had maybe used a handful of times.  Now I'm hooked.  I love coffee!  Not black or anything gross like that, but with some yummy creamer in it and at just the right not-too-hot-and-not-too-cold temperature! 

Coffee is a blessing in my life because I get up early every day and without it I would be yawning and groggy all day.  It gives me the boost I need to get going and it's so delicious.  I am so grateful God created the coffee bean with caffeine in it, maybe He had moms in mind?

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 2

I'm thankful for my husband!

God gave me a great husband, I think I married up.  Chris seriously spoils me.  He works extra hard so I can live my dream of being a stay-at-home-mom.   Chris supports me in everything I do, even when he doesn't agree with my decision.  I love having his approval and I know he will always take my side.  He is so smart, he usually always knows what to do in a situation.  He has a way of keeping me calm in a way that no one else can.  He knows me the best of any person in this world and he loves me in spite of all my faults and failures.  The scales are definitely tipped in his favor, I know I don't bless him as much as he blesses me. 

Besides all that, he is a wonderful father.  Our kids are seriuosly lucky to have a dad who does stuff with them and takes an interest in what they are interested in.  He's a good compliment to my mothering as well, he's the heavy when I'm too lenient and he's the soft nurturer when I've had a long day and just don't have a patient, cuddly bone left in my body!

God knew what He was doing when He matched me up with Chris.  Life isn't perfect, sure, but I like working hard for our marriage with someone who I know is also working hard and doing their best.  I know that I have a godly partner for life.  Thank you, God, for giving me a husband like Chris!

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 1

I'm thankful for electricity

Something so simple and something I definitely take for granted, but also something I rely so heavily on.  Last week on Thursday, we lost power due to the snow storm and tree limbs falling.  It went out at 1:30 in the afternoon, after I heard a loud "pop" sound outside.  When I called Xcel, they said it could be till Friday afternoon before it was back on.  At first it was kind of fun, adventurous, something new.  But I soon realized, being without electricity was boring.  I couldn't leave the house because my car was in the garage and the garage door won't open without electricity (or without a strong husband who can lift it up manually), so Chris had to pick up the boys from school.  Preston, Ashten and I did puzzles and read books, but quickly got bored of that.  It started getting dark outside and it was getting cold in our house and we were all hungry, so we made the decision to pack up quickly and head to Chris' parents house for the night.  Our power ended up coming back on at about 10 pm (I think that's when it did, based on the clocks), so praise God that we didn't have any food spoilage or major issues from the outage. 

I am so grateful to be able to just flip a switch and have light in a room, or to set my thermostat and have my furnace come on at any time to heat the house, to have music on in the background, or to be able to heat up lunch in the microwave.  I don't really think to notice these conveniences and blessings until they are taken away, but I am definitely grateful for them now!