Attitude of Gratitude #1-30

A good friend of mine began to blog her blessings. I think she got the idea from a book called "One Thousand Gifts," by Ann Voskamp. I have always wanted to participate, but just have not had the discipline to do so. I finished my latest book on the kindle and was in need of a new one to begin so I ordered Ann's book. I am only a few chapters into the book, but felt very compelled to accept her challenge to record one thousands ways the Lord has blessed my life. I have been searching for a way to help my prayer life. When I pray I do start with worship, then go on to thanksgiving and end with petitions, but I still have been in need of help. I really like what Ann had to say about being grateful in EVERY thing. When we are grateful and give thanks even in the little things we begin to see those things as gifts from the Lord. So I am starting my list............

1. Christmas Music

2. Hearing my children ask me to turn the radio up so they can her the Christian song on the radio better

3. Hearing them sing along

4. The fact that they have a favorite song they could listen to over and over again, currently it is "Jesus, Savior" by Chris August

5. The Gift of God's Word, readily available for me to read anytime I want.

6. The Gift of God's Son, still a mystery to me, such a strange way to save the world, yet God is good and reveals just a bit more each time I am in His Word or in prayer

7. BSF, Bible Study Fellowship, this Bible study has been a blessing to me since the Fall of 1999. It gives me the structure I need and the accountability I must have to stay in His Word and draw closer to Him

8. My whole family, Brad, Presley, Kennedy and me are enjoying doing the study of Acts together

9. The wonderful conversations Brad and I have been able to have because of our participation in this study

10. A great Church family and home

11. A good, sweet friend who volunteered to watch my 4 year old so I could go to Presley's school Christmas Party. She has three of her own, one a 2 month old. Not only did she volunteer, but offered to keep her the entire day so I could get some things done!

12. A good sister in law, who is ALWAYS willing to take my children anytime, quickly responding to my text on Thursday morning that she would keep Kennedy (again all day and not just the 1 hour I needed) when the sweet friend in #11 had to cancel because of a sick child.

13. Sweet Preschool teachers for Kennedy who just love her and sing her praises

14. A sweet first grade teacher for Presley who has made her year so peaceful and fun

15. A sweet friend who agrees to tutor my 6 year old in reading to help build her confidence and self esteem.

16. Seeing 6 year olds confidence and self esteem strengthen

17. When I told Kennedy that the friend in #11 had a sick child and she would not be able to go to her friends house, Kennedy was upset. Immediately Presley said, "When my friend comes over to spend the night tomorrow you can play with us." Love her sweet heart and the fact that she wants to comfort others. What a precious gift from the Lord.

18. Kennedy's immediate response back was " I don't want ANYONE over!" The reminder of how ugly sin looks to the Lord and how much we are ALL in need of a Savior and grace!

19. Forgiveness, I am so blessed that when I am in need of forgiveness, which is often, that I can approach the throne of God IMMEDIATELY, I do not have to go through a high priest, I do not have to bring a goat, I just have to bring myself, I just have to humble myself. I can approach anytime, anywhere. I can approach with confidence that the Lord will accept my offering of repentance. I can be confident that He will cleanse my soul with the blood of His Son. I can be confident that the Lord will see me as righteous and holy.

20. Seeing Presley so excited about her days.

21. Hearing sweet girl say a prayer for the Lord to give her courage when she was scared to pull her tooth.

22. Seeing how pleased she was when she actually pulled her tooth!

23. The answer to my prayer that Presley would meet a sweet, close friend in her class. That friend is coming to spend the night tonight

24. The wonderful memories I have of spending the night with my best friend at that age.

25. Being able to witness God work such impossible miracles, HE is good!

26. That Kennedy's favorite playmate is her DAD.

27. Watching DAD play with his girls, he is such a wonderful father (and husband), how lucky those two girls are to have him as a Dad, and how lucky I am to have him as a husband.

28. Rain

29. Being able to go with Presley to hand out Christmas gifts to the teachers and staff at her school

30. "He is Jesus, Savior, Son of God and King of Kings. Our Salvation has a name. Jesus, Savior, Precious Lord of Everything. Our whole world's about to change." (chorus from Jesus, Savior by Christ August)

The Thomas Infirmary

We have been running an infirmary this weekend. This is a first and hopefully as last for us. My Friday went something like this:

8:30 am I visit Dr Allen, UTI. No trip to the pharmacy just yet, he gave me samples of Avelox and will call me on Monday with my prescription after the cultures come in.

11:00 am I take Kennedy to see Dr Knapp because she is running a fever. Thought it was possibly an ear infection. No, strep.

Noon I talked Kennedy into going to the Cabi sample sale at Midway and 635 because I desperately wanted this cute green pea coat she had on hold for me. I also picked up a cute red one as well for 65% off! Now I can look almost as cute as my friend Julia, who inspired me to get the cute green coat in the first place.

4:30 pm Brad walks in the door shaking because he says he is so cold. He has a 101.5 fever. I give him advil and started him on a Zpack I had from my last dr visit.

The girls and I get ready to go to Grand Betty's to celebrate my father's birthday.

5:15 pm, I take Brad's temperature again, 102.8

I call and cancel our appearance at my father's birthday party.

Presley is beyond sad she is not getting to go to Grand Betty's. Much crying occurs.

5:30 I call Brad's mom who suggests I call the doctor's messaging service.

I call the messaging service who reminds me they cannot take calls until after the after hours clinic closes at 8. Totally forgot they had an after hours clinic. Am a bit relieved because that is only a $25 co pay.

5:35 I call the after hours clinic to find out the wait, there was only one person waiting.

5:40 Call Brad's mom to arrange drop off of the children and pack up PJ's and the medicines that Kennedy needs because she has strep

5:45 We head out to drop off kids, get gas (I was 30 miles to E) and go to the after hours clinic in Colleyville. Did I mention that it was also bitterly cold!

6:30 Arrive at after hours clinic and wait.

6:45 We see Dr Allen (me for the second time), checked everything out and did a flu test, nothing. Tells us to continue the zpack, take a lukewarm shower, rest and drink lots of fluids. His temperature is still 102.8

7:15 We stop at Subway for some dinner and then head home.

7:15pm - 1:10 am Brad reluctantly takes a lukewarm shower. His fever comes down to 101. I set my alarm to midnight so I can give him another round of medicine. I sleep from 11-midnight, give medicine, sleep from midnight to 1:10 only to be awakened by Brad having a bad experience in the restroom. I take his temperature it is 104.5. I make him get into the shower and I call the dr answering service who recommends we just go straight to the ER.

1:45am We get to Baylor Grapevine. Very grateful that it is a slow night. They immediately get him back to a room. The dr thinks it is probably viral, but does a chest x-ray and bloodwork. While we wait on the results, Brad gets an IV for fluids and some medicine and he takes tylenol. After a long while, the dr comes back in and says the x-ray shows the beginning of pneumonia, which explains everything. He gives as a new prescription.

4:45 We leave Baylor Grapevine. We drop of the prescription at CVS, go through Whataburger drive through for a taquito and cinnamon roll, the gas station for gatoraide, and back to the pharmacy.

5:30am We finally get home.

6:00 am Finally bed.

In case you lost count, let me review....3 dr visits, 1 ER visit, two trips to the pharmacy, and $275 poorer all in less than 24 hours!

Oh and Brad ended up getting strep too!

And we cannot forget that late Saturday Presley decided she felt left out and threw up!

It has been loads of fun!

But God has been good, we are all surviving (Me in large part to my mother in law who took my kiddos!).

Elvis is in the House!

We started the "Elf on a Shelf" Tradition several years ago. The girls decided to name him Elvis. Presley has been VERY excited about Elvis' arrival and for Elvis to begin his many treks back and forth from our house to the North Pole. It has been a joy to watch her excitement. She believes in the MIRACLE of Christmas. I know there is some controversy about perpetuating such things because it is make believe. But one day, sooner than I would like, she will know the truth. So for now I just want to enjoy the wonder, amazement and excitement that the mysteries of Christmas bring. That includes Elvis. Presley decided she would send a note to Santa through Elvis. She did not want Elvis to be left out, so she wrote him a note too! That girl is just precious!

Presley is learning to write

I love getting sweet notes from my daughter. She makes so many things and I want to keep them, but how to keep up with so many pictures and pieces of paper.....I just LOVE technology and the scanner. Now I can keep those precious things forever!

Presley made this for us the other day at her Mimi's:

Christmas Card 2011

Attention to Detail

Presley has the gift of noticing details. Not much gets past her. The other day we had our Christmas lights put up. They put them up a bit early, the first week in November. We got a good discount by putting them up early so we took it. We were the first ones on our street to have them up. (Apparently that is frowned upon by he HOA. We received a letter stating the rule was 30 days before the holiday.) Presley noticed we were first. And it worried her a bit. (She does not like to stick out and be noticed). The next day we were driving home and noticed another house a few streets over putting up their Christmas lights. Presley's comment, "Oh I am so glad, now we are not the only ones!" She was worried about that. My greater concern was the multicolored lights we put up this year!

Presley also noticed no one on our street rides a bike with training wheels. So she would not ride her bike. She decided it was time to learn and one weekend at her Mimi's house she learned how to ride her bike! She was not the easiest student. Her Dad was not the most patient teacher. But they both made it through the process and now she is riding her bike proudly up and down our street!

They had a Turkey Trot for PE at Presley's elementary school. The Kindergarteners were to run 1/2 mile. Presley wanted to do well so we went out and practiced. Honestly I did not think much about what she was wearing to run in, I just left her in what she wore to school: a cute t-shirt, leggings, a pink tutu and pink sequined twinkle toe sketchers. We worked on pacing ourselves so we could run the entire 1/2 mile. She did great. It wasn't until a few days later when a neighbor stopped me and told me how cute it was to see her running in her pink tutu. I am sure that was a sight! I have since purchased her appropriate Nike tennis shoes and am looking for appropriate running attire. Presley did a great job in her turkey trot. She finished 9th out of all the first grade girls. I was so proud of her. Had I remembered to tell her that she needed to sprint at the very end of the race she would have finished a few places higher. What a terrible coach/mom she has. We will work on it for next time. She enjoys running and I think we are going to enter a few 1 mile fun runs. I hope it will become a life long sport for her!

God is working

I was doing some testing at Preschool today. Simple things, identifying the letters of the alphabet. It made me wonder how my Kennedy was doing with her letter identification. I know when I tried to work with her this past summer, I did not get very far and she did not do very well. I am glad she is going to have one more year to prepare for Kindergarten.

I had the chance to ask her preschool teacher how Kennedy was doing academically. She gave me a good report and then asked if I was concerned for some reason. I am not, just curious. You never really know how your kids act when you are not around. I would love to be a fly on the wall. Then the teacher shared a few things with me that they had noticed about Kennedy.

They love her unique personality. Today at lunch she had her chair pushed back, she was lounging with her feet propped up! They think she is very mature in certain ways. Then she gave me an example. Today one little girl had received her four year shots and her leg was sore. On the way back to the room from Spanish, this little girl began to limp. Kennedy was at the front on the line, saw that her friend was limping, she left her place in the front and came to the back to walk next to her friend who was not feeling well. She did not say anything, she did not put her arms around her, she just walked next to her. She is observant. She acts on what she sees. She does not feel obligated to talk, just act. Perhaps I should take a cue from her!

I am so glad to see God's spirit working in her!!! I'm one proud Mama. I know her Father in heaven is one proud Papa! I really appreciate her teacher loving her so much and tell me about her when I am not around!

Grandparents Day

Western Day

It was Western Day today. The preschool has a petting zoo and pony rides once a year, and that day was today. The weather was beautiful. Cool with a light breeze. No jacket needed, but no sweating either! Was not sure what I would be putting my little cowgirl in this morning. I had a few options, but decided to go with the hip Taylor Swift look of skinny jeans and a peasant style shirt with the cowboy boots and no hat. I was able to give you indian braids. You LOVED them!!!!!! And I must say you looked just precious! It was a fun time for all!

Toothless

That front tooth FINALLY come out, with much help from Aunt Lele. You look so different without that front tooth. The other one is loose, and two on the bottom are loose as well. Ughh!!! You are getting older, looking older, acting older. While is wonderful to see you growing up, it is hard. Hard to let go. I am so proud of who you are. You are quiet, shy, reserved. I am much like that. I must admit, it is not my favorite part about myself. I wish I were more outgoing. I am trying to be, but it is a challenge for me. So I know it is a challenge for you too! But you are listening, always listening. You are thinking, always thinking. You are smart, you have fabulous ideas and solutions. You are creative! I love the things that you create! You are a watcher. You sit back and take things in. You wait. You are choosy. You are good with who God created you to be. You do not long to be LIKE someone else. I think that is awesome. I wish I would have learned to be as content when I was your age. So wise for someone so young. You LOVE the Lord. You have been asking about getting baptized. I am wanting you to study just a bit more. We have been able to do that together in BSF. You are eager to go, to do your lesson, to memorize your memory verse! I am impressed with your desire and follow through! You have much influence on those around you. You have no clue. At the tender age of six, you are an encouragement to so many. You are encouraging me to be a better mother and 1st grade Sunday School teacher. You are encouraging your Dad to go to BSF and to learn the Word along side you! You are an encouragement to your little sister because you are a good role model for her. There are many others. Those are just the tip of the iceberg. Presley Kate is so GREAT! I love me some Presley Kate!

4 Years Old

Hard to believe it has been 4 years already! So many things to say about this one. You never have to guess with Kennedy. She will let you know. It is one of the things that may frustrate me at times, but is mostly so wonderful. When she laughs, it is a deep laugh, a contagious laugh, a laugh of pure enjoyment. You can see just how much she enjoys life, her life, when she laughs. I love her laugh. When she cries, which is OFTEN, she is unable to be consoled by anyone. She is compassionate and cares for others, though she tries to hide these qualities from her mother as much as possible. But because they make up so much of who she is, she cannot hide them from me all the time. When I get to witness her acts of compassion, it makes my heart swell with pride. Her Duck teacher told me how Kennedy and another little girl in the class have taken it upon themselves to make sure one of the shy girls is included and playing. They have taken her under their wing. My heart swells. But she can be a stinker too, especially to those she loves the most. When she went to eat with her Daddy and I (while Presley was at school), her Daddy asked her if she was going to tell Presley we ate at Which Wich. Kennedy quickly replied, "Let's tell her we ate at Mc Donald's!" But Kennedy has a sweet spirit, she loves the Lord. She has a lot to learn, (but don't we all?) She recently received a warning in her preschool class. Our conversation when like this:

K: I got in trouble at preschool

M: What did you do?

K: I don't want to talk about it!

M: Were you talking when you were suppose to be quiet?

K: No

M: Were you playing when you were not suppose to?

K: No

M: Were you up running around when you were suppose to be sitting?

K: I told you I did not want to talk about it!!!!!

I love that girl. But what I really love about her is her tender heart and how she is willing to learn from her mistakes and change. We were doing her hair before preschool a few days later and I asked if she had been running around anyone when she was not suppose to. Here is how the conversation played out:

K: No

M: Well I am glad. You need to obey your teachers.

K: I don't have to obey my teachers, I just have to obey God.

(While I am glad she has learned God is our ultimate authority, I want her to learn that God wants her to be submissive to those He has placed in authority over her!)

M: Did you know that God's Word tells us we have to obey our parents and I am telling you that you need to obey your teachers.

K: I did not know that

M: Well now you do!

A few seconds pass and I notice that her hands are over her eyes and that she is upset, crying.

K: (tearful sobs) I did not know

M: I know you did not know, that is why I am teaching you. I love you and am glad that you are sorry. Now you know and will obey.

K: Shakes her head yes

A repentent heart at the age of four, grieved. God has great plans for her! I pray that she will continue to grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)

She woke up early this morning and I was laying with her until she fell back asleep. I heard her talking to herself. She was talking about God and all the mean people on earth, but God loved us so much He sent His Son to die on the Cross and there was only one man, Noah that He saved. She learned that in Sunday School last week. She listens. She learns. It is in her heart! My heart swells! Her BSF teacher told me during her quiet time one week, laying on the floor, she lifted her hands and sang "Holy, Holy, Holy!" My heart swells. Her prayers used to be, "Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for letting us go no where! Amen." But they have grown. She thanks Him for the actual things she has done that day and she often thanks Him that Nanny and Grandmother Josie are in heaven with Him. My heart swells!

In so many ways I see her growing up, so fast. I see her maturing, thinking, learning. She does not care what others think of her, so others LOVE her. (A power I pray she will us for good and not evil!) She LOVES barbies, princesses, her sister, dance (though she will not admit that to my face), life! She is 41 1/4 inches tall and 39 pounds which is the 75% for both. She still uses pronouns incorrectly, but it is so cute! She still has some speech issues, but the doctor and Speech Path friend assure me that she will grow out of it.

Four quick years! Four wonderful years! I cannot image my life without her. God has blessed me with this wonderful child! Kennedy Alexis Thomas!

Ten Years Later

I woke up this morning and watched the ceremonies at Ground Zero as I was getting ready for church. It is hard to believe it is the ten year anniversary. Even ten years later, when they run the footage of what happened I find myself getting emotional. Every person's life has been touched in some way because of the events that happened on 9.11.01. I listened to survivors tell their accounts. I listened to children who lost their parents speak. The events of that day, so horrific, so tragic, so painful. The events of that day, the result of pure evil.

But "We remember" and "We will never forget." It made me think about the Israelites and the Exodus from Egypt. Each year as they celebrated Passover, they would look back and remember how God delivered them from the hands of Pharoh in a mighty way. They told their children the stories of the horrific life they endured and the wonderous, mighty god who delivered them by miraculous means. Year after year, they remembered and the children who were born after the exodus heard, learned and knew what a mighty God they served.

Then we went to church and heard Rick start a new series entitled "Greater Than..." Today "Our God is Greater Than Evil." Satan is evil. Though evil may seem to prevail in the moment, is doesn't prevail forever. Out of the ashes we rise because our God is greater, our god is stronger, our God is higher than any other! Our God is healer, AWESOME in power, Our God, Our God. Satan is evil and he may reign in this world in events like 9.11.01. But he is not equal to God. No one is equal to God. God wins in the end. In the meanwhile, we have to live in this evil world. But we can have confidence that even in the evil things that we have to endure that God will be able to use them for His good and His glory.

This morning, as I listened to all those people remember the events of ten years ago, I saw the confidence and hope. I listened to the story about Lisa Beemer, who was interviewed by a few journalist from Russia. She took them to her church and they saw a picture of a chasm that was bridged by a cross. They wanted to know more about Jesus and accepted Him as their savior. They went back to their homeland and drew that picture on tv and told their story to their fellow countrymen. How many people heard the message, we will never know. But one man gave up his life to lead a group to storm the cockpit to put an end to this national tragedy. Because of him, numerous people in Russia heard about the saving power of Jesus Christ. Evil did not prevail!

Into the darkness you shine,
Out of the ashes we rise.
There is no one like you
None like you.

Our God is Greater
Our God is Stronger
God you are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, Our God

I am blessed to be able to worship and serve such a powerful, awesome God.
It is important for us to remember and not forget the events of 9.11.01
It is also important for us to remember and not forget the events of the cross.
Tell our children of the horror of that day.
But remind them that our focus is the victory!

Menu for August 29

Dinners

1. Bacon & Beef Steak Wrappers - Choreographing Dance (CD) p. 2

2. Spicy Mexican Skillet Chicken - CD p. 98

3. Crab Cakes - Clean Eating Mag

4. Manicotti

Lunch - Adult

1. Turkey Taco Salad

2. Taco Pita - superhealthykids blog - corn, black beans, chopped tomato, green onion, avocado, taco seasoning, lettuce, whole wheat pita

3. Cobb Salad

4. Strawberry Spinach Salad -CD p. 105

5. Sante Fe Grilled Chicken Wrap - CD 87

6. Chicken Ceasar Wrap - superhealthykids blog - chicken, romaine, parmesan, dressing for dip

Lunch - Kids

1. Ham/Cheese/Bread Skewers- fruit-

2. Chicken Nuggets- cheese- carrot sticks with ranch

3. PBJ pinwheels - PBJ with shredded apple and carrot wrapped up in whole wheat tortilla, cut and slide on skewer

Kids Breakfast

1. Mini Sausage Frittatas - CD p. 68

2. Sausage balls - CD p. 88

Adult Breakfast

1. Burrito Bites -superhealthy kids blog

2. Egg whites scrambled/cheese/red pepper flakes

Weekend Breakfast

1. Carrot Cake Pancakes - superhealthy kids blog

Snacks - Adults

1. yogurt/berries/granola

2. hard boiled egg

3. raw veggies

Snacks - girls

1. apples slices with cinnamon - put in fridge

2. banana bites- superhealthy kids blog

3. olive and cheese kabob

5. Banana Roll Up - superhealthy kids blog

4. cinnamon sugar chips and triple melon salsa

Glen Rose

A few months ago, Dawn and I were at the RHCC playscape with the littles and talking about planning a trip to Glen Rose to go to Fossil Rim and Dinosaur Valley State Park when one of the other girls interrupted us and said "I don't mean to be evasdropping, but we have gone to Glen Rose on several occasions and stay at the neatest little cabin, Trickle Creek Cabins." So I googled it and booked the Timberline Cabin for July 23-25.

We just got back and I am happy to report the cabins are a big hit with our family. It is about 10 miles on the other side of Glen Rose. Close to both Fossil Rim and Dinosaur Valley State Park. They have a fishing pond, a grill, a nice hot tub and it slept 8 comfortably. I think we will be a repeat customer. Perhaps I will look for a nice festival in Glen Rose when it is cooler. I would love to come back when they have the Passion play. I don't know when but I know we will be back.

As far as this trip goes, Fossil Rim on Friday morning....it was cool, the animals were out and about, it was not crowded, had a blast. Friday afternoon....lunch on the square, homemade pie at the Pie Peddelers, and a bit of shopping, a nice afternoon nap. Friday evening......playing at the cabin with the homeless cat the girls named Emily, cooking dinner, swimming in the hot tub, fishing, and ending the evening with a showing of "Bambi" and popcorn (in lieu of smores due to the fire ban). Saturday morning...sleeping in until 8, breakfast tacos, Dinosaur Valley State Park, lunch and then headed home. Overall....a great time with great friends.