Thankful Thursdays Top Ten #4

Here we go!  So much to be thankful for!

1) That this week was not last week!  Man, was I hormonal! :)  This week I have been calmer, Grace has been calmer and things have been good.

2) Dinner with my hubby!  Usually Aaron has martial arts on Tuesday and Thursday so if we eat dinner together it is late (which is fine, martial arts is a good thing).  This week they were on spring break so we got in a couple extra family dinners.

3) A clean bill of health for my baby girl on Monday.  It took two hours but they said all looked well.  Here is a picture of her feet :)

4) Time with family.  I love Easter and Thanksgiving because we get to see a lot of family that we don't often spend time with.  Other than the "wow, if you're this big now I'd hate to see you at 9 months" comments we had a lot of fun!  Grace was on her best behavior and adorable in her Easter dress...which of course I have no pictures of.

5) 24 weeks of pregnancy!  I am back to feeling tired right around lunch time but other than that feel VERY good for where I'm at!  And call me a dork but I'm totally looking forward to delivery this time.  I feel like now I know what to expect I can "enjoy" it a little more.  (I've also convince myself that since I only pushed with Grace for an hour, she was a first baby AND she was face up this one is going to be easier but we'll see how it goes!)

6) A visit from a good friend!  One of my friends from high school was in town this weekend and I got to spend a lot of time with her on Saturday.  She helps keep me sane and is amazing!  She is also going out of the country for three weeks so I'm going to have to find other people to randomly text throughout the day :)

7) Protection from the storms.  Man, tornadoes scare me!  My husband made fun of me a bit last night because I was quite worried we wouldn't have time to react.  After finally deciding to trust his judgement, putting some blankets, cheerios and apple juice on the table ready to grab if we had to flee to the basement and double checking the weather on my phone I FINALLY went to sleep but it was certainly less than restful.

8) Lazy days.  It's a sad day when I don't feel like doing much and I'm chalking it up to pregnancy tiredness and giving myself some down time.  Now instead of trying to be busy every time Grace is asleep or watching Sesame Street I have been trying to get work done most of the time and rest a bit as well.  I feel lazy but I'm also growing  a baby so do with it what you will.

9) A new counseling room for our teen center!  This has been a HUGE project but the walls are up and in the process of being finished!  SUPER exciting!  This will give us an easily accessible space where we can chat with teens rather than have to convince them to go all the way across the building.  It is a blessing!

10) Oreos.  I know profound right?  Even the off-name ones I find delightful.  They are terrible for me and are probably going to make my next weigh in at the Dr office slightly embarrassing but I'm enjoying them.  I NEVER buy them because I know how much I like to eat them.  But Grace picked up a pack at the grocery store so I justified it as a treat for her.  She has eaten two.  :)

Thanks for reading my thankfuls!  I'm thankful you made it to the end!

Waiting Rooms.

Today I had an ultrasound for babybop.  It was at 2:45.  At 3:45 they called us back to the room.  Around 4:30 we finally left.  I was frustrated.  Grace did an AWESOME job and didn't fuss at all.  She listened so well today!  It may have been the standoff we had this morning about if she really had to put the place mats back on the kitchen table.  Round 1: Mom.  Maybe she was just wise and didn't want to try her luck at Round 2 today.  Either way, she did great.  I probably would have done better if I wasn't hungry but chocolate pie for lunch doesn't exactly stick to the bones. 

Long story short, babybop looks great.  I'd post pictures today but they are in the diaper bag in Grace's room and that just doesn't seem like a good idea. 

Yes, this does have babybop's name on it...No, I'm not telling what it is.

My mom tried to get Grace to give up the secret today.  Made me laugh.  Her lips are SEALED! 

Other than our waiting room expedition we had a pretty uneventful day.  Bible study and game night with my girls.  Oh, and tooth brushing goodness...

Elmo toothbrush.  Monkey towel.  It has a tail :)

My deep thought for today is that life sometimes feels like a waiting room - waiting on the next THING to happen and missing out on today.  Sometimes I find myself wishing it were just August already because babybop will be our next "big thing" (hopefully not too big!) but like in that movie with Adam Sandler and the remote control I would NOT want to fast forward the next few months and miss out on Grace and time with my husband.  Even day to day it is easy to wish the day were just over...and yeah, there are some days that just need to be done, but usually there is at least one VERY joyful thing in each day if we just look for it.



What a day!

Today was a good day!  I got a ton done and the day ended with most of my chores being checked off the house list, a sleeping baby AND a general feeling of accomplishment.

I went to the grocery with my mom.  She got to see first hand my child's new favorite activity - throwing an all out fit for no apparently reason.  We're walking along then BAM wailing, tears and everything else.  It is a little crazy.  Fortunately this too shall pass...and as long as my ear drums stay intact and I don't get kicked out of any stores we should be fine.  (Although at this rate Baby 2 and I will be doing a lot of shopping while Miss Grace says home with Dad!)

Then I came home, took a 15 minute nap made two boxes of muffins and had the house smelling awesome right before my friend Joie showed up!  (Yea for visits from the Washington DC area!)   And she brought a mocha - double win.  We got to hang out for awhile and she got to see Miss Grace.  After our much needed visit I made 6lbs of apples into 2.5 jars of applesauce then decided I didn't want to move for the rest of the night :)

Miss Grace got some dinner and a bath, I watched a Royal Wedding special (not sure why but oh well), and then got the dishes done, floors vac'd, dusted and considered cleaning my bathroom. 

Right now I'm debating going to sleep, answering emails or watching more mindless television. 

I am reminded though that tomorrow is the day that we should celebrate more than Christmas, more than Thanksgiving, more than any other day - the day our Savior rose from the dead.  He lived for me, He died for me...what a humbling thought.  Someone asked WHY God would bother creating us when He knew we would bring heartache, make poor choices and may live our lives seperate from Him.  For the same reason I have children - because despite the possibilities of it all going wrong I still delight in them and cannot imagine life without them.  How amazing He feels the same way about ME!

He is Risen!
    He is Risen Indeed!

I hope you have HOPE this Easter - knowing that the Lord will return.  And if you don't have that hope, I'd be glad to tell you about it!

Up From The Grave He Arose
Robert Lowery

1. Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior, 
 waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord! 
Refrain:
 Up from the grave he arose; 
 with a mighty triumph o'er his foes; 
 he arose a victor from the dark domain, 
 and he lives forever, with his saints to reign. 
 He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

2. Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior, 
 vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord! 
 (Refrain) 

3. Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior; 
 he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord! 
 (Refrain) 

This song always makes me think of my Grandfather who has demonstrated the love of the Lord to me since I was born (on his birthday!) and is a joyful reminder of what the Lord has done!

Funny Friday #1

Yes, I am using a friend's weekly themes because I need a format if I'm going to get into this blogging thing.  Eventually I'll branch out a bit more but for now this will work. 

This week's funnies include...

My daughter's new phrase: "Bye bye, see you!"  Where does she learn this stuff?

My mom: "I respect that you don't want to share the baby's name until she is born."  And then she spent 15 minutes texting me..."is it ____?"

My husband: "It is ok for you to do NOTHING sometimes.  Remember the flowers, remember the birds, screw the ant."

And of course my little one wearing mom's shoes is ALWAYS a good time! 

Wearing Mommy's Shoes

Riding The Horse at Meijer

This is a really old picture, but Aaron drew it and told people
"this is our family in 9 months" to tell people we were having another baby :)

This has been a little bit of a hormonal week for me - glad to see that at least a few things were funny. :)  I think next week if I eat better, sleep less and stay focused it'll be a better week!

Thankful Thursday Top Ten #3

I have a hard time writing these - not because I'm not thankful but because I always feel pressure to come up with 10 really awesome reasons to be thankful.  Ah well, here goes!

1) My not-so-little-anymore daughter fell asleep in my arms today.  I put her down for a nap and she was having none of it so we watched some Little House on the Prairie and she fell asleep.  Good sleep training? Nope.  Good bonding? Absolutely.

2) Pot roast for dinner!  This is one of my family's favorite meals and one I hardly ever make.  My husband is such a great guy he even did the dishes for me!

3) A lecture from my husband when I complained about how much I had to do "Remember the flowers, remember the birds, screw the ant."  Made me laugh really hard and was that bit of inspiration I needed.  (I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30...that NEVER happens!)

4) Game night with my girls on Monday.  I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard.  I am NOT that much older than them but when one of them asked who Jack Nicholson was and I said "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" and the girl looked at me blankly...the another teen said "Bucket List" and got ooooh, HIM!

5) Two nights in a row without a midnight peep from the daughter.  She is getting MUCH better at sleeping through the night and while I might only be able to enjoy it for 4 months until the new baby is here, I'll take it!

6) An awesome momma!  I got two sets of Big/Little Sis shirts (including ones I was coveting but didn't want to spend the money on - $40 for two shirts? Ummm, no).

7) Date night with my husband.  I cannot tell you how much I look forward to Wednesdays.  It makes me VERY happy to spend time with my man and tell him my thoughts and fears and get some feedback.

8) My Dr.  I LOVE HER!  I have a new baby delivery doctor which makes me a little sad because I love the woman who delivered Grace.  However, they are friends and both Christians so that makes me thrilled!  (Grace has a well-baby tomorrow and it made me think of it!)

9) Quiet time.  I always forget how much I need to take a few minutes with God.  This morning I did my Beth Moore devo book while the munchkin was being silly.  Then after she went to bed I sat and chatted with Him for a bit - I needed that!  I love that He loves me enough to listen!

10) A new focus in my home on less TV and more Christian music.  Not all the time and I'm not even close to where I want to be but I feel like we are slowly getting our brains back :)

That's my girl :)