blessings

Blessings to Count - Thursday

- The van repair topped out at $240.00--something to do with an engine coil.  Much better than a $2000 transmission.  A huge blessing!

-Helping in AWANA last night, I felt so blessed by the children's smiles.  Sweet kids.

- At the pediatrician's office for Beth and Mary's physicals today, I was blessed to hear the doctor tell Mary, "You're certainly a happy girl."  Mary smiled up at him and replied, "Yeah, I am."  Beth and Mary both have these electric smiles that light up our hearts.  We're all smitten with them.  Through God's grace and mercy, our children are happy.  Flawed, yes....with flawed parents.  But happy nonetheless.

- We continue to enjoy the Bob Jones second grade readers!  Peter's thankfulness for the spiritual stories warms my heart, making reading time a treasure for both of us.

- We have a friend in this neighborhood.  What a godsend!  My aunt and uncle, who would normally help with transportation dilemmas, are in Florida until February.  So, our friend helped my husband drop off and pick up our van for two different repairs recently.  We were so grateful for his help.

- We don't drink tea or coffee, but late at night during the cold months I really enjoy my french vanilla cocoa.  For ten glorious minutes I just sit and sip, trying to block out all the chores...all the should dos.  I find it luxurious.  No time for bubble baths or spa treatments or manicures.  With this many kids--close in age--ten minutes with a cup of cocoa is as good as it gets.

-  Lately, Mary utters the cutest things.  I told the boys they had to be at the table for journals in ten minutes, and Mary stood up on the preschool table, poked her head into the kitchen (through the partially open wall) and said, "And me too, of course."

Then later she plopped into my lap, looked directly into my eyes with a half-laughing, half-serious face, and said, "We have a big problem to solve."  I laughed.  No problem really....she just wanted to repeat some phrase she had heard.  It makes her feel like a big girl.  You'd have to be in her presence to get a sense of how funny these things sound, coming from my 31-pound 3 year old.

Peter, finished with lunch before the rest of us, began reading in his reader at the table (aloud, so Mommy could follow).  Mary said, "That's good reading, Peter."

-Beth made it to twenty pounds, from a birth weight of five pounds, nine ounces!  She still nurses about 5 to 7 times in a twenty-four hour period (only twice during the daytime).  I found it a blessing that her pediatrician didn't advise me to slow down or wean (not that I would have listened...just nice that he isn't opposed to toddler nursing).