Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week to remember our blessings.  It is so good to see the good things that have happened, especially if you have had a particularly tough week. Being grateful is good for the soul. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for...


1. eleven years with this dude

We celebrated Kai and his awesomness this week, which he was very excited about. The night before his birthday, he went around giving everyone hugs, that's how happy he was that it was soon his day! haha. So cute! (we all thought it was a bit strange, but....it was still cute!)

Kai is funny. He is stubborn and oh so very steadfast...this kid doesn't back down or break easy; he can be a bit willfull! But, that also means this kid is passionate and strong, and I am excited to think of what he will do with his secret powers!  I loves him!


2. Cousin Visits

My niece was in the area for a few days while she waited for her mom to pick her up and take her back home to Powell River, so we managed to snag her and keep her at our house! The kids loved seeing their cousin again! It turned out to be a good weekend. She went out with the Olders for walks to the store, she baked yummy goodies (she is on her way to being a chef), she decorated gingerbread houses, she watched How To Train Your Dragon 2 with the kids (and even bought them a copy of the dvd) We even convinced her to stay an extra night so that we could interest her into moving here! 

Her visit was a lot of fun. On the ride back into Abbotsford, Abi, Emma and I played the Beanboozled Challenge. Have you ever heard of it? I admit to not feeing completely brave enough at first, but decided to participate for the fun of it! It's jelly beans that look alike, but have too different tastes. For instance, you could have Baby Wipes or Coconut! (I didn't mind the babywipes too much, haha) or Canned Dog Food or Mixed Berries. (canned dog food is disgusting!)  I managed to get the one and only jellybean flavored as Barf....luckily, knowing that was one of the options, I didn't pop the whole thing into my mouth but took small bites! I think I may have crashed the truck while gagging if I did it all at once; instead I tossed it out the window at the first smell and gag! 

It was disgusting....yet oddly entertaining and hilarious!

We're going to miss that girl!

3. A fixed van!

We had to bring in our van to have the back bumper and rear lights fixed, which meant that we had to get a rental van for the week. And, wow, it was a nice upgrade! This van had all of the bells and whistles that we didn't get on our van: the heated seats (so nice during our cold snap) and heated steering wheel, automatic doors that opened/closed, and the kids' favourite part, the dvd machine!  It was a bit sad giving back that van, to be honest! (smile) 

Since the van is in my husband's name, the rental was also in his name, which meant for proper insurance coverage, I wasn't able to drive it. *sigh* He got the nice heated seat van, and I got to drive the old truck! To be honest, I didn't mind it too much. But I am so thankful to have my van back with a working cd player!

4.  Surprise Starbucks

My Hunny went out to drive Emma around our little area, to show her the many options, and he came home with a Chai Tea Latte for me! So nice! I love my man!


5. Brave New Tricks

This week, Bryn and his class went into the Deep Deep End with their Instructor for swim lessons. He was a bit hesitant at first, but was feeling pretty excited and proud of himself later that night! It is the start of new adventures for him!

Eden and Rhys are getting the hang of their swim classes too, and are even able to carefully get their faces and ears wet! It's so cute to watch them during their lessons; they are having fun!

6.  Missing teeth...and that funny tooth fairy

Rhys lost his very first bottom tooth on his own! (he top two he lost after a few falls on the treehouse stairs! *sniff*)  It was very exciting stuff! He had been wiggling that tooth for a few days now, so I figured it would come out soon. It was just funny how he didn't tell me at first, and that he lost it at school but couldn't tell me how or where or when! Oh well, he was excited!

I asked him about the Tooth Fairy, but he insisted that since he had physically lost his tooth at school and no longer had it in his possession, he couldn't put anything under his pillow and the Tooth Fairy wouldn't come. He was so matter of fact about it too, so I shrugged. I don't want to push him to believe in things, but I did want him to experince the fun and joy of receiving a gift for passing a childhood milestone! The dental hygenist helped though, by giving him a plastic tooth container (that looked like a tooth). He could leave that and the Tooth Fairy would see it and know. So that's what we did.

Except, horrors, that funny Tooth Fairy didn't come!!! At least, that's what Rhys said first thing in the morning! I groaned but bought myself some time.... I suggested we look together, that maybe it fell off the bed. Thankfully it was still early morning, so the room was a bit dark and lights weren't on yet. We found a little bag of money tucked between the mattress and bed! Phew!

7.  Going Deeper

I decided a few weeks ago that I needed to do more with my Thankful Thursday list; I wanted to do more than just post quick points gleaned from my FB page. So I grabbed a book and I started to intentionally look each day for things to be thankful for.  Looking back over your week is such a blessing, and it really does put things into perspective, but going day-by-day is even more so.  I've had a bit of a rough week, but it has helped me when I sit down in the evening and think of what my day has been like.

I am thankful that I have so much to be thankful for!

8. Chilly Walks

With having an older teenager in the house, we felt a bit more relaxed about leaving earlier for a church meeting this past weekend, and so Hunny and I spent some time walking together through a few antique stores in Fort Langley. It was chilly, so I was bundled up in a scarf and mittens, but it was nice to just walk around and enjoy the quiet of each other's company!

9.  Productive Evening

I was feeling pretty crummy and annoyances were just starting to add up and my to-do-list was so long and I just wanted to curl up in bed and wait for the morning to arrive. Instead, I had to clean out the boys' room and move the new dresser into it, which wasn't a tough task, but it was one that creates more jobs. The cleaning of the room, the moving of items, the cleaning and reorganizing of the dressers and clothes and toys and such. But I got it done!  And I found that accomplishing that task made me feel pretty good. The room looks great, it fits in perfectly, the boys are happy, and the hallway looks so much more wide without furniture in it!

I am thankful for stubborness, for boys that were eager to help, for energy and for a completed job!

10.  Good music....and Abi who understands

Music is very important to me. I have many songs and cds that mean a lot to me, and I am not often without listening to something. (the only time I give in and don't have it playing is in the living room if the family is around. I will let them watch their tv shows, or play their games; it's all about respect and giving others a chance to do what they like too. But I will play music if it's just time for 'quiet' or if I'm working on something, or I need to motivate those kids to do chores!)

I am so thankful for my cd player in the van, and I am so thankful that my kids know me well.  We were listening to Gungor after I picked up Abi from Youth Group and had to stop at the grocery store for a few quick things, but my favourite song was still on. Abi knows not to open the vehicle door (which stops the music!)...instead she sat and sang along with me!  It made me smile and meant a lot to me!

So there's my condensed list. I have so much more that I am thankful for, but these are just a glimpse at my week. How about you? What are you thankful for?  If you make a list, I'd love to hear it!