Thankful Thursday

** Oops, a day late. We had a busy Thursday!  

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week and remember our blessings.  It is so good to see all that has 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. Long Weekends

It was BC Day on Monday, which meant a long weekend. What's not to like? My Hunny took Friday off as well, giving us four days with him, which is always great!

2. BBQs

We spent our long weekend hosting a BBQ with some friends on Saturday; the kids splashed and played in the pool, and the adults sat around talking. It was nice getting to know a few of our friends better and for the kids to get together with friends again!

On Sunday, a friend of my Hunny's invited us over to their house for a BBQ. They have a large property out in Chilliwack where they breed rabbits and raise many other animals (chickens, ducks, pheasants)  It was such a great evening getting to know them and see their "petting zoo"! The boys had a lot of fun playing with their kids too!

3. New brakes

The brakes on the van suddenly started squealing over the weekend, which meant having to pull it off the road so that Hunny could fix them. I am so thankful that not only does he know how to do this,  but that he had time to, and that he also was teaching Bryn necessary skills as well!

Yay for new brakes and for safe driving and a Hunny that is incredibly helpful!

4. Adventure Park

The kids and I were at BCCH for a quick appointment, so I thought that maybe we could make a fun afternoon of it and go somewhere different and fun. Upon the advice of my sister in law, we ended up at the Terra Nova Adventure Park in Richmond. I'd seen pictures of this place before and was impressed. The kids were so excited! It's a nice park full of fun structures to climb on, plus two huge slides and a zip line! I'll blog about it soon!

5. Holter Monitors

Kai had to have a 24 hour Holter Monitor put on (which is why we were at BC Children's Hospital) since it had been several years since his last one. (he's only done it once, when he was about 2 years old. I'm pretty sure we stayed overnight at BCCH then as they started him on medication as well, and wanted to monitor him for possible reactions.) Everything was going great, until it stopped working at 5:30pm, for no apparent reason, just after the clinic closed. We had to travel back to the hospital the next morning, where they fitted a new one on him. I am so thankful that it wasn't too busy and they were able to fit us in immediately and get it done quickly, and without being upset or impatient with us! I'm also thankful that the kids were in good spirits and polite and the short-visit-but-long-trip wasn't too bad!

We returned the Holter Monitor this afternoon. Phew! Three days of driving back and forth to Vancouver is tiring! I am thankful for safety in driving and no traffic problems. I am also thankful that Kai didn't have any heart issues or symptoms to note of. We have his follow up appointment in two weeks, along with his annual ECHO and Ekg.

6. Skills 

I am so proud of Rhys for being able to climb up the three stories on the rope ladder to get to the top of the slide. He's not afraid of heights apparently, which is great since a few of us are in this family!  He's also getting better at climbing; I'm so pleased!  He's always been delayed with his gross motor skills, so learning to climb and on ropes is something that has taken some time to learn! How wonderful to see him go up several times, even at his own speed!
 

7.  lab work finally done!

Rhys had some blood tests done in February that the Genetics dept requested (remember when we let the kids skip school?) but they called us in June to say that one of the tests was done wrong! You've got to be kidding!  They mailed us more requisition forms (with better instructions) and so when we were at BCCH this week, I got the proper blood work done. I am so thankful that we could do it there, since he freaks out and screams and cries. They are so good at dealing with kids! (go figure! I am also thankful that it is finally finished. Hopefully it won't take too long to hear results and get us back in for an appointment.

8.  Painting Talent

Aunty Jenn  (my SIL) took an evening painting class and has been slowly teaching the cuzzies how to paint as well! First she had Abi over and then Rhys later in the week, and will get to the others at a later date (if they are interested) With the work they are coming home with, I'd say that she is a good teacher! And my kids are talented!

 

9. visits to my parents

The kids and I took a trip to Chilliwack to visit my parents since it felt like it had been a while! I love that, even though they aren't living near us (it's an hour drive on the freeway) they are still very much a part of our lives!


10. true forgiveness

"God bases his forgiveness on himself and his forgiving character, not on the quality of your confession" Edward Welch (Heart of the Matter)

So thankful for this wisdom and truth.

So that's my week in a nutshell. How about you? What are you thankful for?