Papa's visit

Today, I have to be thankful for my dad. Since he's been here, he has SO made up for lost time with my kids. He has spent SO much time with them doing what he wanted, what they wanted, being busy, and just being. He has been completely welcoming and patient with them and filled their love tank! It has been very nice to have someone help entertain them.
Speaking of, I am also grateful and very fascinated that each loving adult in my children's lives contribute their unique gifts to my kids. It goes along with "it takes a village" except what I am speaking of is not of necessity, it's a grand concession. I can't find the right words to express how bewildered I am, how wondrous I find it to be, or that I am in awe when I examine it but it's so cool! Jacob had contributed a great amount of humor, sarcasm, teasing, goofing off. I contribute much knowledge, wisdom, sincerity, love. This week, I watched my dad contribute something different that they don't get from us. It's harder to describe. It's kind of a silliness, not the same as what Jacob offers. It's a wittiness, it requires thought to understand. An example: "I had a dream I couldn't sleep and I woke up and it came true!" His jokes challenge the kids to think about it and "get it" and to watch them figure it out and laugh so hard because they figured it out, it's so amusing to watch them grow up that way. He has also contributed the kids' stuff like playing soccer with them and blowing bubbles and playing hotwheels. We do those things too but they had a need for a relationship building visit with their papa so that they would know, while he's not here, that he loves them and he did their stuff with them. So, they will know he cares about them and what they're interested in. He is "fun". Maybe to most people, this isn't that big of a deal but it's a HUGE deal to me because frankly, I'm not the fun type. My kids lack in fun when they spend most of their time with me. And I feel like I fall short for them so I am so grateful when other people provide fun for them.
Going back a few days, I need to mark the day that I was thankful with every turn of the day. We drove to Gulfport, MS on Sunday. OMG! First, we met my dad's family at Golden Corral. Ok, this was his grandmother's (my great grandmother's) sister, her husband, and her son; another sister and her husband, my great grandmother's brother, another brother and his wife, a cousin and her husband. How fortunate to have lots of loving, very extended family! While at the restaurant, we had lots of laughs, shared our blessings with each other and praised together. The most shocking blessing at the table was when my great grandmother's brother blew a spitwad through a straw at his sister down the table from him. I NEVER saw that coming! From there, we went to Aunt BB's and Uncle Sid's (My great grandmother's sister and her husband) and their daughter came over and her grandson, his wife, and their kids. We talked and talked and laughed and laughed. We forced ourselves to leave because it was around 4 and we still had to go to the beach. So, we hit Wal-Mart where Papa jumped out and bought me a fishing pole and bait and hooks and bobbers, and jumped back in the car. We got to the pier, picked a spot, and started setting up when Kayla had to pee. I ran her all the way up the pier to the port-o-potty just to find that the toilet was covered in pee already so she stood over it, squatted, and got half of it on her clothes anyways! I am grateful that she's so easygoing, it didn't put a dent in our trip at all! We made it back to our spot on the pier where Papa had gotten us all set up, and dropped our lines. This was L and K's first fishing trip! They were so excited! 15 minutes later brought "I'm never going fishing again! It's so hard to catch a fish! Can we go play on the beach now?" I'm grateful for the attempt and the pictures! (And for little boys' ability to pee off a pier!) We went down to the beach and played in the sand (too cold to play in the water). For some reason, all of us kept getting the urge to go to the bathroom, maybe it was because we were next to an ocean. We proceeded to the parking lot where we changed the kids into clean clothes and went onto the next destination: Papa's dad's grave. We couldn't find the grave, but we had good conversation for all of us. We went through a couple of drive-thrus and drove back. I am so thankful for the entire trip: the conversations with my dad, the conversations with the kids, with my extended family, the first fishing trip, the pictures and the beach. What a great day! Those are the days to live for, right?

Thinking Thankful

Today, I'm forcing myself to sit down and be thankful. That's part of this blog's purpose is to hold me accountable to think thankful when I'm not exactly feeling thankful.
So, today, going to think thankful for my washer and dryer since today is laundry-before-company-comes day, I am SO very thankful that located in my home is a wonderful washer and wonderful dryer. I can trust that after I put the dirty items and soap in, and press the buttons, my dirty stuff will be turned clean. I couldn't imagine if I had to fill a huge bucket with water and soap and scrub and scrub until clean, empty bucket, fill with water, rinse, hang to dry, you get it. So, thank you for modern technology!
I am thankful that it IS laundry-before-company-comes day. I am excited my dad is coming to visit for the first half of spring break and my mom and grandma are coming for the second half of spring break. I am excited to have my family here, people who love me unconditionally and understand me and are interested enough in what's going on with us to actually come visit us in this foreign land. Honestly, I'm even more thankful that my parents and grandma are SO close with my kids that my kids will probably be glowing during their visit. When they're around, L and K couldn't care less if we're around. The spotlight is on grandma, grandma, and papa. I am also thankful that they probably don't care if the house is clean so whatever I get done will just be nice to have done, not necessary, and will be good enough.
Have I mentioned how thankful I am for Logan's soccer? I am very grateful that he gets to have something that's all about him every week that the whole family does together. It's really challenging him and he's really stepping up.
I am thankful for all this stuff that Doc and Corrine (Jac's brother and his wife) have given us. It makes me feel humble but grateful. We were most recently given a computer desk so that the computer doesn't have to be at a kitchen table anymore and our stuff doesn't have to be cluttered on top. Instead, it's in drawers like it's supposed to be. Just before that, we were given a 5 disc CD changer and a stereo that would be powerful enough for the whole neighborhood to hear if we were interested. OH and an entertainment center that's beautiful. And a laptop before that. We're still trying to figure out what to do with it but once we do, I'm sure it'll be AWESOME. I hope that for all we've ever been given, someday, we will be able to give away more than we've received.
I have also been grateful for babies lately. It's finally a pleasurable experience again to visit with a baby. Up til recently, I didn't really have any desire to be around them. They are, once again, cute, precious, fun, magical. This is very exciting to me that I've healed AND that I can enjoy an enjoyable experience that I've long been missing out on.
I am thankful every month that I need to send a rent check to Ernie and Brandi (Jac's other brother and his wife). Since we are going through a foreclosure and we have two large protective dogs, I am not certain we'd be able to find a place to rent if we didn't have this one. They are supposed to be filing bankruptcy or selling or something to get rid of this house and we were just supposed to occupy it temporarily but we've been able to stay this long and I consider it a GINORMOUS blessing!

3 Biggies

Tonight, I have to be thankful for the computer! I got home from work at 1 AM, had been gone since 4. Tomorrow, I'll be at work from 9 AM to 10 PM, and I don't have to miss very much. I log on, read the updates, and it's almost as good as if I had sat on the phone all afternoon with my loved ones. I now know who has a praise and who has a prayer request. I was able to offer advice and encouragement and congratulations. I received encouragement, a compliment, and a laugh from my loved ones as well! Tomorrow, I'm not going to be able to talk on the phone at all but I know when I log on at night, I'll be able to continue to build on those relationships once again and in the mean time, it exercises my faith to give it up to God to watch over my loved ones and be their Comforter, and bless them, and protect them, and give them wisdom, discernment, patience, etc. while I am unavailable to be there when I wish I could.
I am also VERY grateful for my car's health. We haven't had car trouble in SO long, it may be a record. I am so very thankful that we can count on getting from point A to point B without any worry or concern for the car. We know that we'll be comfortable and safe and it won't take too long. And, it is my pleasure to share whenever possible with those who don't have one, I'm thankful for that ability.
I am thankful for those coworkers that make me laugh at work. Many coworkers don't really enhance the work environment but few do and those few are like a bright ray of sun bursting in between the gray clouds. I hope they know how much they improve the quality of my life during those hours and I hope that I do the same for them.

L and K

I am so thankful for my kids today. They are so loving and obedient and fun and funny. They're smart and communicate well. They are a lot more joy than work. And I am so thankful for that! They are so entertaining. We are like friends hanging out. We make each other laugh, tell each other about our day, help each other out, talk about stuff we've been thinking about and exchange ideas back and forth. I don't feel like they take me or what I do for them for granted. It seems that they know how it could be. It seems like one tends to see the glass half full more often if they've had an empty glass before, maybe a lot, or maybe just sometimes. When my kids forget where we've come from, I remind them. And I tell them how it could be. I think that a lot of their motivation to behave or "make good decisions" comes from my expressing to them how miserable one's life becomes when they make bad decisions. It may start with a spanking or no dessert but it leads to everyone in the house being upset and nobody having any fun. We've all experienced that when all of us are making good decisions, we all have a great time. And we do. I never thought it'd be like this.
Logan has a girlfriend- Kaylee. He loves her so much. She loves him. She makes him laugh and he thinks she's the cutest thing! He says he takes care of her at school and that she's really nice. It's so cool to see the look on his face when he talks about her. He's such a loving and caring person.
Kayla is going to start preschool in August. I have the expectation of her preschoolhood experience resembling a circus. She is going to need a LOT of sleep. She will absolutely exhaust herself physically, emotionally, and mentally just socializing. It's a good thing the academics should be a breeze, it will just be hard to get her to focus on them when the time comes.
Just the experience of knowing someone so well is so cool. They come out of you and at that point, you've known every second of their little life. I stayed with them every day. There wasn't much that I missed, I have known every little thing that makes them tick. Some people are medical experts, animal experts, law experts. I am a Logan and Kayla expert. But then, they start to go to school and I am missing 8 hours a day! Gradually, they will be changing and I won't know every second of it. And that's awesome too because they become their own. They're only preschoolers and already, they've had to take on a certain amount of responsibility for their lives that their mom may or may not ever find out about.
Logan loves Jesus. He loves Christian music. We don't go to church in Louisiana and he's asking me if I can take him because he loves Jesus. This is amazing to me because I am not the traditional Christian parent that I have seen. I haven't taken him to church but about 5 or 6 times this past year. We don't read the Bible all the time. I don't teach him scripture or have him memorize it. I have told him how Jesus shapes my life. I have taught him what Jesus taught about how to treat one another in love and why. We pray every night, the kid knows how to pray. And he loves Jesus. I couldn't ask for anything more.
I am thankful for K-love. They have been my church with the daily Bible verse and the worship and the conversation and the news and the Christian songs and the testimonies. My kids are hearing all that and my kids are learning through that. It has stimulated spiritual conversation numerous times that may have otherwise never come up.
Kayla is not as concerned about it. It will come for her in a different way. She's a different spirit. And I'm thankful that I get to experience two different kinds of lives in my kids.

Fifteen: 15 things I found to be thankful for just from today

First, today, I finally got to the store for the grocery list that had been building over the last few days and getting desperate. Then, I got to talk to a very close friend that I hadn't spoken to in FAR too long and she's doing very well. Then, Kayla took a much needed long nap during which I was able to accomplish some much needed gardening and alone time combination. I picked Logan up from school where he told me he had a GREAT day. Finished the laundry that had been piling up, straightened up the kitchen which had needed it for about 3 weeks, had a sit down dinner with my family even though Jacob was supposed to be at work. After he went back to work, the kids and I were still able to go outside and trim the bushes because the sun was still out and it was BEAUTIFUL weather (thank you daylight savings :-} ). While we were out, our wonderful neighbor got home from work and we had such a nice chat. I've been missing her, it was very nice to talk to her. We read the three new books that Logan got from the Scholastic book order today and they were so cool! And I tucked them in by 8:00.
THANK YOU for a wonderful day!

This foreign country.

One of the largest gifts I am thankful for is "Louisiana". The reason it's in quotes is because for me, it isn't just the name of the state I live in; it's the title of this period in my life. When I refer to Louisiana, the state, it is not a subject that belongs on the list of things I am thankful for. But I have to say the bugs, humidity, culture shock, cuisine, geography, and lack of family still doesn't stop me from being thankful that I am here, in "Louisiana".
"Louisiana"
-I get to watch my husband be a dad to my kids. Do you have this? Are you thankful for when he jokes with them or teaches them something new or loves on them after discipline or tucks them in at night?
-I get to take care of a yard/garden. I've never had that before. It's gratifying. It's relaxing and beautiful. Do you take the time to be around flowers? The smell, the colors, the life, it's so pure, such a getaway from the drama of life. It's a seed in dirt that's been watered and sunbathed. Yet, it's a perfect science and balance that works exactly right to come to bloom and be it's own among all the others that are so uniquely different.
-I get to work. I get to make others happy. I get to bring money home, money to buy things we want, go places and do things we've always wanted to. I get to miss my kids. My job makes me that much more thankful for my home and my family. Do you work? Do you like it? Are you thankful for it?
-I get to spend time with my husband. My favorite times are when we're in the huge kitchen taking forever to clean/make dinner because we're talking and goofing off. We're playing with each other, telling each other about friends and family back home and stories of what happened at work. It takes an especially long time because the kids are interrupting with their own things to say. We're all absorbing each other at once. It's fun and loving and idyllic.
-I am thankful that, once again, we're sharing a car. Some of our best times have been because of having to share the car. We get so much communication done in our car rides. Productive, loving, funny, or making up conversations that may have never found time to get talked out gets talked out because we share a car.
-Simplicity. "Louisiana" is simplicity. Not a lot of people anywhere, especially in our lives. Not a lot to do, nowhere to be, just the six of us. Besides work, school, and soccer, we just live, laugh, and love.