Little Lady

This little lady has grown up so much!

I am extremely thankful for my first baby-lady.

She's so full of personality, so bright, and just plain fun!

There are days that are trying, but I am so thankful for who God designed this sweet girl to be. I have huge dreams for her and cannot wait to see how our Father chooses to use her life for His glory!

Snow

Yes, snow! In mid-November! 

It was beautiful and I am thankful for the beauty and excitement that snow brings. Little E's eyes just lot up when she was looking at it from the window yesterday morning.

However, I am also thankful that it is gone and the next few days are supposed to be a bit warmer. I am not a fan of the winter months...unless I can basically hibernate inside my cozy home (which is impossible with holidays and such)! So, the little wintery glimpse was nice, but I am thankful to still have a bit more time to enjoy Fall!

Quiet

Yes! It does exist! 

Hubs let me retreat into the bedroom with a cup of tea, book, and journal for a couple hours this evening while he entertained the kiddies. 

It was wonderful! So thankful for times of refreshment and a husband who so willingly offers those times to me!

3 "F's"

Friends.

Football.

Food.

Nothing says "Fall" to me like watching football and enjoying a pot of soup with friends. We did that last night and it was a blast! 

So thankful for the relaxing, fun evening we were blessed with.

Family night...

And compassionate hearts.

Last night was our family night. We spent the evening eating garbanzo bean stew, enjoying kettle corn, and watching Brave. None of us had seen it and Little E kept talking about it after seeing a Brave ornament in a Hallmark catalog. I checked it out from the library so we could watch it tonight.

We had a great evening just enjoying one another.

The one thing that stood out tonight was Little E's compassionate and tender heart. At the end of the movie--Spoiler Alert!!-- right before the mom changes back into a human, E began crying...no, bawling. It was when the princess was telling her mom how much she loved her and in tears. Little E cried for about 10 minutes and just wanted to cuddle. We talked with her a bit and it was obvious that she was simply moved with compassion during that scene. That happened the first time she watchedCinderella's  dress get ripped by the step-sisters, too.

Anyway...it was sweet. I am so thankful for her tenderness and ease of showing emotion. I told her that I hoped she would never lose that quality. It is special. Rare. Beautiful. 

Fall

We have had a glorious Fall season this year! Typically it seems to be Fall-like for a week or two and go straight into more Winter weather. This year, that has not be the case!

I am very thankful for the still sunny skies and warm temperatures (60's)! It makes life with children nicer when you can get outside to play and not worry about freezing on the way to the car to run errands. I know Winter is coming and will be here soon enough, but right now I am thankful for the extra dose of Fall we are enjoying right now!

Date night...

And great friends who made it possible! 

We went out for a couple hours last night. Nothing fancy-- just dinner and a little walk downtown--but it was wonderful! Two hours of uninterrupted conversation! The food (that I didn't have to cook!) was pretty great too! 

Thanks, Megan and Ethan for volunteering to hang out with our kiddies so we could go out!!!

Empty pages

Guys, I love my journal! 

I love spending time in the mornings journaling my heart and prayers to God. 

Something about writing it out helps me stay focused...and I get to go back and read it later which is always interesting (notice I didn't say fun. Sometimes its fun, but other times its just hard to reread things that were happening in my heart). 

So, today I am thankful for a book full of empty pages that I have the privilege to fill.

The Body

Yesterday our church celebrated 90 years of being a local body of Christ. 

While I obviously have not been around quite that long, I am so thankful for those who walked before me and prepared the way (by God's grace) to make Randolph Street Baptist Church what it is today! 

I'm extremely grateful for the body of believers that I, along with my family, are a part of. The unity, love, and acceptance that is found within our church family is like none other I have ever experienced. It is a rare gift of God's amazing grace. 

Grace and Faith

This list is not in any particular order...not in order of importance :)

With that said, I am very grateful for the gift of faith I have been given by Christ. Without His grace and opening my eyes, I would not believe in His work on the cross and story He is writing for His glory. 

Praising The Lord on this Sunday for His grace in bringing me in to be his daughter! 

Extra Sleep!

Today marks the end of Daylight Savings Time. 

Which means an extra hour in our night!

Which hopefully means more sleep...although with babies you just never know!

Here's to hoping for extra sleep and being thankful for the sleep I do get being a Momma of two littles!

30 days of Thanks!

Well, guys, it's November! 

Seriously?!? I just can't get over how fast time is going! 

It being the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to take a few seconds each day to be reminded of the blessings in my life and to thank the Giver of those blessings. There may not be a lengthy description each day...or there might be! Really my goal is just to practice the habit of thankfulness and hopefully it will live past this month and become more a part of my daily life.

So on this first day of November, I am thankful for my amazing husband! 

He is such a faithful leader, servant, and loving man! I am beyond blessed to have him as my partner in this journey of life. 

I bore you with my mushy words, but if you're interested you can read more here in the letter I wrote him on his 30th birthday a couple months ago.