A Life of Gratitude

Yesterday my mom, Allison, and I went to Mae's Vintage Kitchen for the first time. We love having "tea parties" at home. Allison even talks her big brothers into drinking pretend tea with her on a regular basis. We've visited the O'Henry in the past for their afternoon tea and its a lot of fun but, I must say, Mae's Vintage Kitchen was extra special. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Today I am grateful for such a lovely afternoon with my daughter and my mom. It was so truly so much fun to watch Allison with her little tea cup. She loved putting in the sugar and stirring it with a little spoon. We all enjoyed the yummy food too. Times likes these are so special to me. I am so thankful for the memories we're making. 

This evening, for the first time, Evan led our family devotions. This is a big deal because he has always hated to read. He rushes through reading his school books so he can get it over with and he never chooses to read to us. But tonight, he asked if he could read our devotion. He did so good. I was so proud of him! It was wonderful to hear his voice reading about God's willingness to always hear our prayers. He never leaves us and never ignores us.  Today I am grateful for Evan's desire to lead our family devotions. I enjoyed listening to him read out loud without rushing through it. I loved his excitement, confidence, and leadership. It's incredible to watch our kids grow and change and take on new roles. I never get tired of it!

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite days of the year. Seventeen years ago, on Valentine's Day, Bryan asked me to be his wife. So, this day has been extra special to us ever since. We usually go on a date to celebrate but this year we decided to spend the day and evening with our kids. (Don't worry, we're going to dinner and a movie tomorrow night!) We enjoyed a day full love and joy.  One of our favorite things to do as a family is to visit a local nursing home. We decided to go today and hand out valentines.  It was Allison's first time going without being strapped in a stroller.  She really enjoyed herself! Tyson has always loved visiting the elderly. They always love his blond hair and blue eyes! Evan always has such a gentle touch with the elderly. He is very concerned over them and makes sure they all get a valentine. Dylan has been handing out valentines in Nursing homes since he was 2 years old. We began passing out valentin

Tonight was so special! It was Bryan and Allison's first Daddy Daughter Dance! I've been excited about this for months! I don't think I'm the only one that's been excited! Bryan let Allison pick out her dress a few weeks ago and she has wanted to wear it every day since! For weeks I've been wishing I could be a fly on the wall for this event and then today, I was asked to come and help! I was thrilled! I pretended like I was just dropping Allison and her Daddy off but then I came inside and watched from a distance. It was so precious; definitely a night I will never forget.  How cute is this??!!?! See that adorable bracelet Allison is wearing?? It was a gift each little girl was given at the dance. The card that came with it says, "Tuck me away to be worn again while dancing with daddy on that special Wedding Day."  How precious is that??!! Allison said she had a wonderful date nigh

Lately all 4 of my children have been playing I Spy in the back seat of the van as we drive around town. It is absolutely adorable to hear my 2 year old say, "I pi wit my wittle eye..." I also love hearing my 5 year old say, "I see something with my little eyeball." It really cracks me up!  As I listened to them this morning, I couldn't help but think about how they each learned to play this game. I remember teaching Dylan to play the game when he was little but I honestly don't remember teaching the other 3 kids how to play. They must have taught each other! How precious is that? If they're teaching each other games like I Spy, what else are they teaching one another?  Recently, Allison started saying the blessing at dinner. We didn't teach her how to do that. She learned by hearing her brothers say the blessing. She has also started laying hands on anyone that is in pain and praying out loud for God to help them feel better. She learne