A Life of Gratitude

Our church has a furniture ministry that provides donated furniture to people in our community that are in need. A couple of Saturdays a month volunteers gather to pick up furniture and deliver furniture. Bryan has helped with this ministry several times but this morning he took Dylan along. Dylan has been so excited about serving. When he woke up this morning he told Bryan, "I slept good and I just did 10 jumping jacks so I'm really strong and ready for the furniture ministry!" He couldn't wait to get out the door today. Bryan said that Dylan was a tremendous helper. He has always had a kind, helpful heart. When he was just a toddler he began helping me do the laundry and emptying the dishwasher because I couldn't bend over due to my back injury. He also loves to help with the trash and the yard work so I wasn't surprised that he was eager to do all he could to serve today! Evan and I stayed home since a 20 month old can't lift much and neither can I...

Believe it or not, my 20 month old son pee-pee'd and poo-poo'd in the potty this morning! The best part is that he told me he had to go. At first I had no idea what he was saying. I finally figured it out when he went and sat on his little Elmo potty. He wanted a book to read while he sat. It took him a while and he made a bit of a mess but he did it! I had one amazing cheerleader too! Dylan was SOOOO proud of him. He could barely contain his excitement. The big event was followed by the entire family doing the potty dance! In case you've never heard or seen the potty dance, you must check out this video...   Today I am thankful that my little guy is interested in the potty and had success today! I couldn't believe it when he wanted to go potty!  He had a few "false alarms" throughout the day and one attempt that ended with me stepping in something very unpleasant but I'm going to stay focus on the success! I am also grateful that Dylan is so supp...

Dylan got to experience something really awesome for the first time today. Today was his first day of Science Camp! He has been super excited for weeks about going to camp. On the way there today he kept saying,"come on, come on, I'm so ready to get to camp!" I have to admit, I wasn't quite as excited as he was. This is the first time I've left my big boy anywhere alone other than church or with his grandparents. Thankfully, this camp is only a few hours a day for a week. I don't think I could handle taking him to an overnight camp or even leaving him at school, for that matter. Leaving him at camp definitely helps me to appreciate homeschooling even more! We recently joined a homeschool group called High Point Home Educators. This is an awesome network of homeschool families that provide all types of learning opportunities for homeschool students. They also have field day, talent shows, field trips, and sports for homeschool kids. The best part of this g...

This evening at church we enjoyed a BOLD Night of Worship (N.O.W.) We were lead by the youth praise band made up of members of the youth group and then by our BOLD praise band. I have to say, this was one of the best worship experiences I've had at our church in a while. It is so amazing to see people of all ages genuinely worshiping our Heavenly Father. I was also blown away by the talent God has blessed our church with. There are so many folks with the ability to sing and play multiple instruments. I am so glad they have chosen use these gifts to serve in our church. What a blessing it is to have so many talented servants leading us to the throne of God. I absolutely LOVE praising my Lord. I honestly think I could do it all day long. I guess I'll fit in well in heaven, huh?  Today I am thankful for the N.O.W. we experienced at church. I wouldn't be upset if we had a N.O.W. every Sunday night! I am also grateful for all the talented people in our church that bless ...

Have you heard the song, "Every good thing" by the Afters? Its one of those songs that gets easily stuck in my head. I love the chorus. It says, "You're the reason for every good thing, every heart beat, every day we get to breathe. You're the reason for anything that lasts, every every second chance, every laugh, life so sweet. You're the reason for every good thing, every good thing." So since I've been humming this song for weeks now, I've been more aware of the simple things of life that I usually take for granted. I mean how often do we truly appreciate the sound of a child's laughter or the smell of a hot cup of coffee? How about the beauty of wild flowers or the feeling of seeing a good friend? Today, I have been keeping a mental post-it note of little things that I have experienced throughout the day that I am grateful for. So, here it goes.... -Waking up to the sound of Dylan's sweet voice saying, "good morning...

During the 2008-2009 school year I taught first grade. I was able to "loop up" with my kids that year which meant that all the children in my Kindergarten class went with me to first grade. It was a really neat experience! That year I got to see first-hand how much a child forgets during summer break. Since I taught all of the children in Kindergarten, I knew exactly what they had been taught and what they should be able to do at the beginning of first grade. I was shocked by how much they lost during their time off.  Now that Dylan and I are taking a summer break from our homeschool studies, I really want to help him retain as much as I can so he'll be ready for first grade. He has been reading books and keeping a reading log and also has a writing journal to write in each day. Once he fills up a page in his reading log he gets to pick a privilege from the "privilege cup." He is very excited about picking a privilege so he has been doing a nice job re...

Today the boys and I got to go bowling with one of Dylan's best friends, Jack. We had a lot of fun with Jack and his sisters. This was Evan's first time really participating and he definitely enjoyed himself! He absolutely loves balls so anything that involves balls is right up his alley! Yes, I just made a corny pun! Haha. Dylan and Jack had a great time bowling together. Jack's sisters had tons of fun chasing after Evan. At first Evan was very calm, just taking it all in and playing the game but after a while, he was on the move. The girls did their best to run after him and keep him occupied between his turns. They had their work cut out for them! I think everyone had a really fun afternoon.  Aren't these the cutest bowling shoes?? Evan was being still in this photo....that didn't last long! YAY Evan! Jack and Dylan...best buddies! Give me that ball!  Bowling quickly turned into playing.... YAY Dylan!!! Today I am thankful for ...

When I was little I was a Daddy's girl! There was no doubt about it! As long as my Daddy was around, I was happy. My mom tells me that she used to pick out my clothes for the week and my Daddy would pretend he was the one that picked them out so that I wouldn't pitch a fit. My Daddy hung the moon in my opinion! I would do anything for my Daddy! When I was about 9 years old my parents got divorced after several really rough years. This was really hard on this Daddy's girl. Some other situations arose and I didn't get to see my Daddy for a few years. I think God knew that my little heart couldn't be without a Daddy so, in His wisdom, He provided an amazing step-father. My mom was so worried that I wouldn't accept another man in her life but I was just the opposite. In fact, I asked him to marry my mom! Just when I needed a father figure in my life, Larry came to the rescue. I know many people have a lot of issue with their step-parents, but not me. I don'...

While we were on vacation in Virginia Beach there just happened to be an air show going on. For several hours in the afternoon, a variety of airplanes performed crazy tricks. One afternoon we watched from the balcony of our condo and another day we watched the planes while hanging out on the beach. It was really awesome! The boys were absolutely amazed by the planes. Evan was especially blown away. He couldn't take his eyes off of them. Every time he saw one he would yell, "la-la-la-lane" in the most adorable little voice. He must have said, "la-la-la-lane" 500 times! Any time we've seen a plane since then, Evan has been so excited. He really loves planes!  This afternoon Bryan and I decided it might be fun to take the boys to the airport to see the airplanes up close. As soon as Evan saw the big planes he shouted with joy! "Daddy, la-la-la-lane!" He loved watching the planes take off. We saw a few commercial planes and one or two small, priva...

During our Wednesday evening church service I heard an incredible story. It is about a man in Kansas city that was injured in an explosion. He was badly disfigured and lost his eye eyesight and both of his hands in the accident. Before the explosion he had recently put his faith in Jesus Christ. He had begun reading the Bible and was very excited about his new faith. After the accident, one of his greatest disappointments was his inability to read God's Word. He couldn't read it with his eyes or his hands. During this time he heard of a woman in England that learned to read Braille with her lips. He immediately decided to do the same but much to his dismay, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips were too damaged to accurately feel the Braille. One day while trying to feel the Braille with his lips, his tongue quickly brushed by the raised characters and he could feel them! He decided to set his mind to reading the Bible with his tongue! He has currently read through...

My good friend Melissa invited the boys and I to "Baby Praise" this morning. "Baby Praise" is an organized time of worship for children. It was so much fun! The kids enjoyed singing, dancing, reading books, making crafts and praying. My boys aren't shy so of course they had to be front and center, right next to the teacher. I loved watching all the children singing praises to God. It is never to early to enjoy worshiping our Father!  Dancing, Singing and Praising God! Evan wasn't sure about the dancing! Front and Center... Dylan and Shane listened very well to the story. He is being such a good listener! Shane being rocked by Ms. Kathy. Melissa and Evan singing the "I love you" song! Me and my big boy singing the "I love you" song! Today I am thankful for "Baby Praise!" My boys and I really enjoyed all the activities. I absolutely love praising my Father which means I love engaging my chi...

Like most folks, there are some things from my past that I am not at all proud of. Even though I've asked for forgiveness tons of times, it wasn't until recently that I truly understood the magnitude of God's forgiveness. God sent a special friend in my life and allowed for some very specific events to occur that have taught me so much. I finally have freedom and there is nothing sweeter.  Until now I have always thought, "well, God may forgive me but I don't forgive myself." I know I'm not the only one who has thought that. I heard someone discuss this issue of forgiving yourself a few months ago and she bluntly said, "who do you think you are? If our all powerful God, the One you sinned against,  can forgive you then surely you can forgive yourself!" I have been holding onto past sins and allowing guilt and shame to invade my life when the One I sinned against sees me as redeemed. What good comes from that? I think its because I'v...

My little family has had the best vacation in Virginia Beach! If you've never vacationed here, I highly recommend it! To be honest, I can't believe we packed as much into this week as we did. We've enjoyed the beach, the pool, hiking up Mt. Trashmore, riding carnival rides, watching the air show, hunting for crabs, playing putt putt, visiting Cape Henry light house, going to the aquarium, cruising Owl Creek, celebrating our 9 year anniversary, visiting the Nauticus Naval Museum, shopping, riding a family bike (sort of), spending the afternoon in Williamsburg, and painting pottery. O yeah, and eating...I can't forget eating! It seems like we have eaten nonstop! We've been very busy but enjoyed moments of relaxation as well. Watching the sunrise, taking a few naps, walking on the beach, soaking up the sun, and reading a book by the pool have all been wonderfully relaxing. The Owl Creek Cruise Evan LOVED the aquarium! Putt- Putt Watching the air show....