Thankful Thursday

I am tired and having one of those days where I can’t wait to go to bed. And I am cold. So really the last thing I was thinking about doing was updating my blog. But then I remembered it was Thursday……Thankful Thursday. It was kind of a slap in the face because I was in a whiney, grumpy mood.


So here we go…..


I am thankful that I remembered to do a Thankful Thursday post so I can think about all the things I am thankful for instead of being whiney.


I am thankful that I get to coach Upward basketball and for the opportunity to be involved in the kids’ lives (please pray for a member of our team…..HE knows the details).


I am thankful that there is a team of people praying for the Upward program and all that is involved with it.


I am thankful that Alex has been “talking” a lot more recently.


I am thankful for my icemaker (yes, I said my icemaker…..I didn’t have one for about 3 years).


I am thankful that we have a warm house to sleep in tonight, especially with the cold temperature we are having (cold for us…..anyway).


I am thankful that Hayden asked me to watch the football game with him.


I am thankful that my husband is with a group of men right now studying the word of God.


I am thankful that I get to go to bed early tonight (that is if I can make myself :) ).


So…..what are you thankful for today?

Suckies

Suckies…..that’s what we call them.

I wish I knew how many our three kids have gone through. How many we left on a table at a restaurant or on the floor of a store somewhere. And how much money we spent on replacing the lost ones. I am sure it would be an interesting number!!



Hayden had his for quite awhile. Probably until he was almost three (but mostly just when he was sleeping). He had it in his mouth all the time. He never put anything else in his mouth….just his suckie. And he stayed quiet when he had it in too!!

Hayden - 16 months

Hayley had hers about the same amount of time that Hayden did (maybe a little longer). She could do tricks with it…..if you put it in her mouth upside down she would flip it over with her tongue. But it did not do a great job of keeping her quiet. She would talk (or scream and cry) with it in all the time.

Hayley - 19 months

Alex didn’t seem to need his as much for sleeping (like the other two did) but wanted it more during the day. He would chew on them. Which resulted in him chewing holes in most of the ones I had……thinking that it was going to be hard to get rid of the suckie, I went ahead and bought more. He chewed holes in a few of those as well (I think that the quality of pacifiers as gone down….I’m just sayin). Anyway, one day I gave Alex a suckie. It had a hole in it and that made him mad. He threw it across the room (literally). I tried to give it back to him (after telling him we don’t throw things, of course) but he shook his head at me and all but growled. So, I told him that he broke it and I didn’t have another one. Then I put him to bed without it!

Alex - 2 & 1/2

Well, I would like to announce that we are officially a “suckie” free house (that’s not completely true because there are still suckies in our house but no one is using them). That’s right….Alex is finished with his suckie!!

Some days I do wish that I could give it back to him to make him be quiet (have I mentioned that he screams a lot….when he is happy and mad and sad and etc.). The other day I found one and showed it to him to see what he would do (it has been almost 2 months since he has had one). He took it and put it in his mouth……then didn’t want to give it back to me. I was thinking……why did I just do that?!?! But we finally got it back and he forgot about it!

No more suckies!! That is a big step! That means my babies are growing up! Just another reminder to enjoy each moment now because they do grow up so fast!!!

Christmas Card Picutres

Each year, usually near the beginning of December but sometimes later depending on how busy we are, we take pictures of the kids for our Christmas cards. This is always a fun event.....well not really but we can pretend....can't we?!?! I always try to stay calm but about 3 pictures in I am about to yell at a kid. Cory on the other hand is usually always calm (which is annoying that he can do that by the way ;) ). He always gently reminds me not to get to wound up about a silly picture......but it is not just a silly picture.....it is a picture that we will send out to friends and family. I hate to admit it but I always get frustrated because we can't get the perfect shot....or even a decent shot. And in reality.....it is just a silly picture because in the big picture it doesn't matter. Sure, I still want a capture a great shot of all three kids but I do need to relax a little more (or maybe a lot more). Maybe I will do better next year!! :)

So, with all that being said......I want to share some of the shots that we opted not to use this year!


These first few are Hayley being Hayley. I really have no idea what she was doing or why but this is what we got......








Then we tried to get one of the three of them together.......I finally gave up!








Hayden really was trying so hard. He just wasn't producing a "real" smile for me......




Alex's turn......He was in a very bad mood the evening that we took these pictures!! He did not want to do anything that I wanted him to do, which resulted in lots of crying on his part. His crying did not help my stress level but we won't talk about that anymore!





Hey....a candy cane might help.....


Or maybe not.....






Check out the lovely drool on his chin.......


I am going to assume that most of you who try to take your own pictures for something like this end up with similar results (if that is not the case I really don't want to know about it :) ).


I will say that in the end (after I spent time reviewing the pictures, ordered them and then actually saw it in person), this might be my favorite Christmas card we have ever had!! Cory laughed at me because of the amount of stress I put on myself and grumpiness that followed that stress.......to like the card so much. He is right (yes I said it).......I will strive to do much better (not only next year when we take our pictures but all the time). Lord please help me to tackle this issue!!

So......if you haven't seen it yet.....this is our 2009 Christmas Card!

Thankful Thursday

Even though I just did my last week’s Thankful Thursday, I thought I should do another…..since it is Thursday and all!!



Today, I am thankful for getting to go shopping with my mom!



I am thankful for Dr. Pepper (even though I shouldn’t drink as much in one day as I did today).



I am thankful for getting to coach Upward basketball (with my sister).



I am thankful that we have plenty of clothes to wear (I have to remind myself of this as I look at heaping mounds of dirty laundry).



I am thankful for my friends.



I am thankful for calendars and legal pads (it seems as though I am living by them these days).



I am thankful for Christmas lights and the memories they bring (rocking babies in the middle of the night).



I am thankful for my husband who usually knows what to say or do when I need a boost!!



If you haven’t noticed……the things I am thankful for are random and really the things that are coming to mind right now. I like reminding myself to be thankful more often. It sure does help me have a better outlook on my week!




Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Hayley is 5

Tuesday was Hayley’s 5^th Birthday. We did not have a big party because we already celebrated her birthday in November. We had one party for her and Hayden! Really, she thought she was already five because we had her party.

I think she had a good day. She got balloons from both Granny and Nana. She requested Christmas cookies for her school snack (as opposed to me bringing cupcakes). Then she chose Pizza Hut for her birthday dinner. It was really a fun day!! All the kids were great while we ate (they all like pizza).

At bedtime she was acting like she didn’t feel good but I assumed it was the obnoxious number of cookies and other junk that I let her have (it was her birthday!!). But it turns out she had some sort of stomach bug. She felt bad all day yesterday but seems to be back to normal tonight. I hate that she ended her birthday not feeling well but she handled it well.

We did discover that Hayley cut her hair!!! Honestly, I am not sure when she did it but I think it was at least a week ago…..how does a mom not know that her kid cut their hair?!?!?! Apparently, Hayley is pretty sneaky. I already knew she was sneaky but she proved it a little more with this one. But even with her sneakiness, she usually tells me the truth (eventually). Thankfully, she only cut the bangs and it is not too short……I still need to even it out but it is not horrible. We did have a big talk about NOT cutting your hair (or anything else that you haven’t asked permission to cut).

I can only imagine what the future will bring with Hayley. I expect lots of laughs with a little bit of frustration mixed in. She makes it interesting around here!! I can’t believe she is already five!!!

We Love You Hayley!!!

Thankful Thursday.....a little late!!

So I missed Thankful Thursday by a few days......I'm trying!!! :)


I am thankful that last week is over!! I hate to say it like that because there was a lot of good stuff that happened last week.....a LOT being the key word here. We were super busy and I am thankful that next week, while it will still be busy, won't be quite as bad.


I am thankful that Hayden loves reading (now we just need to encourage a love for math too).


I am thankful for Hayley's silliness (I just have to remember that I am thankful for it when she is being silly at an inconvenient time).


I am thankful that Alex can tell me "nuh-uh" for "no" (again I have to remember I am thankful for that when he is being difficult).


I am thankful that Cory not be traveling until some time in January!!


I am thankful for the reminder I got in Sunday school this morning about the true meaning of Christmas and what we should put our focus on.....and not just now but all year!!


I am thankful that I have all the things that I take for granted but I pray that I would appreciate them more and that I would have more of a heart for those who don't have the things they need!


I am thankful for so much more......


What are you thankful for?