Thankful Thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

- today's beautiful fall weather: a clear blue sky and cool temperatures.
- Liam's great progress report from speech therapy.
- Sydney's awesome, all A's report card.
- being able to meet Ryan in The Big City for lunch this afternoon.
- being able to drive around downtown in The Big City without getting lost.
- the times I'm able to go to the library or a book store and just browse.  (Yes, I'm boring.)
- our family's upcoming "Candy Day" when all the girls get together and make hundreds of pieces of chocolate candy.
- my knees that are still holding up after two weeks of walking/jogging on the Couch to 5K plan.
- our great families who attended Liam's little family birthday party and gave him such sweet gifts.
- the walk-in clinic at a local pharmacy that was able to see me Sunday morning before Liam's party.  (On a related note, I am not thankful for allergies/sinus issues.)
- decongestants that don't make my heart race or make me feel woozy.
- the neighbor who asked us to feed her cat over the weekend.  It sure was nice to hold and pet a purring kitty.  :)

Thankful Thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

- our photographer friend who took some fabulous pictures of our family.  If you get a Christmas card from us, you'll get to see one of them.
- satellite radio.  No commercials!
- antibiotic drops that are helping poor Evan get over yet another eye infection.
- our sweet neighbors who are all just genuinely nice people.
- finally getting some much needed rain.
- being able to reserve library books online.
- online shopping.
- the joy I get from watching the kids go through the holiday toy catalogs.  They'll only get a tiny fraction of what they're wishing for, but I love to watch them dream.
- beautiful fall flowers.
- sleep; after several nights of insomnia in a row, I am really thankful to get a full night's sleep.

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

I've made it a habit to dedicate Thursdays in November to thinking of the little things for which I am thankful.  Here's what I'm thankful for these days:

- cooler temperatures that make it actually feel like fall.
- chocolate swirl pumpkin cheesecake.  Yum!
- the sweet Mother's Day Out teachers that love my boys almost as much as I do.
- the way Liam says, "I love you all day long."  (the highest compliment ever from a nearly four year old boy)
- the way Evan kisses me on the cheek when I pretend to be sad.
- how excited Sydney gets when we're about to finish a reading a really big book together.
- my crock-pot.
- yummy crock-pot recipes.
- my sweet husband who says I'm an awesome cook.  (I'm not - he's just really sweet)
- our great neighborhood that makes trick-or-treating lots of fun.
- on a related note, neighbors who give out snack-sized Snickers bars for Halloween.
- the feeling of usefulness I got when I explained some basic tenets of Islam to the ladies in my Bible study group.
- the fact that I live in a country that allows me to voice my opinion through voting.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

* Awesome blogging buddies who let me know that I'm not alone in my parenting dilemmas.
* No mention of a transfer to Sao Paolo at the meeting Ryan attended in NYC this week.
* Yummy autumn recipes that contain pumpkin and/or cranberries.
* The little alarm in my van that tells me when I have a tire with low pressure (I just wish it would tell me which tire).
* My sweet sister and brother-in-law who helped me figure out how to check the pressure in my tires (since Ryan was in NYC).
* The patience to do the checking and fill the low tires in fifty degree temperatures with two unhappy boys trapped in their car seats. You wouldn't believe how excited I was when I started the van and the little alarm went off! I almost wanted to shout Liam's new phrase, "Do it self!!"
* The sweet little lady who played peek-a-boo with Evan while I had the van inspected.
* The new Train song, "Soul Sister." I don't know why, but it always puts me in a good mood.
* The great Toys 'r Us sale that let me pick up four board games for $12 and a cool Wii game for Sydney for 50% off. Score!
* The joy in Sydney's eyes as we read through her baby book together.
* Evan's little kisses.
* Liam's new found love of helping - "I helping you, Mommy!"

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

* trees with leaves that change color. Someday I'm going to take a vacation in the fall to a place that has a lot of these trees.
* caffeine, in the form of Coke. I'm not a big coffee fan.
* all of the sweet people who have wished Liam a happy birthday.
* bottles of bubbles. I love how something so simple can entertain a child for hours on end.
* two boys who will play together without fighting. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's like heaven on earth.
* my tireless washing machine and dryer.
* Liam's inhaler. I don't know what we'd do without it.
* the antique furniture that I've inherited through the years. I hope it survives long enough (see reference to boys a few lines above) for Sydney to inherit. (I'm pretty sure the boys won't care :) ).
* Evan's blossoming vocabulary. Just yesterday he said "go" and "Sydney." I've never seen Sydney smile so big before. He's now up to about 40 words.
* my sweet husband who secretly ordered a pair of black leather, knee high boots for me nine months ago when my cheap old pair of black boots wore out. They arrived yesterday evening (they'd been on back order that long since I have a very small foot) and they are absolutely fantastic. Pointed toes, two inch heels....I'm in heaven. I'll be wearing them around the house to break them in the next couple of weeks. Just imagine me folding laundry or vacuuming in them!

Thankful Thursday

Just like last year, I'm going to devote Thursdays in November to not-so-serious things for which I am thankful. Today's list may be short because I have a had a very trying week thus far (read: a sick 6 year old, a separation anxiety stricken 1 year old and an almost three year old who must have received a surge of testosterone because he thinks we're all his own personal punching bags).

I am thankful for:

* Wine. See above description of my week.
* People who RSVP for parties. "Yes" or "No", I really don't care, just let me know so that I can plan!
* Being able to get all dressed up for a fancy night out with Ryan. I love feeling like a grown up. Not a mom, just a grown up.
* Online shopping. Getting out and shopping with three kids? Not so much fun.
* Non-noisy toys.
* Sweet grocery store clerks who make my kids smile.
* Leftover Halloween candy that I can sneak during nap time.
* Our new temporal thermometer.

What silly thing are you thankful for?