Sunday Grains of Gratitude........

Another week crossed off the calendar - and what do I have to show for it ;) Hmmmmm- I don't think I crossed anything off my list, I'll have to do better this week :) It's been a bit of a stressful week, sending Brady back to school, having a ton of appointments and the hubs being out of town, but, we muddled through somehow :) It was nice to have a little shorter week with the MLK holiday :) And, we had fun celebrating Little K's birthday :)

This week I'm grateful.....

for friends who stand up for what they believe in, even when it's hard, even when it's not popular, even when there can be repercussions. I couldn't ask for better friends who love and support Brady - they are amazing and I am grateful for them each and every day for their acceptance, love and support of my sweet boy. He loves them too, and I know they have a special place in his heart, and always will.

that we could celebrate Little K's special day! It was fun having it on a holiday so the whole family was home. I'm grateful that our neighbors let us use their hot tub while they were away and that Little K got her wish for a "whole family" hot tub party :)

that we have such a great assistant principal at our school. I just can't say enough great things about her. She has been so supportive and gentle and kind, even when H got in trouble that one time, she was gentle and encouraging with him and definitely used it as a teaching moment. She is definitely a blessing and really a bright spot in our journey this year. It has definitely been a difficult year in some respects, and I am so grateful she's been there for Brady and I.

that so far Brady's latest round with croup hasn't turned into anything more serious. Little K's lasted for about 3 days, and we're on day 2 with Brady. He did sleep from 6:30 p.m. last night til 9:00 this morning, although restlessly, but hopefully that will help. He only woke up a few times "barking", so I'm hopeful it will be short lived. He is super congested though, and that doesn't bode well for the ol' sinus infection. I'm praying the antibiotics he's already on will keep anything from growing....

that Big K got the high school January Science student of the month award :) She's such an amazing student and she works so hard, it's always fun to see her get rewarded for her efforts. She has taken an amazingly difficult course load for the last two years and has done so well. She is naturally bright, but she works so hard to make up for what doesn't come as easily to her, and she often is studying past midnight. She is a very dedicated student and I'm proud of her working so hard to achieve her goals.

that Brady is doing so great at soccer games lately, with all the cheering and noise. I know it still bothers him, but he is coping with it better and the same thing with the dog barking. I can tell it still hurts his ears, but he is finding ways to deal with it. I'm hopeful that someday it won't bug him as much and he'll actually go and cheer himself, a lot, at his siblings games or other sporting events. He loves to watch football and basketball on tv, so I think once he is over his sensitivity to sound he will love to watch it up front and personal too. I know his Dad would love to have a football game buddy for the college games ;)

that I had a chance to complete my unit commissioner fast start and youth protection training online this week. I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed in my calling - but I am feeling much more of a testimony of scouting. I don't think I'll ever be as much of a die hard as some of those people at roundtable, but, I definitely see the benefits if the program is run right, by people who have a vision of scouting. In our ward, there just isn't that vision, and it is kind of sad :( I'm thinking that by the time Brady starts cub scouts, I'll probably get called in there a lot to do things, and maybe I can make a difference :) Wow - what a change for me, the apathetic scouting mom ;) The Lord can definitely help with a change of heart :)

that the meeting with Mrs. W. went fine. I so do not like conflict or confrontation. I was nervous to meet with her, and I'm grateful it went well - except for her freaking out about someone tattling on her for being mean. That was a little dicey. Honestly, I'm grateful I had the chance to see where she is coming from and to understand her better. I feel sorry for her, because for some reason she is just not capable of the deeper feelings, understanding or relationships that come from truly opening your heart up to someone. She doesn't have the vision, even though she thinks she does, with the "We are all alike, we are all different" motto in her classroom. Deep down, she doesn't want to be responsible for educating Brady and I don't think she believes in his abilities at all, she may not even think it's worthwhile to educate him academically, although she never came out and said anything like that, so who really knows. I feel sad for her that she will never know Brady's perfect and unconditional love that he has given her - because even though she has been unkind to him and hurt his feelings, he forgives her and still loves her. She doesn't understand that....at all. It was good to see her as she really is, and I feel sad for her, because she really is missing out on some great things.

What are YOU grateful for this week.....