skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This week I am grateful.....
that I am back, safe and sound on American soil :) I don't think I have ever been soooo ready or so excited to come home from a trip, as I was this one.
that my family was so great to step up and care for one another while I was gone. My hubby has almost all the laundry done, the house was clean, the kids met me at the airport with a welcome home sign, Little K decorated to celebrate my return :) They were real troopers and really stepped up to help with me being gone last minute :)
for my friends that helped with my kids while I was gone - getting them to the things they needed to get to, and helping with swimming, soccer, etc....
for the strength of the Lord. This trip was definitely a lesson on relying on the Lord and seeing his hand in things. Lots of lessons learned, and hard things accomplished.
for all the blessings I enjoy, and sooo much gratitude for the many things I take for granted - food to eat, schooling for my kids, a democratic government, houses with central air and heating ;) and enough room for my family, a good job for my hubby (now that I don't take for granted, and I am grateful for it every single day!) and the opportunity I have to stay home and raise my kiddos. I am so very, very blessed and so very, very, VERY grateful. I am humbled by some of the experiences and things I learned over the last week, and I am grateful for them - even though they were hard ;)
for the hugs and kisses and love I received on my return. I missed my family sooooo much. I am not used to going places without them, and I am just so happy to be back at home with them.
that I DID get to have some interesting adventures and see some really cool things while I was in Australia :) It really is a super cool place - and I am grateful I DID not run into any of the world's most poisonous snakes or spiders - except at the wildlife park, where they were very nicely living behind glass :) The koalas, wombats, and platypusses were soooooo cute. How can a continent have so many cute and interesting animals and so many dangerous ones at the same time ;)
I am grateful that I had the chance to go and be with a friend and help with some interesting and hard experiences, and I know that when we look back in 6 months, we will see the Lord's hand, and his blessings, and hopefully have learned the things He wanted us to learn through the experiences we have had - now that will be a good grains to write!
What are YOU grateful for today????
Sunday again!!! Well - actually I missed blogging on Sunday, I guess that's what happens when you fly to the other side of the world ;) on a spontaneous last minute adventure :) So, I will be interested to see if my post shows Sunday or Monday when it posts :) I have so much to be grateful for this week - so I better get started!
This week I'm grateful......
that the planes I traveled on didn't crash :) I always worry about that, and even more I am terrified of flying over water, and there was plenty of that on my trip here :)
for good friends, and brave ones and the opportunity I have to accompany one of them on a grand adventure, so she didn't have to go alone :) I can only imagine how scary it would be to be here all alone - not that it's scary, just really different LOL
for my family - who are way more adventurous than I am, and who were so supportive and helpful to get this last minute trip off the ground :) Who are helpful and loving and supportive. Thanks guys - you are the best!
that Brady is feeling sooo much better from his surgery. His first few days at home he was still under the weather and suffering from some icky side effects and set-backs to potty training, but things seem to have worked themselves out and we are back on track - phewwwww. I thought I was just going to cry those first few days home when it looked like we were going to have to start all over. It has been a long two years of teaching and working hard to get where we are and I really really didn't want to have to start over.
that little miss K played well in the soccer tournament she was invited to guest play in. Her soccer team placement has been a bit of a frustration for me, so I am glad she had a chance to play up for a little bit and I am hopeful that they will see her potential and skills and let her move up, or even double roster or something. That whole situation has been kind of hard for both of us. So, I am glad she had the chance and worked really hard and tried her best :) She is a scrappy little player :)
that we had a fun 4th of July weekend and that Brady did so well with fireworks - he ended up really loving them and even holding his own sparklers! It was so fun to see him get over his anxiety about them and really really like them for the first time! I am so happy for him. It was great to have the whole family together for a bbq and Big and Tyler back from his family vacay with us for a few hours. I love it when my whole family is together!!!
for all my blessings. Being away and seeing different places alway ALWAYS make me grateful for all the things the Lord has blessed me with. The US is an amazing place and I am so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy there and the blessing it really is to live there!
What are YOU grateful for today????
Another week has zipped past and it is July already! Summer has been so crazy busy and it is just flying by, and I don't want it to! Well mostly I don't, my kids have fought more this summer than I can ever remember, and are constantly provoking each other, but other than that, I don't want summer to go by soooo fast! I have so much to be grateful for this week!
This week I'm grateful.....
that Brady's gall bladder surgery went so well. This little boy is just so amazing. I think of the things he has been through in his short little life, which I know are NOTHING compared to a lot of kids with special needs, but so much more than anything my other typical kids have had to endure. I think of the number of surgeries (9) and procedures, and specialists, and blood draws etc... that he has had, and the grace with which he takes everything that comes at him, and he inspires me. He charms doctors and nurses, he goes with flow, he calms himself, he holds his own mask to put himself to sleep for the anesthesiologist :) He works through his worries and anxieties and trusts me completely to keep him safe and be there for him. I know people might say, why would I want a child to go through all that, that people think his life isn't worth living, that they are "saving" their children with DS from a life of "pain and suffering" by terminating them - but I would argue that Brady doesn't think he is suffering, that he doesn't think his life is not worth living - that in fact he appreciates and lives his life more fully than the rest of 46 chromosomers, because he doesn't get caught up in all the unimportant things, and he enjoys the things he loves with an abandon and passion that we would never allow ourselves. He is an example to me every day, and I am grateful - even on the days when I am feeling sorry for myself, because I may never be the mom who can sit at the edge of the pool and visit with friends without keeping an eye out for a fleeing Brady, or be able to freely go out without finding someone to keep an eye on Brady, or make sure I have an extra change of clothes in the car for my 9 year old - just in case - that Heavenly Father let Brady be a part of our family. What kind of people would we be without him? How would we have ever learned to appreciate the small things? How would we have learned patience? How would we have ever learned to appreciate and celebrate a statement as simple as "thanks C for watching funny videos with me" when he walks out the door - to his 9th surgery, in as many years. How would we have ever learned to love someone so completely, to forgive so perfectly, to trust so completely, to believe so innocently - to be like Heavenly Father wants us to be? Without Brady's example? I'm not sure we would ever have learned those things. I am soooo grateful for my sweet boy.....
for my brother! It has been almost exactly a year since that horrible accident that almost took his life. A year of miracles, and lots of hard work and pain and endurance for him. I am grateful for the miracle that allowed him to live, for all the prayers and positive thoughts from real life friends, internet friends, and internet prayer warriors that I don't even know, that pleaded with the Lord for his life and recovery. I am grateful for his continued recovery and that I still get to have my big brother - I love him so!
for my hubby and kids. They are awesome. I am grateful for them stepping up to drive each other places and look after each other when I am away. For taking such great care of Brady when he is in their care (mostly - the boys could use some work - but man I will have them whipped into shape by the time they get married, or die trying ;) I am grateful to them for being patient with me when I am stressed or worried and not being very patient with THEM. They are wonderful kids and I am grateful for them each and every day!
for the service men and women who serve around the world every day to help not only the US be free, but other countries too. Who work and sacrifice for the freedoms that we enjoy, and to make the world a better place. I am grateful for the free country that I live in (even though I am not a US citizen :) and the freedoms and privileges that I enjoy every single day.
for my hubby's job. His company has been so up in the air for the last year, and I am grateful for his continued employment and the insurance benefits that we enjoy, as I know there are so many people out there who do not have the same benefits. I am so grateful....
for so many wonderful friends and family who love and support me, my kiddos, and Brady. Who pray for him and believe in him and love him - and ME - in spite of my many, many faults and shortcomings. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
What are YOU grateful for today?
