Allan and the kids and I arrived home late last night, after an all day trip from my folks’ house in California.  When Allan drove it alone last week, he made it home in just over 9 hours.  With the kids?  It took almost 12 hours. 

Yep, a 6 year old, a 3 year old, and a 15 month old… all sitting in the back seat of our Jetta.  And we made them sit there for TWELVE hours.

No DVD players, no CD players, no movies.  Just them, a few Happy Meal toys, their blankets, and one semi-video game for Samuel.  (Oh, and one happy meal each from McDonalds for lunch, a kids meal each from burger king for dinner, and some snacks and drinks along the way).

And they did awesome.  They totally ROCK as passengers on long car trips.  I think Martha fussed a total of 20 minutes the entire day, and it was mostly because it took that long for me to figure out that she was HUNGRY and wanted a snack already. 

We are so very blessed!  I love turning around and and seeing their happy faces in the back seat of the car.  I love how easy going and laid back they are, even 6 and 8 and 10 hours into a long trip.  I love that they are able to self-entertain for hours on end, and that they enjoy each others company.  I love how Martha, at only 15 months old, can sit in a car seat and cross her sweet little ankles, and do nothing but look pensive for over an hour, watching the road and the cars go by.  I even love the non-stop questions from Samuel, and the silly “announcements” from lil Allan.  (The boy likes to ANNOUNCE things repeatedly, to each and every person in the car - oh, and loudly!)  MOM, WE ARE GOING TO LAS VEGAS!  DAD, WE ARE GOING TO LAS VEGAS!  MARTHA, WE ARE GOING TO LAS VEGAS!  SAMUEL, WE ARE GOING TO LAS VEGAS….

Oh, and what do I love the most?  My handsome, happy husband who does ALL the driving and never (ok, rarely) gets ruffled by the kids and their noise (ANNOUNCEMENTS and questions, oh my!). 

So, today.. I’m thankful for long car trips with my family, and I am most thankful that yesterday’s trip is OVER and we arrived home safely!

What are YOU thankful for?  Write a post and the post the link on Laura’s blog at Heavenly Homemakers.

My sister Sarah was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and my kids and I are staying with my folks in California - going back and forth to Sarah’s house, hanging out, helping some, and being a part of the battle.

This week, I’m tired, but feeling thankful today for a variety of things that have come up since the breast cancer diagnosis.  Here’s a list of some of those things…

• I’m thankful that yesterday’s first chemo session is OVER. 
• I’m thankful the chemo session went well overall.
• I’m thankful that Sarah is not sick from the chemo yet.
• I’m thankful for my new haircut and Sarah’s new haircut.  The cuts are cute and kicky and great for the summer heat.
• I’m thankful for the gifts of food that arrive every day from members of Sarah’s congregation.
• I’m thankful for the gifts of money that arrive almost daily, along with cards and notes of encouragement, from family and friends all over the country.
• I’m thankful for the email and blog comments and notes of encouragement that friends and family are leaving on Sarah’s Health blog.
• I’m thankful for the Care Calendar that Lara and Staci set up - for their planning and hard work - so Sarah and Ron don’t have to think about meals or their basic daily needs right now.
• I’m thankful for the old friends and other folks I’ve been able to catch up with by phone, by email and in person, after word spread of the diagnosis.
• I’m thankful for our mother who is diligently caring for FIVE grandkids so I can spend time and take care of Sarah.
• I’m thankful for my husband who drove all the way back to Las Vegas yesterday to put in a few days worth of work, and who will be driving BACK to California to get us this next weekend (which means he’ll be driving BACK to Las Vegas with all of us AGAIN next week).
• I’m thankful for time spent with my sister… my dad… my mom… my brother… my sister-in-law… my brother-in-law… my nephews. 
• I’m thankful for the kind nurses and technicians AND the extremely cute surgeon - they have all been so gentle and caring to Sarah.
• I’m thankful for the generosity of the extremely cute surgeon and the generosity of the anesthesia doctor, who gave of their time and efforts to Sarah for FREE, when putting in her chemo port.
• (Did I mention the extremely cute surgeon? We are totally thankful for him!) <grin>
• I’m thankful for all the prayers for strength, because they are TOTALLY working!
• I’m thankful for Sarah’s increased strength and her 100% positive mental attitude.

Oh, there is SO much more… God is indeed working through this, and I’m thankful for his blessings.

What are YOU thankful for today?  Join in with Laura at Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday, and tell us all about it!

My oldest, Samuel, entered Kindergarten yesterday last month last August.  It was a tremendously, tremendously difficult time for this Mama.  He’s my first, so naturally I was anxious, but Samuel is also extra special in a few particular areas, and I was nervous how that was going to play out in a classroom where I wasn’t able to help reign him in or help him adapt. 

I found out two weeks before school started, literally as I stood in the office to register him for school, that he would be going to ALL DAY Kindergarten.  ALL DAY.  Over SIX hours a day, gone from us.  SIX HOURS, every day, where I was NOT in charge of what he did, what was done to him, and what he was learning.

(Ok, why am I not homeschooling??)

(Sorry… small breakdown averted there… back to Gratituesday.) 

After I had a mini (haha) meltdown in the school office, (lucky school secretaries!) I spent the next two weeks praying continuously for Samuel, for his teacher, for the students in his class…. and uh.. yeah.. for myself.

God is SO good, because he heard my prayers (well, He was probably WAY ahead of me), and he gave Samuel a really, really good teacher.  Miss Franklin has worked with him and with us from Day One, and I know she truly cares about him and the rest of his class.  She has spent a LOT of extra time talking with me after school about situations, about Samuel’s progress, about nothing at all.  She has been a friend to me and I can’t tell you how comforting it’s been through this first year of school.

Today, we are all going to watch Samuel’s class (along with about 80 other Kindergartners) perform their “we’re moving on up to 1st grade” program.  I only know it’s about “moving on up” because I’ve heard him practicing the songs they are going to sing.  Oh, it’s going to be PRICELESS, believe me.  I’m already crying, and we’re not even there yet.

Last week, Miss Franklin helped Samuel sing one of the songs for me after school.  She patiently guided him through the words and reminded him as he went.  She didn’t rush him, and was proud of him when he was done.  That was two minutes out of a school year, but it’s exactly the kind of teacher she has been all year long.

So, today… on the day before my son’s LAST day of Kindergarten… I’m thankful for Miss Franklin.  She helped us get through a really crucial year.  She helped Samuel grow and learn and mature.  She gave him confidence in himself and she made school fun.  I’m pretty sure Miss Franklin is Samuel’s fourth or fifth favorite person in the whole world. 

Thank you, Miss Franklin!

Are you thankful for something today?  Head on over to Laura’s blog at Heavenly Homemakers, and leave a comment or leave a link to your own Gratituesday post!

I know this is going to sound super cheesy, but today… today, I’m thankful for Gratituesday. 

I need this Gratituesday discipline in my life (AND I need a Gratiwednesday and Gratithursday and well, you know…).  There are some weeks, and this is one of them, where if I didn’t have my Gratituesday post to think about, I might just skip being grateful.  Sometimes it seems so much easier to just wallow in frustration, anger, depression, annoyance, sadness, and all the rest.  Satan wants me to think that anyway, and he’s REALLY good at throwing up roadblocks to gratitude.

I woke up angry this morning, and it’s taken several hours to shake it off.  I’ve felt a definite battle going on in my home, in my head, in my heart. 

I turned on a HAPPY movie for my son, and I sat down to read an encouraging book, in my attempt to straighten myself out.  And I did some praying too.  I sat still right after putting the kids down for naps, and let the battle play itself out.  My mind was at war for a short time - knowing the RIGHT thing to do (write a gratituesday post, put on a smile, thank God for all our blessings, and quit acting like life owed me something), but fighting that - wanting to just be selfish and WALLOW in it a little longer.

Obviously, I’m done wallowing, for now.  And I’m thankful that I have a place to share, a God to thank, a family to hold and love, and friends who care.

So, thanks Laura… for Gratituesday.  (Can we do a Gratiwednesday tomorrow if I need to?)

Whenever I sit to write a Gratituesday post, I immediately have plenty of ideas come to mind.  There is just a LOT to be thankful for around here.  My kids are adorable and sweet and loving (except when they are frustrating and fussing with each other), and my husband treats me like a queen.  But, it would get old fast if I wrote about them each week, wouldn’t it?

This week, I sat for a minute and pondered the events of the last few days.  The first thing I thought of was how much fun it was to spend time on the phone with my best friend yesterday.

She and I are separated by four states (give or take), but through modern technology, we can stay super connected in each others’ lives.  It has helped TREMENDOUSLY that she now has email and we send each other little notes every day, but we still need to touch bases on the phone.  Mostly it’s because we can cover about 100 times more ground in an hour than we can in 10 email all day. (We both talk fast and listen fast).  But there’s just something about getting instant feedback on your thoughts and being able to hear the nuances of a discussion, rather than getting the information in black and white text.  And thanks to my husband, I can stay on the phone getting that feedback and hearing those nuances for as long as my children and life will allow!

When Allan kidnapped transplanted me here to Las Vegas to marry him, there was no doubt in his mind that we would set up unlimited long distance on our phone plan.  He knew how important that plan was going to be, since I was leaving behind all my friends and family in Nebraska, and the rest of my family (my MOM!) was in yet another state.  Yeah, unlimited was the only way to go.  And it has honestly saved my sanity, at least a few times, in the last four years.

So, today I’m thankful for phones, for unlimited long distance plans, AND for my best friend who is always there on the other end of the line to listen and encourage and laugh (and sometimes cry) with!

What are YOU thankful for?  Head on over to Laura’s blog and tell her (and us) all about it!

It’s Gotcha Day, and Gratituesday!

You can read about it over at DigiScrapChat.

Ok, he’s been here since the 14th, and I’m just now getting around to mentioning him?  BAD Auntie Char!

My brother Ken and his wife Sarah welcomed a new baby boy to the family on the 4/14, AT 4:14 p.m.  His name is Brodrick Jonathan, and we all call him Brody.  Now, for a few pictures…

And the one that makes me cry every time I see it…

I’m so, so, so thankful for this baby boy Brody… for his two big sisters, Gracie and Clara, and for their daddy and mama - my little brother Ken and his wife Sarah. 

And today, I especially want to say a little prayer of thanks for Sarah.  She just went through a third pregnancy - one that they didn’t completely plan to experience - but she made it through like a trouper and helped bring a huge blessing to our entire family. 

Sarah is an awesome mom, and I aspire to be like her.  I know I never will BE like her, because God made us different, but I still try!  She is soft-spoken, gentle, caring, sweet, nurturing, calm, collected, loving, and so much more.  She is totally gonna rawk this “Mom of three” business - and I’m sure she’ll do it better than I do!  (In fact, she’s probably already handling it easily, while a year later I’m still in survival mode!)

Sarah is the perfect wife for my brother, and the perfect mom to his kids.  I’m so glad God brought her into our family and made us sisters.  And I can’t wait to get on a plane so I can hug her and the rest of the gang, and tell her in person how thankful I am for her and those three amazing kiddos she gets to raise up!

And yes, in case you haven’t guessed, I’m nominating Sarah for Laura’s “Honoring Mom’s” Mother’s Day event. 

And now I’m gonna go look at baby Brody’s pictures again and try not to miss them all so much!

P.S. I would have posted a picture of Sarah and Brody, but I’m pretty sure she would prefer that I NOT post pictures of her in hospital garb right after delivering a baby.  Call me silly…

 

 

The last couple of days have a little rough. With a pretty icky allergy attack on my part, followed up with a trip to the ER for lil Allan - I’m still feeling a little wiped out. (You can read all the details in my recent posts at DigiScrapChat.com, if you haven’t already).

I woke up this morning still achey and listening to lil Allan cry because he can’t have milk. It wasn’t the most pleasant of ways to wake up, but it was a huge improvement over yesterday’s events.

I’m so thankful that lil Allan is doing better, and I’m thankful that he is healthy enough to actually throw a fit because he can’t have milk today.

I’m thankful for a flexible work environment (i.e., I’m the boss and own my own business), so I can take a couple of days off - or at the very least I can work in little spurts in between holding and cuddling my kiddos.

I’m thankful that we have health insurance, a 911 response team that comes within 3 minutes of a phone call, a clean hospital to take our children to when they are sick, doctors and nurses to care for them and reassure us that they will be ok.

I’m thankful that lil Allan’s croupy cough is gone, or nearly gone. His fever is gone. He is fussy because of the milk issue, but he’s on the mend!

I’m not glad that lil Allan went through the croupy experience, but I’m thankful that IF one of my kids had to experience it, that it wasn’t Martha who is still so little and unable to tell us how she feels.

I’m thankful for the night of sleep that we ALL managed to have last night.

What are you thankful for today? Feel free to share in the comments here, or head on over to Laura’s blog at HeavenlyHomemakers.com and link us up to your blog post about Gratituesday!