Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful I managed to keep my cool upon hearing a ripping noise and turning to discover Parker had just torn the back cover of one of my books, and I'm thankful for his 3 minute time out so I could type this.  :OP

Thankful Thursday... in Pictures

It's been awhile since I've done a Thankful Thursday blog, so I thought it was about time!

I'm thankful for my sister and her hubby's generosity and for giving us a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory!


I'm thankful Parker partook of the squaw bread at the restaurant. He called it chocolate bread (and we didn't correct him).


I'm thankful for my silly husband


I'm thankful for Parker's grandparents always doing fun things with him that he doesn't get to do with us very often....

Like riding in a cool wagon.

And getting to eat Mickey Mouse pancakes in preparation for a day at Disneyland!

I'm thankful Parker enjoys playing pretend now....

Here he is pretending to be Grandpa with his new
Hawaiian shirt from Auntie Leann and Uncle Greg.

Giving himself a bubble goatee so he can be Dada

I'm thankful for "baseball" in the house!


I'm thankful for the day Parker kept asking for more raisins. Hey, it's fruit, right?


I'm thankful for Parker's art work...


And for him inspiring me to do my own...

(OK, so I was just using up the paint he didn't use and it took

me only a few minutes to do both of these, but it was still fun!)

I'm thankful Parker has been interested in spelling (especially if it's related to cars).

(Parker: "Mama! Come see! I spelled GMC!") =)

I'm thankful for hot days in the shade with a kiddie pool!


I'm thankful for play dates and silly boys!


I'm thankful Parker can make a car out of just about anything!


And lastly, I'm thankful my husband just sent me a text message saying he was taking a surprise vacation day tomorrow! Woo-hoo!

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"Let love be your guide." Ephesians 5:2

Alone At Last

Guess what this Mama got to do this week? A visit to the OB/GYN ...

Again?

AND a root canal.

Waaa!

But with the bad, also came some good. Jake's parents took Parker Monday morning and didn't return him until Wednesday afternoon! Thank goodness for grandparents! Yes, I went to my appointments (neither of which was fun), and I did my usuals - Bible study, light cleaning and cooking, grocery shopping (Costco and Ralphs) - BUT I also got so much alone time I almost didn't know what to do with myself. I had so many things I COULD do, but I decided to actually relax, veg and just "be."

Call me lazy if you wish. I call it smart. I stocked up and restored energy and patience for my time with the little man. I caught up on reading and responding to people's blogs, caught up on writing some blogs (including this one), spent way too much time on Facebook, enjoyed some nature, prayed, and spent some quality time with the hubs. We debated doing something fun like going for a walk on the beach and getting ice cream, but decided we'd save money, time and the environment by not driving anywhere. Instead we took an evening walk around the neighborhood. We also trespassed on some private property, which made us feel like naughty teenagers. Tsk Tsk!

Haha - look at the shadow of my nose on hubby's shirt! Wowzers!
I've read your nose and ears never stop growing. Scary.

Trespasser!

Ooh... I'm gonna tell!

So fine me, I joined him. It was my idea in the first place.

View from one side of the "gazebo"

From Jake's phone's camera

View of houses from the other side

Talking on the phone?

My mouth is moving... do I ever shut up?

Chalk outline! AHHHHHHHHH!

Can you see the termite rot?

I can hear the violins playing now for this lonely, sad, dying plant
(OK, weed, as my friend Jelly, also a biologist, pointed out).

More dying plants... AKA fire hazards.

It's been a dry summer!

I found this lovely shed snake skin, noticed all the snake holes
around my feet, and we hightailed it out of there!

Did end up indulging in ice cream after all. I had bought a large bunch
of bananas for 99 cents at Costco -we had to use them up!
And I had a root canal, cut me some slack!

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Some verses that hit home for me this week:

"Accept correction, and you will find life; reject correction, and you will miss the road." - Proverbs 10:17

"You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much - so be sensible and watch what you say." - Proverbs 10:19 (I really need to memorize this one and recite it to myself daily... no hourly!)

"You should be happy to give the poor what they need" - Deuteronomy 15:10

"Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away. But he replied, 'My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.' So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Thankful Thursday

Ah, I can feel it. Today is going to be a MUCH better day! I've been trying to exercise in the morning before the heat hits and it's always a rush to get everything in so I can finally eat and get on with the day and the rest of the chores. Today I decided to let my body rest. I ate breakfast at a reasonable hour, drank my tea, Bible study and prayer, and put on my calming girly music. Some Joni, some Mazzy, some Norah, some Fiona... yes! It's going to be a much better day, and for that, I'm thankful. I think that perhaps exercising in the morning just doesn't suit me. It messes up my whole aura for the day. I need to start with calm and food and time with Jesus and ease into everything at a slower pace. My soul needs its nourishment first, I guess!

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"I offer you my heart, Lord God, and I trust you." Psalm 25:1

"Show my your paths and teach me to follow; guide me by your truth and instruct me. You keep me safe, and I always trust you." Psalm 25:4-5

Thankful Thursday: I Love My Hubby

I know I've been neglecting my Thankful Thursday blogs! But today is a very special edition of Thankful Thursday, dedicated to my husband:

I'm thankful my hubby ate my meatloaf on Monday.

I'm thankful my hubby has been coming home happier this week, despite the meatloaf.

I'm thankful my hubby appreciated Tuesday's meal with Wednesday leftovers even more after Monday's meatloaf.

I'm thankful my hubby loves us so much!

I'm thankful that my hubby can still be silly with me.

I'm thankful for our date nights each week. Yes, we generally say no TV or computers on date night, but we made an exception last night because we had to use YouTube in order to learn the Three Amigos "My Little Buttercup" dance. Yes folks, you read that right, we spent the evening trying to learn a silly dance. And here's the evidence (that is, evidence that we may need to spend a few more date nights working on it to get it down):

And I'm really thankful that he will eventually forgive me for posting this on the internet.
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"Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them" - Colossians 3:19

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful we got to spend time with my family in lovely (cough)sulfur water(cough) Hanford, CA.

I'm thankful we got to witness Lily Bean's first steps!

I'm thankful we also got to witness the murder of her birthday cake... see it here!

I'm thankful my sisters worked things out. I'm the mediator 'cause I'm the middle sister. ;)

I'm thankful Parker did an awesome job with such a long drive - both ways!

I'm thankful God kept us safe on the road. Lots of crazy drivers out there (yes, I'm one of them).

And I'm very thankful for Tension Tamer tea. It actually works, thank goodness! This morning I was feeling it in my neck and back and I couldn't shake it off. It made for a very rough morning. I had to pray silently several times to help avoid huge blow-ups with Parker. I notice that Thursdays are often our most difficult days for some reason (so it's probably a good thing that Thursdays are my thankful reflection days, helps me get my head and heart back in the right place)... anyway, I saw this tea at the grocery store and thought it was worth a shot. Maybe it's psychosomatic, but I could feel the muscles in my neck relax after just a few minutes of drinking the tea. It worked better than taking an Ibuprofen! I couldn't even turn my neck to the left this morning without pain, and now, nearly four hours after drinking the tea, I can still move it freely. The tea tastes kinda funky, though. Next time it's getting blasted with honey!
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"I am the Lord your God. I am holding your hand, so don't be afraid. I am here to help you." Isaiah 41:13

Thankful Thursday: Part Two

I wanted to expand on my Thankful Thursday today since I'm feeling pretty down right now. Parker's diaper bag was stolen from the trunk of our car today. I'm guessing that the trunk button on my keys got pushed down while in my very full purse and it popped open while we were shopping. I wanted to write some thoughts out to help me forgive the person who took it, as well as try to turn it around in a positive light.

I'm thankful that even as our bag was being taken, I was at Children's Orchard (like a Goodwill for kids' stuff) buying a bigger diaper bag since our old one was being stretched to the limits. Ironic, no? I was going to use the old one as my new purse since my purse is also being stretched to the limits (obviously), but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

I'm thankful that Parker accidentally left his favorite toy truck in his Grandpa's car yesterday - otherwise it probably would have been in his bag and I wouldn't hear the end of it. As it is, he threw a fit about it being missing this morning and fortunately Grandma sent him these nice pictures showing how much fun Hummer was having at their place. They made him smile:

I'm thankful that we were in a rush to get out the door for P's dental appointment this morning or else we might have put more of Parker's favorite cars in the bag. He keeps track of them all so he'd know if they were missing.

I'm bummed that P's guitar bottom jammies from his auntie were in the bag, but thankful that we had the top safe at home at least.

I'm thankful that even though the new toilet seat thingamajigger we bought was in there, that it didn't work well anyway and now I have an excuse to buy a different one that hopefully works better.

I'm thankful that even though there were $80 worth of Target groceries in the trunk, they didn't touch any of those or anything else of value (like his strollers).

I'm bummed our camera was inside the bag, but thankful that I recently transferred a big bunch of pics over to my computer and there were only a few new pics on there that we'll never see again.

And I'm especially thankful that Parker is being very sweet and understanding about the whole thing. He had a little piano toy in there that he got with Gma and Gpa at Wendy's yesterday. Shortly after we got home he started looking for the bag and asking for the piano. I started crying a little as I was explaining to him what happened. He didn't cry or get upset but got a concerned look on his face and said a few times, "Somebody took the piano away. That's not nice!" And he keeps coming up to me to give me hugs and telling me he loves me because he's concerned that "mama's crying." What a sweetie!

OK, I'm feeling much better now and not quite as violated. The very human part of me hopes that person feels a little guilty when he or she sees Parker's cute face on that camera. But I'm also hopeful that the person who took the bag was in real need and finds use for the items inside (or at least gives them to someone who will).

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"Peter came up to the Lord and asked, 'How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?' Jesus answered: 'Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!'" Matthew 18:22

"Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins." Mark 11:25-26

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11.

Thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful I can see prayers coming true.

I'm so thankful for God's forgiveness. He knows I need it!

I'm so thankful for "date night" each week. Love ya, hunny bunny!

I'm so thankful for wild birds. Their singing brings me joy every day (well, maybe not at 6:00 am, but still).

I'm so thankful for the little bits of beauty I still find in the world each day. Sarah, I know they're hard to find in people sometimes, but they're there, I promise!

I'm so thankful for God's reminder to me not to worry.

I'm so thankful for my beautiful niece turning 1 and Parker and I getting to see her and family soon!

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"I thank you from my heart, and I will never stop singing your praises, my Lord and my God." Psalms 30:12

Thankful Thursday

This has been a tough day. Well, actually a tough week.

One of P's two-year molars finally started cutting through his gums. I think he actually feels better now, though.

He's had a yucky cold which has meant less sleep (for all of us) and lots of...

Boogers boogers everywhere,
Boogers boogers in our hair!

I'm trying hard to ward the cold off, but my throat has been sore and scratchy the last couple of days.

Dada's had to work late every night this week, and he's working Saturday. Poor guy.

I've mentioned this on Facebook, but I've been so puffy and bloated feeling from PMS that I've actually woken up in the middle of the night thinking about it, and mentally making up poems about it. Per my little sister's request, here are a couple of the silly poems I do remember from that night I woke up. They're haiku's for you.

Puffy hands and feet.
My face is full of pimples.
Stop torturing me!

Pickles and ho-ho's,

My appetite's a bit strange.
Say, here comes Aunt flo!

Today I started my period (at least there's some relief from the PMS) after just finishing two weeks ago (my last period lasted two weeks).

I burned my right hand and wrist with a cup of tea this morning.

But, with God's help we're getting by (literally... I've been praying a lot and reading the Bible a lot for strength, patience, and encouragement). It has really helped. I can say that I've definitely had more patience this week than most. And there have, thankfully, been some great things that have happened this week, too! Here are some things I'm thankful for this week:

I'm thankful that the tough things this week have all been little things. There are WAY worse things that could be happening to us.

I'm thankful for the new books my parents sent for Parker. He LOVES them. And one of them, in particular, has just been the perfect metaphor for this week. It is a book of cute poems titled, "Oops!" Here's a sample poem from "Oops!"

FEVER ACHIEVER
I've got a thermometer in my mouth
because Mom says I'm sick. It
is better to have it north than south
(where she wanted to stick it!).

I'm thankful to have discovered our monthly house payment even with taxes, mello roos and association fees will be less than our current rent.

I'm thankful our air conditioning is working.

I'm thankful Parker has been doing so well with potty learning, even while not feeling his best.

I'm thankful Parker and I have found lots of reasons to giggle and laugh this week.

I'm thankful for my parents' generous gift into P's college fund (for no special reason than just because).

and I'm also thankful for all the cute moments we've had that I remembered to journal...

One morning I was reading my Bible and drinking my tea and Parker became very interested, of course, and kept coming over to see what I was reading. When I was done drinking my tea, I asked him if he wanted to pray with me. He was very excited about it and closed his eyes and folded his hands, as though he'd done it a thousand times. It was so cute. After our prayer and saying "Amen," he got off my lap and walked away saying something about Jesus. A few minutes later, he was asking to pray with me again, so this time I asked him to say the prayer. It was short and sweet and ended with an "Amen!"

Another time we were folding laundry and P-man picked up one of my bras and put it around one of his shoulders. Here was the ensuing conversation:

P: "I'm wearing Mama's underwear!"
Me: *laugh* "That's my bra."
P: "This goes on Mama's boobies."
Me: "Um, Yes. Yes it does."

One day Parker was playing with his "cool" orange car and he would get up and run a short distance saying, "I'll be right back." Then he'd pretend he was getting a tool from Dada's toolbox and would run back to the car and pretend to "fix the battery." He then started talking to me:

P: "He's got hash pipes!"
Me: "What?!?"
P: "Hash pipes."
Me: "Oh, exhaust pipes?"
P: "YES! Hash pipes."

We were out driving today and Parker pointed to a stop sign.

P: "P-O-T-S spells stop!"
Me: *laugh* "S-T-O-P spells stop, silly! You read it backwards!"

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for P-man wanting to help me with everything, even if it mostly just slows me down or makes a bigger mess. ;)

Washing Dishes

I'm thankful for Parker's new bath markers and crayons. Getting him in the tub is easy as pie now! The crayons are kinda messy, but it's well worth cleaning the tub every day to have a less stressful bath time experience.

He always asks me to draw "Happy Parker" and "Sad Parker"

I'm thankful for our nice walk to the park and the visit to our old neighbor Carly at her new house.


I'm thankful that Parker is interested in the world around him. Even if that means on every walk/tricycle ride I have to tell him the make and model of every vehicle we pass. *laugh* I'm learning a lot about cars because of this kid.

I'm thankful we are getting closer to owning our own place, and it's going to be brand spanking new! Whoever created laws stating that new developments had to incorporate low-income housing... well, may God bless you! ;)

I'm thankful for Gma and Gpa Munns always helping me with Parker.

And I'm thankful that our place is a little cleaner again... for now.