Ten

To quote from my own Facebook status update earlier today,  "I can't believe that it was 10 years ago today that my name was changed to Mommy! Happy Birthday to our first-born, Jack, who daily brings SO much joy & laughter into our lives!"

So, in honor of his 10th Birthday, I have compiled a Top Ten List!

Top Ten Things I Love About Jack

Number 10--His boundless energy...Jack is always moving, jumping, throwing a football & catching it, diving onto the furniture or running around. I wish I had just a few ounces of that energy!

 Number 9--Jack's great sense of humor & his precious smile...he is always telling jokes or doing little things to make us laugh. His famous "monkey face" almost always does the trick when Drew is having a melt-down...a few looks at "monkey-face" and Drew usually dissolves into giggles! Although it is often difficult to capture on camera because he prefers to make funny faces, he truly has an awesome smile!

Number 8--His kind & generous heart...Jack is always thinking of little gifts that his friends or siblings would like. Then he often uses his own $$ or trips to the "treasure box" to get things for others!

Number 7--His strong sense of justice...I'm thankful that Jack notices when someone is being treated unfairly & he is not afraid to stand up for what is right & defend others.

(Here is Jack with his teacher & some classmates right before they sang Happy Birthday.)

Number 6--His attention to detail...I can always count on Jack to notice what's new...an outfit or earrings, a new home accessory, game, toy or if I have rearranged the furniture or moved a vase 2 inches to the left! (Although, somehow this attention does not translate to his own room where he somehow doesn't notice clothes strewn on the floor.)

Number 5--His sharp mind...we praise God for giving Jack a good mind & a genuine love for learning new things. Jack loves to read & figure out the way things work. 

Number 4--His helpful attitude...Jack is a great helper around the house, often picking up toys & messes that he did not make. (And sometimes even with a smile!)

Number 3--Just being around Jack is nice, his company is enjoyable. It is nice to have a conversation with him & hear what he has to say. 

Number 2--Jack is an awesome big brother! Granted, he has had lots of practice, but he has risen to the occasion each time a new brother or sister has been added! Jack dotes on Lucy, wrestles with Drew, reads to Darcy & plays games with Sophie. He looks out for his younger sisters & brother & that makes my heart smile!

And the Number 1 thing I love about Jack is....

His love for the Lord!! Jack truly enjoys reading the Bible & hiding its Word in his heart. He has an amazing ability to memorize Scripture & understand Bible stories & their meanings. We know that the Lord has great plans in store for Jack (Jeremiah 29:11) & we pray that he will continue to grow in his walk with Jesus, seeking Him daily & growing to more & more like Him each year. 

We have had a great time celebrating Jack this week! We started with our traditional grandparents/cousins party last Saturday night. 

Today, we followed that up with lunch & donuts today with Jack's class. 

And we still have one more celebration in store, this weekend Jack has invited a few friends for a sleep-over & minute-to-win-it style games! 

Ten. I still can't believe it, but it is certainly true, and definitely something to celebrate!! Jack is worth all the parties, doughnuts, fun, and much, much more! We love you, Jack! Thanks for being the first little one to call me Mommy, what a blessing you are to all of us! 

Buried

It was bound to happen, after 31 days+ of blogging so diligently & regularly, two weeks have gone by since my last post! During that time our yard has changed from a dazzling show of colors to bare trees & a ground that is covered with leaves.

And just like our yard has been buried in leaves, it seems I was buried in things other than blogging. I did not mean to take a break, but I guess without the pressure of a goal (like blogging every day for a month) I more often chose rest over blogging!

And life got a little crazy with sick kids & Drew's badly burned foot & school parties gearing up for the holidays...and I have lots of pictures to share with you at a later date!

Oh & lots more thankful posts, too...although I will be completely honest & tell you that we have not kept up with our Thankfulness list every single day, but we have talked each day about giving thanks & being thankful for all that we have!

Here are some pictures I took one afternoon about a week ago to show that I was thankful for the amazing view out of my kitchen window.

The leaves have been amazing this fall & their vibrant colors have often filled my heart with such awe & gratitude to God for conceiving this yearly display of splendor!

I am happy to report that in that 2 weeks time, good health has been restored to our household & Drew's 2nd degree burn on his foot has healed amazingly well, praise God!

So I just wanted to check-in to let you guys know that I'm still here, we are still plodding along & I promise that I will be back on the blogging track soon!

I will leave you with a couple of quick pictures of the adorable Pilgrim Hat cookies that I made to take to Sophie's class tomorrow for their Thanksgiving Learning centers!

They are super easy to make, fun & delicious, too! You can find the instructions here at Family Fun's great website.

A Weekend of Finding Thanks

This weekend has been a harder one in our household because the little ones have been sick. We are running very low on sleep, but we still have loads, loads to be thankful for.

Rejoice always, 

pray without ceasing, 

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Friday, 11/4
Thankful for...
Darcy: I love Lucy (Not the old TV show, but when I asked Darcy what she was thankful for she said, "I'm thankful because I love Lucy!")
Sophie: Water & Darcy
Jack: Sophie (I'm thankful for all of the sibling love we have going on & that despite the arguments & bickering they actually realize how blessed they are to have each other!)
Drew: Lulu (I had written down snuggles for him because he was sick & we enjoyed some nice snuggle time...but even while sick, when I asked what he was thankful for, he instantly responded, "Lulu!")
Lucy: A good nap in her crib (Poor girl gets carted here & there all over the place, and spends a lot of time sleeping in her carseat or gets pulled out of bed in a deep sleep to be put into her carseat. But on Friday she was able to enjoy a nice long nap in her crib that she woke up from when she was ready!)
Daddy: Customers (For without them, we would not have a business!)
Mommy: My awesome husband! (And I actually wrote that down on the list before he sat in a steamy bathroom with a croupy Drew late Friday night or took him riding in the car at 1:00 am with the windows down to let the cool air help his breathing...and then again at 7:30 am!)

Saturday, 11/5
Thankful for...
Jack: Darcy
Sophie: Lucy
Drew: Lulu (The trend continues!)
Darcy: Daddy & his workers (I thought this was really sweet because she came up with this all on her own out of the blue. But we do pray for Daddy & his employees every morning on the way to school.)
Lucy: I forgot to "ask" her, but she started running a fever on Saturday, so I think she was thankful for lots of snuggle time & lots of loving arms to hold her.
Daddy: A warm fire in the fireplace (It was our first wood fire of the season! It was so cozy & made the house smell so nice!)
Mommy: Wonderful friends & extended family <3 (I was able to enjoy a couple of hours with friends at a baby shower to celebrate a precious new addition! The "girl time" was a blessing to me & I was so encouraged, as I always am, to talk with so many godly & wise women that the Lord has put in my life! Then, Saturday evening we were able to celebrate our niece Molly's 11th birthday! I love our family tradition of having a simple family party with grandparents & cousins for each grandchild's birthday. The kids SO look forward to these parties throughout the year!)
Here are a few pics from the birthday celebration...

 Sophie has the best seat in the house!

 Getting ready to watch presents being opened!

 Jack & Molly, great buddies!

 The kids all take such delight in watching presents being opened

 Even Drew (who still was feeling puny) was interested in presents

Lucy was also feeling bad & running a fever 

 Drew was very attentive & caring 

 Happy Birthday Dear Molly!

Cake!!! 

 And this was the scene as we were getting ready to go home...

 I called it the technology couch...

Everyone playing on someone's phone! 

Sunday, 11/6

Thankful for...

Jack: A wide variety of foods to choose from to eat!

Sophie: God's love

Darcy: The Cross

Drew: Lulu (I didn't actually get a chance to ask him today...but I don't think his answer would have changed!)

Lucy: No fever

Daddy: Our tough as nails two-year-old (Here's why...sweet Drew continued to suffer from croup symptoms on Saturday night. Since Lucy was also feverish & had the "barky" cough, we decided to do a little camp-out in our room...Drew slept in our bed again with me. Lucy was in the cradle & Jeff was on an air mattress on the floor. We had two humidifiers going, one cool mist & one steam vaporizer. Drew is a very active sleeper & makes use of the entire bed, and he was even more restless being sick. He had worked himself perpendicular on the bed with his head close to the edge. I was right beside him, so I rearranged him & moved him closer to center. Apparently, Drew did not appreciate this adjustment & he flung himself towards the foot of the bed & then rolled away from me...and right into the floor...and right on top of the steam vaporizer. We got him within seconds, but didn't know his foot had landed right in the hot steam, so his sock was drenched in the hot water. I quickly realized what had happened & removed the sock, but he still sustained a rather large burn to the bottom & side of his foot. We tended to his burn, bandaged his foot & we all tried to sleep, but it was a long, restless night. {So much for the extra hour to sleep!}  This morning, we had to drain some blistering & we applied a fresh bandage. Amazingly, he can walk around on his tippy toe & he hasn't complained one bit although it must hurt terribly. Hence, Drew's tough-as-nails disposition!)

and Me: Today, I'm just thankful for all of our good health! Even with the sickness that has plagued our house this week & is still lingering, I think of families who are facing life-long or terminal illnesses in a parent or child. My heart goes out to them & I know that we are so blessed to be healthy. I think of those who don't have access to pain reliever or antibiotics or simple first aid supplies.  I pray that we do not take all that we have for granted. I pray for moms & dads who have to care for sick & hurting children. I pray that we will use our good health in some way to make the world a better place & bring glory to God! 

Giving Thanks

More from our daily gratitude journal...
We are thankful for...
11.2.11 (yesterday)
Jack...He found the notepad where I am keeping our list & wrote down the following at the Thankful for prompt...Jesus heals us (he was sick with a stomach bug the night before.)
Sophie...God & Jesus
Darcy...When I obey my mom & dad
Drew...Lulu
Lucy...AhhhAhhh (and then she looked at Jack, so we will say she is thankful for Jack!)
Daddy/Jeff: Fall
Mommy/Me: Fall (I had actually decided on that early in the day as I enjoyed the fall colors all around me when I was driving & then "fall" was the first thing Jeff said when I asked him that night what he was thankful for. Just shows the unity in our marriage, you know!)

11.3.11 (today)
Mommy/Me...Car doors that open & close with the push of a button! I love my van!
Sophie...Food
Drew...I'm thankful for Daddy...and Mommy. (He said it exactly like that in the sweetest little voice you've ever heard! But don't let the sweet voice fool you, the boy has plenty of mischief! He hit Darcy today in the knee with a metal baseball bat & threw a wood block at Jack's head, hard!. Needless to say, the afternoon was one episode of tears after another.)
Jack...Mommy
Darcy...God & vitamins & pomegranates (We were enjoying some fresh pomegranate seeds that I was preparing for her to take for a "fall tasting party" tomorrow at school.)
Daddy...Bed
Lucy...her thumb (She was sucking her thumb when I asked her what she was thankful for.)

Snapshots of thankfulness...
Drew, Sophie & Darcy having the best time playing with a little bubble machine...they played together so well for almost an hour...and then the baseball bat incident occurred. Literally, not more than 5 minutes after I secretly snapped these pictures.

Drew, yesterday, "working" in the yard. Wheelbarrow full of acorns for the deer!

And my sweet, sweet baby Lucy who is a joy & a delight & always makes me smile! I love this age!

A Thankful Heart

Because as the little song goes, "A thankful heart is a happy heart..." And while I strive to be grateful & model thankfulness every day (often selfishness creeps in & I fail) I hope to be a bit more intentional about it this month leading up to Thanksgiving. We are making a list each day of something that we are thankful for & I hope to blog them. We will add to our list each day, although I probably will not blog them every day. I'm still a little worn out from the past 31 days of blogging!
So here is our list for 11.1.11 (isn't that a cool day!) And they are in no particular order, by that I mean that I didn't ask my family to tell me the #1 thing they are thankful for today, I just asked them to list something...
*Daddy/Jeff is thankful for Melanie (me!)
*Mommy/Me is thankful for my family
*Jack is thankful for Daddy
*Sophie is thankful for Mom & Dad
*Darcy is thankful for food
*Drew is thankful for his red instrument (There is a cute story that goes with this. We have been missing the red piece to a little pop-up toy for quite some time & I found it today. Drew was really happy we found it. When we asked him tonight what he was thankful for he happened to be playing with that toy & he said enthusiastically, "MY RED INSTRUMENT!!!")
*Lucy is thankful for...Jack wrote that she is thankful for "uhhhh" which is the noise she made when he asked her. Sophie scribbled that out & wrote that Lucy is thankful for milk (because I am still nursing her.)
So there you have it!
I also snapped these photos today of a few other things I wanted to remind myself to always be thankful for...

 I'm thankful that ALL of my kids still love to play & build with blocks!

Jack built this really cool tower and cantilevered bridge this afternoon. 

 Drew wanted to "help" Jack so badly with his tower, but we convinced him to work on his own building project!

 I cleaned all this up this evening after the kids went to bed. I had pulled a lot of it out trying to sort through some bins, but then Drew started playing with everything. 

But I'm just thankful to have beautiful messes to clean up 

from lots of little hands playing all day!

Thank you God for blessing me!

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

for his steadfast love endures forever!

1 Chronicles 16:34