A Sweet Thanksgiving-2012

When I was a little girl, I can remember my Grandpa singing the chorus to this old hymn.
And as we celebrated Thanksgiving here at our home yesterday, that ole familiar chorus was running through my mind over and over and over again!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your MANY blessings,

name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh y'all...

My heart is just so incredibly thankful this year and my blessings seem to be too numerous to even count.

Of course, having Addy-Kate HOME with us this year has made our Thanksgiving just THAT much sweeter.

Last year, we were only able to look at her little face placed in this frame at our Thanksgiving table.

 This year, we were able to actually kiss those sweet cheeks (which I had stared at for soooo long) 

AND

hug that precious little body!

Oh...God is sooooo GOOD!!!

They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Psalm 145:7

 

Thanksgiving Eve

As I sit here and type this post, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is playing in the background. The kids have gathered every blanket and pillow in the house and made one gigantic bed in the  middle of the floor. They are all snuggled up together-contently watching their show. And as I sit here with them, listening to them giggle and chat about the movie, I am blown away by these five little blessings. The Lord has given me so much!!!  I am humbled. I am honored. But mostly, I am THANKFUL!! Last year, our Thanksgiving was definitely bittersweet. We had just begun the paper chase for Addy-Kate's adoption and I remember feeling overwhelmed. I couldn't wait to get my hands on my baby girl, but I also thought it would NEVER happen. 

Now, here we are, a whole year later, getting ready to celebrate our little ones FIRST Thanksgiving. Oh how my heart is bursting with  JOY! People ask me all the time how Miss AK is doing. I can honestly say that "She is GREAT!!!"  She is the happiest, sweetest, most content little girl EVER! She has had no problem finding her place in our family and has quickly learned how to  make her presence known. 

She is simply precious and I still can't believe she is ALL MINE!

 Today was spent getting the house prepped and ready to host Thanksgiving dinner. All our family and friends will be coming over later tomorrow afternoon and we can't wait to enjoy our Thanksgiving feast with them. Today, the kids and I had fun getting busy in the kitchen. We did a little baking, a little crafting, and a little cleaning. 

 

I am SO THANKFUL that my big boys were off from school today too and were able to join us for all the fun! I know the day is fast approaching  where Mommy's crafts and baking ideas won't be something my boys get excited about anymore! I'm just glad that today, they still did.

 They were super happy and excited about all we did, and that makes my heart smile!

Praying your family has the MOST wonderful and BLESSED Thanksgiving. 

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Marathon Weekend

I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward writing a post all about me:/  I am really proud of my accomplishment, BUT I don't ever want it to come across like I'm bragging or something. If anything, I want people to know that if I can run a marathon...ANYONE can! I also want my kids to know that when you put your mind to something---you do it. It may be tough, it may be hard, but perseverance is so important. I hope and pray my kids get that. I'm not super fit or an athlete by nature. I haven't always loved to run and competition usually makes me uncomfortable. If someone would have told me a few years ago that I would run marathons, I would have thought they were completely crazy. I could never have imagined running 26.2 miles! But you know what, the more I run, the stronger I become, and the stronger I become, the longer I can go! Training is the key and I have been beyond blessed to train with three incredible ladies. With out their support and encouragement, I would never have completed this race.

Saturday morning I ran in The Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon. 

It was a BEAUTIFUL day and the weather was PERFECT for running!

At 7:35am I was on the starting line and by 7:45am I was off.

 Shane and the boys (the little ones stayed at my mom's) brought their bikes to the race, so it was quick and easy for them to get to different spots on the course. I got to see my little fan club at several mile markers and I can't tell you how good it felt to see their sweet faces during the race. To hear them yelling my name, and slap me high five as I ran by was the encouragement I needed to keep going.

I also met some really interesting runners along the way and enjoyed chatting with them as we ran side by side for bit.

Surprisingly, the hours/miles went by quickly, and before I knew it I had hit mile marker 20.

Miles 21-25 seemed to drag!

My legs were tired and I was ready to be DONE.

As soon as I hit mile 25 and 26 though the adrenaline kicked in.

Lots of people, including my sweet family, lined the streets and were cheering us on.

Crossing that finish line and realizing it was all over was indeed PURE BLISS!!!

There's nothing like it!

My first marathon took me 4 hours and 42 minutes to finish.

My second was a little faster at 4 hours and 32 minutes.

But this one I was able to set a new PR and finish in 4 hours and 15 minutes!!!

I'll take it!!



Don't let it slip on by

There's a new Christian song that's been playing on the radio here lately and I am absolutely in LOVE with it!

It's called "Don't Let It Slip On By" by the band Finding Favour. 
Have you heard it???
It's a song all about cherishing the moments we have, living life with out regrets, and not letting the blessings of life pass you by. 
It's a song that's been running through my head almost everyday since I first heard it. 
And it's the song that was on my mind on Monday, as the kids and I spent time cooking breakfast and then later at the park. 

 It's a song that reminds me to slow down, look around at all that I have been entrusted with, and make EACH and every moment REALLY count!
Count for my kids, count for my husband, but most importantly count for the Lord. 

 
Early morning by the riverside,
Saw an old man waiting for a bite.

We started talking and he took me back in time.

He said "I was young, and thought I'd always be,
Then I woke up, now I'm 83.

There's so much I missed, oh how I wish
I could get back all that time I wasted."
 
 I see the tears of a young bride, the morning that we had our first fight.
I should've held her tight.
And on the day that my momma died, I hung up the phone and never said goodbye.

Don't let it slip on, don't let it slip on, don't let it slip on by.
 
  Well he looked up, tears in his eyes,
Said "I'm not sure, if you were lookin' for advice.
There's just something about you that reminds me of me.
 
  It ain't easy always lookin' back but it seems these days that it's all I have.
What hurts me the most, is knowin' what could have been, and if I listen real close,
sometimes I can...
 

Hear the sound of my little boy sayin', "Daddy can you come play with me"
But I was too busy.
Then one day, my baby grew up and went to war.
I never thought he’d be gone in the blink of an eye.
So don't let it slip on, don't let it slip on, don't let it slip on by.
 
  I shook the old man's hand and I thanked him.
And I drove home as fast as I could go, just to let her know
That I need her, that I love her,
 
  That I'm never gonna let another moment like this slip on by.
Don’t let it slip on by.
We’re only here for a little while
And God gives us only so much precious time
So don't let it slip on, don't let it slip on, don't let it slip on by.
Don’t let it slip on by.

Here's the you tube video if you want to hear the song!

Our Thankful Tree

As the Thanksgiving season approaches, my deepest desire for my family is that we are filled with hearts of gratitude.  While I do love turkey and mashed potatoes, there’s so much more to Thanksgiving than that. 

It's easy to forget as we get into the hustle and bustle of the holidays and

I want more than anything for my kids to realize just how blessed they/we really are.

More importantly, I want them to remember WHO those blessings are from.

One simple way we are attempting to do just that is with our "Thankful Tree". We made one last year too, but I think I waited to the week of Thanksgiving to get it done. This year, I tried to start a little earlier.

I had three adorable little helpers assisting me in our project.

From the gathering of the sticks, to the painting of the leaves, the "sweet three" helped me do it all;)

 After their masterpiece was dry, 

I cut out all our leaves, but they helped me by punching holes in each one.

Every night, after dinner is over, the kids grab a leaf and write down one thing they are thankful for that day and hang it on the tree.

Our tree is quickly filling up with reasons to be thankful...

 and so are our hearts;)

“To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us — and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence a gift of grace.”

~Thomas Merton~ 

Thankful

Despite this week of sickness...

today I am choosing to be THANKFUL!

Thankful for the sunshine.

Thankful for breeze.

Thankful for ANTIBIOTICS!

Thankful for a comfy home.

Thankful for a warm bed.

Thankful for down comforters.

Thankful for PBS kids;)

Thankful for my sweet kiddo's

Thankful that they love each other...most of the time.

Thankful for ADOPTION!!!!!!!!

Thankful for my hard-working husband.

Thankful for his job.

Thankful that I get to stay home.

Thankful for laughter.

Thankful for full bellies.

Thankful for coffee (and hazel nut creamer).

Thankful for my running partners.

Thankful for my church.

Thankful for my boys teachers.

Thankful for dark chocolate.

Thankful for wonderful friends.
Thankful for sweet neighbors.

 Thankful for extended family.

Thankful for my Jesus!

Thankful for the Cross!

Under the weather

This last week has been quite the BUMMER around here! We've been battling our fair share of germs, and BOY... at this point I'm not really sure who is winning. I know it's just that time of year and there is lots of yucky-ness going around, but MAN...this mamma is ready for everyone to feel well again.  I'm hoping and praying that we are getting all this ICK out of our systems NOW--before the busyness of the holidays hit. That's when it really STINKS to be sick!

Today, the little ones and I spent the morning at the doctors.

After an hour and a half there, the final diagnosis was...

Two with strep.
Same two also have DOUBLE ear infections. 

 One has a ruptured ear drum, and one needed three (catch-up) shots.

UGH!

What a day, huh?

On the flip side, I'm beyond grateful for kind doctors, patient nurses...and strong antibiotics.

Hopefully tomorrow my crew will start feeling better and we can get back to our regular schedule program.

As for tonight though, I'm just hanging out on the couch (again), reading Curious George (for the umpteenth time), and snuggling with my little ones:)

An Angry Bird Halloween

Halloween is such a fun time for our family. We really enjoy coming up with costume ideas, dressing up, and then spending the evening outside with our family and neighbors. 

It's such a FUN night!

This year, we were a family of angry birds. I love having a theme and this one (thankfully) pleased our entire crowd. My kids each picked out which bird they wanted to be, and even assisted me in the making of their costumes. From the cutting, to the gluing, to the stuffing...they helped with it all.
 

It has quickly become a family tradition that my sister-in-law and her family accompany us for trick-or-treating. Then we enjoy dinner afterwards.

 Our good friends (and neighbors) the Robinson's  joined us for the entire evening too.

It's always more fun trick-or-treating with others!

Just like last year, Miss Sophie was all about the candy!

She literally ran non-stop the ENTIRE time we were out!
 

She would pause only for a moment to empty her loot into the stroller.
Then, she was off--ready to fill her bag up again.

Hudson was a little more into it this year than he was the last couple of years.

 But if a house we came too had any scary decorations up, he would NOT go to the door.  He'd quickly pass his bag off to one of the big kids so they could do his trick-or-treating for him.

He wanted the treat...just NO TRICKS;)

 This was Miss AK's FIRST Halloween experience.

 I'm sure she was thinking...
"What in the WORLD is THIS all about?!?!?!?"

Bless-her-heart, sweet AK sat in her stroller the ENTIRE time we were out---just taking it all in.

She could NOT figure out what all the fuss and commotion was about UNTIL

she discovered what was in those bags the kids were carrying.

Then, she was all about sampling the loot;)
 

PRECIOUS THING!!!

And speaking of loot...my kids definitely racked up again this year!

  Once everyone was back home, the sorting, trading, and bartering of the candy commenced. 

When I was a kid., I remember doing that with all my brothers and sisters too.

  Such FUN!

Now it's the morning after, and I gotta figure out what to do with ALL this candy!

As I sit here right now,  I may or may not be eating a (my second) Reece's Peanut Butter Cup;)