My Girl (Thankfulness Challenge - Day 21)

I am so thankful for my daughter Bethany.

Bethany has been home a year and nine months, and I am so grateful to have her in my life. When we first brought her home, I was sad about having missed out on the first ten months of her life, but I quickly realized how that short amount of time pales in comparison to all that we have to look forward to in the future. The past year and nine months have flown by, and it is all by God's grace that she has transitioned so well into our family.

Our little girl is full of surprises, and we never know what she'll do next. We have caught her applying diaper cream all over her face, writing on our sofa and floors, and climbing out of her crib in the middle of the night. Her many antics often get her into trouble, but they are also what we love and adore about her. Austin was always a rule follower by nature, so Sam and I are treading new ground as we learn how to be parents to a very high spirited and spunky little girl.

Bethany is also our cuddle bug, full of hugs and kisses. She is sweet and gentle, determined and strong. She is quite independent, but also likes to do everything her big brother is doing. She is like a little puppy - so cute and irresistable, but always getting into some kind of trouble. Most of the time, we don't know whether to laugh or put our hands up in disbelief.

Bethany has reminded me of how difficult raising a toddler can be, but she has also reminded me of how much joy can come from having one in the home, especially one like her. :) She is our gift from God, a wonderful blessing from above, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

I love everything about my silly little sweetheart of a girl!!!

Thank you Bethany for the joy you bring to my life. I love you so much, and am so thankful to be your Mommy!

Happy 9th Birthday! - Part 2

The morning of...

Wake up sleepy head.

It's your birthday! :)

Chocolate pancakes for breakfast.

Happy birthday big brother!

Birthday kiss for his little sister.

And my nine year old is off to school

 

without any cupcakes.

What?

How can I send my son to school without birthday cupcakes for his class?!?!

Ever since pre-K,  I have always made cupcakes for Austin's birthday, but this year, he wanted to pass out treat bags instead. I admit I was a little sad at the change, but I knew it was just another sign my little boy was growing up.

And a sign that I'm getting old? I've been leaving a special birthday note in Austin's lunch box for the past five years, but this year it completely slipped my mind until right before he was ready to walk out the door. :( I debated scribbling a quick note on a post it, but decided against it thinking Austin probably wouldn't even remember.

I was wrong. On the way home from school that afternoon, Austin very politely mentioned that he thought he'd find something from me in his lunch box, and I felt like the worst Mommy in the world. Although he was really fine about the whole thing, I was very much bothered by it. And so this is just me being me --- I went out and bought a "Happy Belated Birthday"card and put in his next lunch box. Now I can sleep at night. :)

A good thing that came out of this? I learned that Austin does notice and appreciate the little things I do for him, and that makes me happy. :)

In the evening, we had Chicken Tikka Masala, one of his favorite meals,

followed by something he's been wanting me to make for a very long time.

A giant chocolate chip cookie cake! :)

Easiest cake ever, and the kids couldn't get over how big the cookie was. :)

A few days later, we got together with some friends to celebrate Austin's birthday, as well as mine which was coming up.

  

And that is how we ended Austin's birthday festivities. :)

Life is Good (Thankfulness Challenge - Day 20)

I am thankful for my life.

As I celebrate my 37th birthday today, I am so humbled and grateful for the life God has given me. By no means do I have a perfect life, but I confidently live each day knowing I live a life that is extremely blessed, and that I already have everything I could ever want or need. (that comes pretty close to being perfect though, don't you think?)

Thank you friends and family for being a part of my life, and filling it with so much love and joy.

Thank You God for the love and grace You have shown me, and for creating me and adopting me into Your family.

Since I'm usually the cake maker in the family, and I didn't want to bake my own birthday cake, I opted for 28 ounces of yummy coffee goodness! :)

Girls Night Outs (Thankfulness Challenge - Day 19)

I'm thankful for Girls Night Outs.

Sometimes you just have to leave your husband and kids at home, and have a night out with the girls. I'm so fortunate to be able to do this on a regular basis with some very special ladies. We eat, talk, laugh, cry and eat some more until our bellies can't take any more, and we realize hours have past, and our husbands are probably fast asleep.

Everyone needs

• a friend to pour your heart out to
• a friend who listens and encourages
• a friend who genuinely loves you for who you are (the good, the bad and the ugly)
• a friend who is willing to call you out and put you in your place
• a friend who will be there through thick and thin

Thank you ladies for being that friend to me, and for a fun filled birthday celebration. Love you!

Missing in Action (Thankfulness Challenge - Day 18)

I'm thankful for remote controls.

As silly as that may sound, who knew that a missing remote control could cause so much trouble? Our remote went missing a few days ago, and let me tell you, a missing remote is no laughing matter when you have to get up off the couch and walk all the way over to the cable box to fast forward through commercials. Am I lazy or what? It did give me some much needed exercise though. :)

We believe the culprit was Bethany since she has been known to throw things in the trash and hide things all over the house. But until she learns to talk, we'll never know.

After searching high and low, I finally gave up and went to Time Warner to pick up a new remote. The service representative was really nice, and didn't make me pay $15 for a new one. Instead he asked if we perhaps had a dog who might have hid our remote, and I told him "No. We have a two year old." :)

I came back home to eager hands that wanted first dibs on our new remote, and to be honest, I was one of them. :)

Greetings and Salutations (Thankfulness Challenge - Day 17)

I am thankful Austin writes his own cards. 

There was once a time when I had the task of writing all of Austin's greeting cards for him. Whenever a special occasion called for a letter or card from him, it was usually me doing the writing. That is, until he actually learned how to write. The truth is, I never really minded it, but it has been nice having one less thing to do.

I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to writing cards, so Austin has learned early on what Mommy expects. Write neatly, avoid general statements, think it through, and most importantly, make it heartfelt and personal to whomever will be receiving it. I know at times it may seem like a very laborious and tedious task to him, but I'm proud to say that he's now a pro, and he even enjoys it. 

I hope with all this practice, he'll grow to appreciate giving and receiving hand written cards, and that he'll always remember that a hand written card can go a long way in encouraging another person.

The best part about this for me, is that I get to read his cards. They can be serious, poetic, hilarious or downright tearjerkers. Whatever kind of card they may be, I love that I get to read expressions of himself in every card.

Here he is writing thank you cards for his birthday.

And yes, I'm thankful I'm not the one writing them. :)

 

What are you thankful for?

Happy 9th Birthday! - Part 1

For Austin's 9th birthday, he requested either a laser tag party, nerf party or an xbox party. After looking into all the options, we decided to keep it small and simple. Austin wanted to invite his old church friends, and as luck would have it, one of the boys was also about to celebrate his birthday. We decided to combine both birthdays and invited four of their closest friends to come over to our house to play xbox games and watch a movie.

The two birthday boys (and little sister trying to get in on the action). 

My husband set up two tvs in the living room so they could all play together.

After snacks, pizza and a few hours of game time, I realized it was almost time to leave for the movie. I asked the boys if they still wanted to go, or if they wanted to stay put and keep playing, and what I got was a resounding "Stay and play!". So stay and play they did. :)

 

We celebrated with some camouflage cupcakes and cakes.

And took turns singing Happy Birthday to each of the boys.

 

 

It was so much fun having these boys over (i miss these kids!), and to hear them laughing and enjoying themselves all throughout the day.

Austin said it was one of the best parties he ever had, and the boys asked if they could come over every Saturday. One of the older boys even suggested it be a potluck so as not to burden me with having to provide lunch and snacks every week. Ha ha! Sweet boy or just one with alterior motives? :)

After the boys left, we grabbed a quick dinner and ended the night with a night at the circus.

And that is how we ended part one of Austin's birthday celebrations.