"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead,

. . . bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." -Ephesians 6:4
I'm thankful for:

1. my wonderful husband who is the biggest blessing to our family and the best father I could imagine for my children
   
2. having a day to celebrate my husband, our fathers, and all the other great dad's in our lives
   
3. Christian not cutting his foot when the sugar container fell and broke on his foot
   
4. Clara going back into her big girl bed today. I hope this time it is for good!
   
5. the sermon this morning challenging me for more consistent parenting
   
6. desire for better discipline strategies, and not being complacent
   
7. reorganizing my pantry
   
8. finding some energy to clean up the kitchen before bed
   
9. Jeff's selflessness
   
10. after an hour of screaming Thomas finally went to sleep without me holding him. I know we can do this!
    

"In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature . . .

. . . not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." -Colossians 2:11-12
I'm thankful for:

1. Grandma reading books, playing games and generally spoiling the kids with her time today
2. Jeff and Tom getting a lot done around the house
   
3. getting paint for our bedroom at the store. I can't wait to give it a try!
   
4. Thomas miracle nap this morning and skin looking much better
   
5. Mary Kay emptying the dishwasher. Sometimes it truly is the little things.
   
6. God using Christian's angry heart to grow me in so many ways
   
7. sharing in D's baptism. What a huge blessing to be a part of that moment!
   
8. sharing that special moment with some old friends
9. children in bed for the night - better late than never!
10. mmm! Strawberry sorbet!
    

"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. . . .

. . . That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand." -Emily Kimbrough
I'm thankful for:

1. Christian and Clara including Thomas in their play time
   
2. Christian and Clara playing so nicely with new friends
   
3. great conversations with new friends
   
4. finally looking into the niche for one last quote
   
5. Thomas being ok after Clara feeding him cottage cheese today
   
6. the sheer excitement from the kids in anticipation of seeing their grandma & grandpa
   
7. Tom & Mary Kay coming to visit
8. the photos the kids had done with their cousins and how fun that was
   
9. having people around to distract me from the nightly chaos
   
10. excitement for D' who's getting baptized tomorrow! Praise Jesus!
    

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Live as children of light -Ephesians 5:8
I'm thankful for:

1. Clara sat on the big potty all by herself and on her own initiative today. Hurray!
   
2. Thomas hasn't had hives for weeks until today. It does really give me hope! (later read that McDonald's uses wheat and milk as part of their ingredients)
   
3. at least the bad customer service at Lowe's allowed me to not buy my paint today and so I can later use the coupon I forgot to bring
   
4. Christian finishing the whole Learn to Read section on Starfall.com and has been reading signs correctly, like zoo and exit!
   
5. planting daisy seeds with the kids
   
6. playing wrestle
   
7. Thomas allowing me to read on the couch during what should have been his naptime
8. the great blessing of Jeff being around the last few weeks
9. Jeff being home in time for dinner and bringing dinner home. Yummm, Pei Wei!
10. 2 good weeks following 2 horrific weeks. Thank God for the knowledge that I can have good days and even good weeks!
    

"The belly rules the mind." -Spanish Proverb

I'm thankful for:

1. 4 mile run this morning averaging 9m 15s/mile! Wooohooo!
   
2. seeing a beautiful sunrise, quail, coyote, rabbits and getting sprinkled on during my run
   
3. trying to eat even healthier - less sweets at least
   
4. hydrating more and feeling better because of it
   
5. Thomas temperament, especially when he's not hungry or sleepy
6. Christian accepting his punishment without a fight when he went to a long timeout after hitting me
   
7. Clara wanting to be a good girl and doing a good job in her bed, even though she has a hard time actually pulling it off
8. challenged to know more of my bible to help guide those in need
   
9. Jeff's total love and compassion for the kids under all circumstances. *sigh*. He gives me something to strive for.
   
10. my kids. They drive me nuts a lot of the time but I truly love each of them!
    

"There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't,

. . . and that's a wife who can't cook and will." -Robert Frost
I'm thankful for:

1. being blessed to be able to actually witness a friend's faith grow
   
2. literally running into a neighbor friend on my run this morning and then running the rest of the way together, sharing the exercise and company
   
3. being more proactive about sending the kids to their room when they're whiny and misbehaving rather than letting it continue and allowing it to get to me
   
4. Christian's comedic timing
   
5. forgiving myself after I blew up today rather than dwelling on it and letting it escalate into an even grumpier me
   
6. Christian and Clara loving each other and playing well together
   
7. Jeff's chest x-ray "seeming to be normal"
   
8. a desire to continually grow and improve
   
9. working to not be hard on myself for less productivity today
   
10. keeping cool with Christian's bad temper and meltdowns
    

"One family and the children of that family can do . . .

. . . marvelous things to affect the world or devastating things to destroy it." -Edith Schaeffer What is a Family?
I'm thankful for:

1. talking to myself about how to handle each situation before losing my cool or getting testy (don't worry, I'm not talking to myself out loud)
   
2. a very productive morning
   
3. convincing myself not to be lazy but to push through
   
4. Thomas keeping the gloves on this afternoon
   
5. Clara and Christian being better behaved
   
6. Thomas following the C's around the house all day
7. playing Memory with Christian and Clara and they both understood how to play it correctly!
   
8. Thomas signing Mommy and saying "Dada"
   
9. popsicles for the kids
   
10. reading lots of stories today