Another Thursday is here already. I can't believe another week has past. I have been so busy this past week getting ready for Christmas and all that goes along with it. Here are several things I am thankful for this week.

1. Teachers: I am thankful for the caring, loving teachers that my children have. I am so glad that I have teachers who care for and love being with my children. Both sets of teachers have taken a sincere look at my kids and know when something is bothering them or when something is going right. They compliment them and ask for my help or opinion when needed. This means so much to me. I am gald my children have them.

2. Friends: The kids and I had a playdate yesterday. We made reindeer t-shirts with the kids' foot and hand prints. I had a really good time spending most of the morning and part of the afternoon talking with the other moms and watching our kids play. It's nice to know and see that we all have similar outlooks on life. I am just so thankful for the friends in my life.

3. Peppermint Mocha: The time of peppermint mocha is coming to an end. That is one of my biggest vices when it comes to my coffee. The stores will soon stop carrying the peppermint mocha creamers so in the meantime I will enjoy and be thankful for it.

4. Christmas Cards: I love Christmas cards. I enjoy seeing pictures of everyone's children and reading about what is going on in everyone's lives. I enjoy using them to decorate around the door and to see the kids gaze upon the pictures and recoginze friends and family both near and far but close to our hearts.

5. Christmas Lights: I don't know if it is from my childhood memories but I love Christmas lights. I enjoy driving around and looking at all the lights on the houses.

6. Christmas Carols: I enjoy singing Christmas carols with my family. Lately, almost everytime we are in the car the kids ask to sing Christmas songs. They don't always know the words but they enjoy singing just the same.

7. Gabriel's excitement: I enjoyed seeing the excitement on Gabriel's face when he received his medal at hockey on Tuesday night. He told Matt, "It's the best day ever." He has also repeatedly asked if I have signed him up for session 2 yet.

8. Abby's excitement: Matt was able to come to Abby's gymnastics practice today. It was fun seeing how excieted she as that he was there watching. She kept looking over to wave and smile at us. She would then tell her instructor, "That's my daddy and mommy."

9. 1st Birthdays: I am so thankful for Elizabeth's 1st birthday. We had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating her birth and her first year. I also enjoyed watching Gabriel's and Abby's excitement over celebrating her birthday. They made sure we had cake and presents for her.

10. Matt: I am so thankful that I have a caring, loving, and sincere husband. Matt encourages me in so many ways and helps out in so many too. I love him more every day and thank God for bringing him into my life.

11. Jesus: I am thankful for the birth of Jesus who was born to save us. The Christmas story is such a wonderful story. I cry almost everytime I read it. I hope that my children continue to grow to know Christ and enjoy the stories from the Bible as much as I do.

This week my list is long. It could be much longer but I am going to stop. I saved the biggest for last and it is the thing I am most thankful for. I hope everyone has a joyous Christmas and remembers the birth of the newborn King and all he represents.

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!!

Today Elizabeth turned 1 years old. I can't believe that 1 year has already passed. It really does feel like just a few months ago she was born, not an entire year! How I miss the baby time, and now she is becoming a toddler. And she is really so close to toddling around too. We celebrated Elizabeth's birthday during Thanksgiving with Matt's family but tonight we will have a family birthday. Though she had a friends birthday today too, a little unexpectedly but just the same there were freinds here for a playdate to celebrate her birthday and to make reindeer t-shirts. The kids are so great being sure that we remember that Elizabeth needs a cake and presents on her birthday. Not that we would have over looked that just because her birthday is a week away from Christmas. Elizabeth has grown so much in the past year which is expected. She is now saying words like mama, dada, and hi, she playing games like peek-a-boo and patty cake, and she will occasionally stand on her own, which my last post shows. She is such an extremely good and happy baby. Though she in her own right is trouble with a capital T. She climbs the stairs as often as she can, climbs the table and stands on top and has learned to cry to get her way with her brother and sister and makes trouble and knows she is doing it, she grins at you and does it anyway when you tell her, "NO". We have enjoyed every moment of having Elizabeth in our lives. I am so glad she is ours to love and cherish.

Last Year at This Time

This time last year, all the presents were bought wrapped and under the tree or were ready to be put there after the kids went to bed Christmas eve, the house was clean, well as much as it can be with preschoolers, and food was bought. The only thing I was doing was waiting. I was waiting for my mom to get here and most of all I was waiting for Elizabeth to come into our lives. I am still waiting but not for Elizabeth's birth. This time I am waiting for Elizabeth to walk. Yesterday while she was watching her brother and sister playing the snow she quit leaning against the window and just stood. She prpbably stood for a good 30 seconds before she realized what she was doing and sat down. She stood long enough for us to get a couple of pictures.

Today my heart is thankful for:

1. Feel better: Abby is feeling much better now that she is able to eat regular foods and theat she is getting back to her noramal routine.

2. No more fever: I am thankful that Elizabeth is no longer running a fever. Her highest temp was 105.4 on Tuesday night. Her fever broke shortly after that and never returned. I just wish her bowels would get back to normal and the congestion would become a thing of the past.

3. Christmas movies: I have really been enjoying the peace and quiet at night and relaxing while watching a Christmas movie.

4. Coffee: I have really been enjoying my coffee lately. Peppermint Mocha is my favorite. I will be sad to see it leave until next year. But I am enjoying it while it is here.

5. Chritmas decorations: I am really enjoying the Chirstmas decorations in my home and in the homes of others.

6. Teachers: I am thankful for the kids' teachers. I am so thankful that they are loving, helpful, and caring as well as firm when needed.

7. Kid like joy: I am thankful for the kids like joy I saw in Matt this evening when we were discussing presents.

8. Excitement: I am thankful for the excitement I see in my children as we prepare for Christmas. I enjoy seeing the giving heart in both Abby and Gabriel as we discussed taking treats to our neighbors and presents to those children who are less fortunate.

9. I am thankful to God for sending us Jesus so that we could have ever lasting life.

Home Baked Goods at School

Recently at a MOPS meeting I heard a couple of moms talking about how they were looking forward to their kids starting Kindergarten next year and all the baking they would do for thier child's class. I told them that unfortunately they would not be allowed to bake homemade goods for their child's class. We were pondering all the reasons why when it hit me. Allergies. I began thinking about all the kids with very real, very severe food allergies. The kind of food allgery where just the smallest about sends them to the hospital or causes the need for an epi-pen. It really hit me one day when I allowed the kids to make their own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I had both peanut butter in the jelly and jelly in the peanut butter. The kids have friends who are allergic to nuts. If they made a jelly sandwich with that peanut butter we could have a big problem on our hands. People don't always think along these lines when baking. And many others are misinformed on food allergies thinking a little won't hurt, if you just take it off it's ok, and if it's mixed in that's fine too, etc. With that understanding I can understand the need to have no homemade items at school. At least with store bought items teachers and care givers can check labels and make it safer for everyone.

I know that there were other reasons that schools started taking this stand like childhood obesity which is another subject altogether.

Shots or no shots

Yesterday, we took Elizabeth to the doctor because she has had diarrhea since Wednesday and then developed a fever on Sunday. While there we asked about getting flu shots for the older kids. The doctor was nice enough to get us the shots at that visit instead of making us come back for a scheduled appointment. He also suggested us getting the flu mist instead of the traditional shot. Gabriel went first and he enjoyed the fact that it didn't hurt. Abby on the other hand would not cooperate. She had to sniff and wouldn't do it. So she got the shot instead of the flu mist. Elizabeth will get her flu shot when we have her year old appointment on the 20th. Now the kids won't get the flu, hopefully, but Matt probably will since he tends to get sick more often than anyone else.

Gabriel and Stuttering

For several years now I have had Gabriel's speech tested. First it was for beginning sounds which I was told was normal for boys his age. The second time it was because he had started stuttering. I thought it had gone away but it either returned or I started noticing it again, after I was asked about it from his former preschool teacher. Anyway, I asked for him to be tested again this year. I got call this morning telling me, yes he does have problems with stuttering and it is bad enough to have speech therapy. Right now I am so glad that I didn't give up on having him tested. I am feeling really good and hope that the speech therapy will help.

Uh... That was smart, real smart.

This afternoon I did a really stupid thing. It was especially stupid because as I was doing it I thought this isn't going to turn out well. And of course it didn't turn out well. You ask what was I doing that was so stupid well I'll tell you. I tried to move the Christmas tree, lights, ornaments and all. I was trying to move the tree so that I could hide Matt's present in the back where hopefully he wouldn't have noticed it utnil Christmas and we were passing out the presents. But because I pulled the tree over on top of myself and had to call him for help he now knows his gift is there. Oh, well at least I wasn't hurt and there was minimal breakage to lights and ornaments. No one at work believed Matt when he told them he was rushing home to pull the Christmas tree off me, so of course he took pictures to prove it. Matt will have to tell his side of the story and post the pictures.

It's time to fill up the thanks tank and I have a lot to be thankful for...

1. I am thankful that Abby is doing much better. The surgery has really seemed to help a lot. Matt and I both had noticed a marked improvement in Abbys's breathing almost immediately after her surgery. She didn't rattle as much and she seems to be sleeping much better too. I am also extremely happy that she is getting back to her normal self.

2. I am thankful my parents were able to come and visit and help during Abby's surgery. Their visit allowed both Matt and I to be there with Abby. It also allowed the kids to visit with their grandparents and to have more quality time with them.

3. I am thankful for the holiday season. It brings my heart and soul great joy to remember the greatest gift we could ever receive is the gift that god gave us with the birth of his son.

4. I am thankful for Christmas music, my Christmas tree and my decorated house.

5. I am thankful for all the holiday traditions we are establishing and have established with our family. Making cookies, watching Christmas movies together, reading the Bible, reading Christmas books, and being sure we are all together.

It's late and bed is calling me. I am beginning to have trouble focusing and keeping my thoughts together. I will be sure to post more later.

Abby Update

Abby with through her surgery just fine. Her appointment was a 8:00 and we were home by 10:00 Tuesday morning. She slept fitfully throughout the day and that night. She drank in order to go home from the surgery center but refused to drink or take her medicine once we got home. Anything that went into her mouth was promptly spit out or held in her mouth until she could spit it out. By 1:00 on Wednesday things started getting better. My mother was able to get her to drink some water and then she was interested in trying to eat a little too. I was finally able to get her to take some tylenol and her antibiotic by that night. Today she is still doing better and has even begun to fight with her brother. She wanted to go to school today but I felt she needed a couple more days of rest. She is really looking forward to being back at school next week. Just in time for the Christmas program on Wednesday. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Abby's Surgery

Tomorrow Abby will be heading to the surgery center to have her tonsils removed. Hopefully, she will do just as well this time as when she had her tubes put in and adnoids removed almost 2 years ago. (She was eating french fries in the hospital room while her brother wouldn't drink anything without being pushed for several days, he had all three done.) Anyway, we head to the surgery center a 6:45 and her surgery is scheduled for 8:00. Both my mom and dad came up from Tennessee to help out the other two kids so Matt and I could both go with Abby and not have to worry about naps and pick ups. So keep Abby in your thoughts and prayers. As Abby's cousin said in their prayers last night, "Let Abby's surgery not hurt her too much."





By the way, Dad is doing much better since he has been allowed to walk around on crutches though he can still only put weight on one foot. He spirits seem to be much better with this change.