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Thursday, November 22, 2012

~Thankful~

This Thanksgiving, I am overcome with gratitude for the gifts we have to be thankful for this year.  One year ago, who would have known this is where we would be today?!?  One day simply cannot fit in all that we are Thankful for this year... to us, this entire year has been a celebration of Thanksgiving.

 I am so Thankful to a Mighty Creator...
I came to know Christ personally ten years ago, and since then I have been driven to tears tens of thousands of times regarding His goodness, love, mercy, and grace on such a person as me.  He has shown me that even in hard times faith can thrive, and when he blesses, He really, really, really blesses beyond what minds can even conceive!  I have some amazing stories that I can only attribute to Him!  He is faithful and loving; when He convicts or disciplines me it is out of love.  He. Is. My. Rock.  And oh, how I wish everyone could experience such a life-giving relationship with Him!  I do not write this blog to try to "witness" to people, but a large part of who I am is because of my faith in Christ Jesus.  God is very much a part of my life, and I am so Thankful that He, the One who created the stars, the planets, the birds & us, He truly cares about every single person and He takes delight in blessing us.  And oh, He has.  Amazing.

I am so Thankful for an amazing husband...
who helps out immensely with the daily chores around the house- feeds, diapers, baths, laundry, you name it-- with kindness, love and patience (most of the time!).  He is an amazing, involved daddy and an excellent provider who I respect immensely.  After nearly 9 years of marriage and raising quads +1, yes we still love each other, but Praise Jesus, we also still like each other... a lot!
Tanner enjoying Extreme Relaxation with daddy
I am so Thankful for Jenna...
Who is such a joy!  She has handled going from an only child to an only child with a temporarily disabled mom preggo +4, to an older sister with grace, finesse, & resilience that many adults probably couldn't manage!  She is such an awesome big sister to the babies.  While it has been hard for her at times, I am so proud of her.  She is such a gift!  A favorite saying of mine during her hard moments is, "Jenna, even when you are SO SO grumpy & grouchy, I still love you soooo much!"  And it's true.  Thank you Lord for Jenna!
Jenna at Preschool
I am so Thankful for our four miracle babies...
Who are thriving and developing and doing just awesome!  They are "ordinary" babies in every sense of the word, but we still find them to be "Extraordinary!"  And, not only that, but our quad squad is regularly sleeping soundly all through the night (as in 9-11 hours each night)!  WHOO HOO!!!
Tummy time, working on head & neck control!

Play time!  I love getting down on the floor & seeing them start to engage with toys!
Our cute quads!  Clockwise, from bottom L:  Hannah, Lauren, Tanner & Tyler

I am so Thankful for our parents...
Andy & I are so blessed with great parents who are retired and most live close to home.  The grandpa's help out immensely by being Jenna's chauffeur to & from preschool, and both my & Andy's moms are here several times a week.  They help out so much, and are so loved by us all.  Thank you!
The kids with their Papa & Mimi
The kids with grandma & grandpa
Grandpa holding Tyler

Tyler smiling at his Papa
I am so Thankful for our family & friends...
Who have helped us out in countless ways.  We have made new friends along this journey and have grown closer to others.  People have been so generous to us this season- SO AMAZINGLY GENEROUS!  May God Bless all you who have helped us and continue to do so.  People have generously given us meals, their time, money, clothes, diapers, strollers, toys, sage advice, laughter, love, and more.  I am also so thankful for our Church, Ada Bible, that has pooled resources in a million ways to help and support us-- we even had a men's small group help Andy build a garage for our van!

Never in my whole life have I been so humbled and in awe of people's kindness & generosity.  In a world where the news always seems to shed darkness, corruption & self acts, take heart that there are mountains of good, kind & selfless acts occurring all the time!  They might not make the nightly news, but believe me they are occurring all the time.   And we get to be so blessed as to see a slice of this kindness & goodness up close and personal.  So thank you again.

I could go on and on, I am Thankful for so much more!  For a warm cozy home, the ability to have this year off work, for living in this Country, for laughter, for health....  there is so much!

What are you Thankful for today?

2 comments:

  1. Great post! There are so many blessings around us.I should post about thanksgiving, but am too tired. We are still trying to get so much sleep ;). I am a tad jealous about that.

    I see you learned to watermark, way to go!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah, approval for comments is also good!

    ReplyDelete