Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday Morning!

Just going to jump right in - lots to be thankful for, today!

1. Healthy kids. Son #4's stomach troubles have stayed confined. This is a HUGE blessing, as you well know!!

2. Clean House. Ahhhhhh. Thought I'd take advantage and snap some pictures of the new carpet for you. But. . . there is still a big laundry pile. Ha!

3. Postponed birthday was celebrated last night, with both sets of grandparents and a few cousins added in. Fun!

4. This guy. Who turned 11 on Sunday while he was sick. ELEVEN, can you believe it? He alternately frustrates and delights me. And I love him.

(and LOOK, you can see the new carpet RIGHT THERE. Ha!)

5. Fabulously beautiful weather this week. These are the few days each year that Oklahomans LIVE for. We don't get many like this. . . but they are perfect.

6. Hair cut. Trim, really. After 10 weeks I fully enjoyed it! Growing hair out is a challenge, but so far so good.

7. God's perfect provision for the Coach and Son #3 to go to Washington D.C. later this month. Will be a great time for them to share, together. The Coach went with Son #1, 3 years ago. I went with Daughter #2, 2 years ago. The tradition continues. Although I'm pretty sure we can't keep it up for 5 more. Ha!

8. A morning at home. After a trip to school to pick up Daughter #7 on Monday morning (turns out she was just fine, after all) and movies, BSF and lunch on Tuesday, errands and lunch, hair cut and more errands on Wednesday. . . a quiet morning at home is NICE.

9. Morning off from the treadmill. Normally this IS my rest day, but I am actually going running with a friend this afternoon. However, it didn't require me to get up early, sit Little Man in front of PBS for 45 min, OR wait for my shower and breakfast. So it feels very much like a rest.

10. That the tree pollen is almost finished falling on my car, deck, driveway, porch and sunroom windows. Ugh. Can't wait to get it all cleaned up. Nothing like a green film on everything.

11. Everyone stayed in their own beds last night and didn't feel the need to wake me up to tell me anything. Lately, Little Man has been getting in bed with Daughter #6 - I think because he wakes up coughing and she is his current favorite. But then she comes to wake ME up because she can't sleep with him in there. Or Son #3 comes to let me know he's going to use his inhaler. Why do I need to know this? Not sure. Or Daughter #2 wants me to know she can't go to sleep (normal for her). I guess it makes her sleepy to walk down to my room and TELL me this. (sigh) An uninterrupted night is lovely. Ha!

12. Enough left-overs from the birthday dinner last night that I don't have to cook tonight! Yea!

13. $5 Boston ferns for the front porch. FIVE dollars. I couldn't believe it. Feels more like Summer, already.

14. Laughter. I love that my kids make me LAUGH. Often. And loudly.

"Mom, can I have some gasoline for my lips?" from Little Man. He meant Vaseline, of course.

Son #4, while tiring of hearing the big kids talk about how they NEED a cell phone, "I don't even want a phone, I'm just going to use a flare gun."

The corny jokes around the dinner table, the teasing, the silliness. How dull life would be without my eight little personalities keeping me hopping.

NOW, I think it's time to make a pot of coffee and get this house in order for the day. Maybe I'll even get to that mountain of laundry in my otherwise clean living room so I can take some pictures!

And I just realized that we have asthma meds to pick up at Walgreen's. So it's won't be a morning JUST at home. But I'm grateful that we can get what we need to keep our allergy kids breathing and healthy.

What are YOU thankful for, today?