Thankful Thursday

Good morning from "Baby in a Bucket"!

1. For some of the most beautiful weather we've ever had. Amazing. Perfect.

2. No more splints in Son's (#3) nose! And it's straight! He is well on his way to being through this trial. Yeah!

3. A garbage disposal that WORKS! Thanks, Coach! And I promise I won't clean tennis shoes with muddy gravel in the kitchen sink, anymore.

4. Toddler sale at Old Navy! Not too many of our boy clothes made it through all three older boys.

5. Daughter (#6) is doing SO well with school. It was a rough first few weeks, but I think we're settling in.

6. That the Lord gives discernment and wisdom to teach and train children. I had no idea what to do about Daughter (#6), but the Lord has given us some insight into her personality and how to encourage and motivate her. Praise the Lord!

7. The Coach, who gets up early every day to spend time reading, praying and memorizing scripture.

8. The patience that the Coach has with me when I get overwhelmed and discouraged. (I think that is somehow related to #7, don't you?)

9. For faithful friends who know me well and still love me. For their encouragement and accountability.

10. For new windows on the front of our house! They are beautiful!

Old:

New:

The very punctual, nice, clean and polite guys who installed them:

I won't miss those cold metal windows ONE BIT!

Happy Thursday!

Be sure and leave me a comment and tell me what YOU are thankful for today!

Are you ready for some Football?

First of all, a confession:

I haven't cooked dinner in a week.

Just had to get that off my chest.

First, there was a meal from my sweet friend after Son's nose surgery.

Then enough for leftovers.

Then a football game.

A date night with the Coach (which had to be quick because of another football game that needed to be watched).

Sunday night pancakes (can't really consider that cooking).

And another Jr. High football game, last night, watching Son #1.

Not included in the dinner schedule is the football film watching, late practices and play sketching that has consumed most of the Coach's time the last two or three weeks.

'Tis the Season!

Good thing it's only for three months.

As my sweet Daddy said, "You can stand on your head for three months!" Meaning, that we can handle it. It doesn't last forever.

It's given me some time to work on projects around the house. There's plenty to do!

Tomorrow we are off to the ENT to get Son's splints removed. Whew.

I have one word for you:

Snoring.

And the nights he spent on the floor in our room (so I could keep an eye on him after the anesthesia)? Miserable.

I have another word for you:

Couch. (as in ME on the couch - the Coach can sleep through a train wreck - which is just about what it sounded like)

But he's back in his own bed, at night. Back at school for the second day, today. Already caught up on his school work from last week. What a kid!

Hopefully life is settling into more of a normal Fall football routine around here. There is just less cooking to be done with Monday and Friday games every week. A great many more sandwiches for dinner. And even though it means a lot of nights and time in general without the Coach around, it's gotten easier over the years. It's easier to go to the games now that the kids are older.

And that is a blessing.

So are sweet family and friends who came to cheer Son on to his first ever Jr. High football VICTORY last night (we lost the first game)!

Happy Tuesday!

Thankful Thursday

1. Phl 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

2. 2Cr 12:9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

3. 1Pe 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

4. Psa 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

5. 1Pe 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, [even] the salvation of [your] souls.



Enough said.

Happy Thursday!

So. Very. Grateful.

Greetings from the land of recently fixed noses, strep throat, indistinguishable coughs and a clingy Baby Boy. I think it might be raining, too.

Just makes you want to drop in for a visit, doesn't it?

Son (#3) came through surgery, on Tuesday, quite the little Trooper. I finally said, "It's OK to cry, Buddy." He was so very brave.

Here's a picture that we'll title, "Look how much fun I'm having BEFORE things start hurting really badly." Notice the nose that looks to the left. And the "Sweet!" jammies.

We have no pictures of the after, because that would have been heartless. And I was too busy answering the calls for ". . . water. . . water. . . water" that sounded like they came from someone who has single-handedly crawled across the Sahara.

Needless to say, it was much more of an ordeal than I had let myself anticipate.

Hmmm. I think that's called denial.

But I prefer to think of it as "taking no thought for tomorrow. . . sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

In the meantime, I'm going to let the house go, cater to Son's (#3) every wish (like eggrolls - for breakfast?), try to hold Baby Boy and NOT fix dinner (thanks to a sweet friend who is bringing it). And make sure everyone gets a good, long nap.

Because that will fix everything.

Eventually.

I'm so very grateful for all of the help. Taking Daughter (#7) to BSF, keeping Baby Boy, keeping Daughter, bringing the kids home from school, helping with schoolwork, getting dinner on the table, etc. Let me tell you, I couldn't have spent all day at the hospital with Son (#3) without so very much help.

Bless you all, you know who you are!

Thanks ever so much for your prayers. His grace is sufficient.

It's always something. . .

Do you ever feel that way?

Like JUST when you get into a routine, or JUST when the baby starts sleeping through the night, or JUST when you get a project done on the house. . .

You know what I mean, right?

Well, we had a "something" last night.

And before you ask, I've taken no pictures. Which, of course, I should have. But which, of course, I wouldn't show you, anyway. Because it would embarrass the subject of our "something".

Son (#3) - the birthday boy - broke his nose on his cousin's knee.

Seriously.

So here's my list of gratefulness regarding this event so far:

1. He was NOT hysterical. I would have been.

2. I was not hysterical. Which I could have been.

3. Even though I couldn't get the Coach at football practice, I was able to call our wonderful, kind, doctor friend who was very reassuring.

4. When the Coach DID call, he reminded me that our sweet neighbor is an ENT at a big hospital here - SO CALL HIM, already.

5. Which I did and he came over (Thank you, Dr. Neighbor!).

6. And besides being broken (HA!), he doesn't have complications. Thank you, Lord.

7. AND this kind Dr. Neighbor is setting up an appointment with the Pediatric ENT at aforementioned BIG hospital for Monday.

8. At which point they will sedate my sweet son and fix his crooked and currently very swollen nose. When it's not swollen, anymore.

9. He went to school today.

10. Cheerfully and all excited to tell everyone how brave he is! And show them his swollen, purple face.

11. His eyes didn't turn completely black.

12. The other boys think it looks, "WAY COOL, Bro!"

And now I'm off to whatever THIS day holds. Remembering that:

"You are loved with an everlasting love. . .
and underneath are the everlasting arms." (E.E)

Happy Friday!

Thankful Thursday

1. For Daughter (#7) who is currently singing "If you're happy and you know it. . ." on the floor beside me.

2. For the blessing of being able to go to the grocery store and get what we need when we need it. Like yogurt. On a Thursday morning. And the library right down the street from the grocery store.

3. For old friends made new. Had such a fun visit, yesterday, with this sweet family!

4. For cool Fall-like weather - surely the heat will return before it's really Fall?

5. For the first Varsity Football game tomorrow night. I won't be there, but the Coach is sure excited.

6. For the extra, free day on Monday.

7. For free Chick-fil-A chicken strips on aforementioned Monday. Talk about a deal! There were so many of us that the manager came out to make sure it wasn't a mistake.

8. That we have almost finished our second week of school. Which, surprisingly, has seemed LONG, even with Monday off. Hmmmm.

9. For something interesting finally going on in the Presidential Election. I had really become quite sick of the whole thing and now I'm reading and watching once, again.

10. That it's almost time to get out the Fall decorations. I'm holding off until the end of September. Or tomorrow.

Happy Thursday, All!

It's Birthday Time

Being the third born can be rough and we decided it was time for his very own, NEW, not handed down bike. Yeah!



I will never forget the day that Son (#3) was born. Remember 1998? The Summer that we had 41 days in a row over 100 degrees here in OK? Seriously. Hot.

Four days each week during my pregnancy with him I walked four miles at the mall in the mornings pushing a double stroller with our 2 and 1 year old. Those were the days! I remember telling the midwife that after about 2 miles things started hurting (this was in my 7th and 8th months). I'll never forget her face. "Then STOP!" she said. Hadn't crossed my mind.

He was our biggest baby by a long shot - at eight pounds even. The others were all five and six.

He was hungrier, too! He was the first and one of the only babies that I gave formula to before my milk came in. He was so hungry! It also took him longer to sleep through the night than any of our others. I wasn't up for letting him cry it out with two other little ones in the house. Eventually we did, though, and he turned into a fairly good sleeper.

Until he developed asthma.
And how thankful I am, that at 10 years old, it has become so very mild. Thank you, Lord!

He prayed to receive Christ at football camp when he was 7 (almost 8) - what a blessing.

He has always been FUN, sweet, kind, thoughtful, TOUGH, yet tender, and loving. I'm so grateful for this little guy who can somehow tell (unlike most of the kids) when I really need a hug or help around the house. He works HARD and diligently and is a great student.

Wow. 10. I really can't believe it.

We celebrated at Grandmother and Granddad's (even though they weren't there!) so we could watch the first OU football game of the season and our Sweet Friend came and helped us celebrate. Here are the girls (and Baby Boy) watching him ride his new bike on Grandmother's street.


Happy 10th Birthday, Son! We love you!