A Grateful Heart

So I finally got some of those pictures up for you to see- from our vacation. We did have a great time. However that is not the main subject of this post.

This is one of those serious posts that I feel obligated to write, lest- as my kids say, "That man died, because he didn't say 'thank you' to Jesus". So here's a list of things I'm thankful for in the week past.

A great homecoming from our trip.-- We got back in on Sunday and had enough time to unpack a little before going to bed. It made for a great start to the week. The boys also had a severely needed bath that night and I prepared for my first week with noone here to call on for help.

A speedy repair on our van. -- While in Maine, we had some car trouble, only a little bit- a squealing noise, but got it checked out while there and the man said we would need a new air compressor and a new idler pulley. Well, that was more bucks than we really wanted to dish out, but when we took it in this past Thursday, the mechanic said the compressor was fine and that the squealing noise was the fan belt and that was because the tensioner needed replacing. So we spent half the money expected and got the van back in the same day!

A fun outing at Burger King. --Our family went out to eat for dinner after picking up the van from the shop and we had a great time. Jonathon and James really enjoyed the little play area and Jeff really enjoyed his food. Rachel did ok between being held and sitting in her car seat and I didn't have to make dinner. It was a winning situation all the way around.

Jeff's feeling better. --Of course, most of you probably didn't know he was feeling bad, but he was. Early this week, he was really fussy. It was an odd sort of thing, he didn't really have a fever, wasn't congested, not vomiting or anything, just really lethargic and wanted to be held all the time. He wasn't pulling at his ears, so I didn't suspect an ear infection and even though he is cutting some teeth, none of my kids have had problems with that so far and this went on for several days. I finally narrowed the problem down to a couple of things. Maybe it was teeth (I doubted it), maybe he had a headache for some reason (but then again, the several days thing made me doubtful), or maybe his neck was out of line and sore and needed adjusting. Well, the last was the one I acted on and Brandon took him to the chiropractor. I'm not sure if that was the problem, since Jeff really can't tell me what hurts yet, but he's been a different little boy ever since. He's back to playing and running around instead of spending the whole day laying on the couch and whining. The doctor didn't charge us for him either! So Praise the Lord for healing!

Week One is closing and I successfully made it the entire way. --This being the first time I've been totally "on duty" as mom, I was a little apprehensive about how things would go, but I'm happy to report that the week was great! I got unpacked, cleaned up the house, played with the kids, remembered Rachel- most of the time, and didn't die from exhaustion. One trick I'm learning is to involve the children in what I'm doing and make it fun for them. So, three times this week Jonathon (and James a couple) fixed dinner with me, once we made a dessert together. We took two nice walks together, they helped me with several "5 minute Room Rescues" (a FLYlady technique that works wonders) and I felt like I connected with them and got things done at the same time.

I'm relatively content and happy. --I can always find something to complain about, but things recently in that category seem to be minimal, so I'm very grateful. The weather is pleasant, my family is happy, I'm not dead from lack of sleep yet, and God has been merciful once again to give me the grace I need for the situation I'm in. My Mother continually reminds me (and I need it) that God doesn't give us grace for tomorrow's work, he gives it for what we're doing today. That has been so true. Before I had Rachel (and each child for that matter) I've wondered how in the world I would be able to manage the next one, but when the next one is here- there's grace to go with it. Of course, it's my responsibility to not weigh myself down with extra obligations so I can tap into that grace and use it effectively, but it's there- just for me and when I use it and don't jump on several other band wagons, I find myself happy, content, and fulfilled in life. That is a treasure!

Well, that's all I'll mention for now. I'm so thankful that God is watching over me and meeting my needs in such practical ways. Hope you all have a blessed Sabbath.