Well I am pretty sure I hit my all time lowest number of posts in a month in November! That is the result of a few things including minor illnesses, ordinary busy days with our brood, evenings on the couch relaxing with father bird & just plain enjoying the holiday season leaving little time to blog. A goal (among many) in the next week is to catch up so first things first.....
Thankful Tree 2013
Does it look a little bare? Like maybe a wind blew threw & sent leaves flying off the tree? Well, if you consider the two year old in our home & the hurricane force winds from the way she runs around this nest coupled with our inability to actually write on a leaf every day of November, it makes for a bare tree. This in turn does not mean that we are not thankful : )
I looked back at our previous Thankful Tree posts & laughed at how pretty the table looked. It really doesn't look all that bad compared to many mornings but there is a smattering of additional items tabletop including some purple pants which means someone (ie Eloise) was running around pant-less again. There are a couple paper airplanes & the box of cheerios that has made it's permanent home about two feet away from the boys' assigned spots. In the background there are two high chairs with butternut squash & broccoli puree smeared & hardened on the trays from the night before....I really try to clean after each meal but it doesn't always happen.
As for the amount of leaves written on, I am struggling to stay in a routine so we wrote on a few leaves maybe even up to five at a time & quit on day 16 ha! We did talk often of what we were thankful for, it just never made it to the tree.
Here are the things that did....
- the Ziel family
- God's provision for helpful people
- "God makes us strong & fights for us" - Charlotte
- day four was MIA- Probably blown away by those hurricane force winds
- Fall weather in Florida
- God's character
- "lizards"- Eloise
- Hearts that are learning to trust God
- Ryan, Leah & their commitment to serve Christ
- Tickle fights
- Aunt Jenny helping our family
- pink eye stye medicine
- "For the food God makes in Florida" - Charlotte
- the kindness & patience of Mrs. Liz, Charlotte's teacher
- Books
- Grandparents that love & care for our family
Following six weeks of illness among the kids. We were all well for two days until I woke up Monday morning with a painful stye, itchy & gooey eyes. Rockstar Aunt Jenny took care of my four & her two while I went to a neighborhood clinic to be diagnosed & treated for pink eye in BOTH eyes!! I was SO thankful for those eyedrops to help me feel better & look less zombie like & prevent the spreading of it among the rest of the family.
We have loved participating in Classical Conversations this year & have been thankful for Mrs. Liz, Charlotte's teacher. She is kind & patient providing just the right balance of challenge & encouragement for a timid (in groups) first born child. We are on break until January & Charlotte can hardly wait to go back!
I did not take a picture of the one that said "lizards" by Eloise but seriously, she really is thankful for lizards. She loves them & squats down to take a look at each & every one we pass on the sidewalk. She tells me "look at the lizard God made, he is so boo-tiful mommy!"
We were riding in the car one afternoon & Charlotte said "I love God & I love Jesus Eloise." Eloise said "me too." Charlotte said "I trust him." It really surprised me because it seems like there has been a lot of input on our part to help the girls understand who God is, how He loves & cares for us & what our response should be. With all the input, it has felt like there was not a whole lot of output on their part to let us know anything was sinking in. To hear her say those words & provide another opportunity to explore her thoughts & pray for her was a delight to my soul.
Oh how thankful we are for others kindness extended to our family over the past year! A couple weeks ago, we passed the year mark from when we had the first ultrasound that revealed the boys were growing at different rates & the seemingly endless amounts of appointments & emotional ups & downs began. God was so good to provide countless family & friends to serve in a variety of ways. Once the boys arrived we continued to be blessed by others coming alongside us to help care for our busy nest by providing meals, letting me rest while they cared for the children, offering encouraging words & praying without ceasing. We give thanks to God for meeting our needs & we thank those of you who have loved our family well through a challenging year.
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