thankful heart

veggie tales quote: 'a thankful heart is a happy heart.'
i've been singing that song in my head all week. and its done me good. there is so much wisdom in that little sentence. our views on our lives, our views on our troubles-we can be joyful about it when we are thankful about it.

i feel like this thanksgiving i am more thankful-truly thankful than i have been in a long time. i say 'truly' thankful because i think its easy to be thankful when things are easy. and for most of my life, things have been easy. they still are, relatively speaking, but this semester was a hard one.
i climbed mountains within myself that i didnt know existed. i struggled with life and the everyday tasks before me more than i thought possible. and i experienced emotions (fear, anxiety, sadness) to a depth which i hope i never have to face again. BUT i have also experienced tenderness, community, & faithfulness in a way i hope to enjoy again.
and through this hard season i literally felt God popped his head up in circumstances to remind me "youre not alone and i know exactly what youre going through and there is a reason for it." sometimes its easier to deal with things if we know there is a reason for it. i know i am stronger person for this season of struggle and that makes a huge difference.
i also experienced the love of a husband that laid down his life for me everyday. who faithfully took care of kids when i couldn't, who spent hours every night talking and talking and talking (not a husbands perfect evening!), and who tenderly walked me through the hardest season of my life. for that, i am oh so thankful.

so i'm thankful. i'm thankful for times of darkness which brings sharper vision and clarity. for friends and family that faithfully listen and talk. for my husband and children which bring upspeakable joy. and for God who patiently loves his children and never leaves us just the way we are.

birthday blessings

i couldnt ask for a better life....

sweetness

while in nashville a few weeks back maggie got to play with her "first friend." i always called evan her first friend because he was born exactly 30 days after her and i was up in the middle of the night nursing when i got a text that he was born. during this playdate alice and i actually got to talk for like 3 hours straight because evan and maggie played so well and entertained themselves without...it was so nice!

my little goblins

auntie love

even though aunt nikki doesnt get to see them very often, she makes up for it with super gifts and super hugs and kisses! back in september (playing blog catch up) aunt nikki flew in from california for a weekend of kid time. we did lots of parks, great meals, walks and had great weather. then she made us an amazing dinner....hmmmm, i can still taste it.
one of the fun things we did was go to grants farm. we hadnt been there before and it was fun to experience with nicole. the goats were a bit aggressive and scared us all to death, so we ended up feeding them from outside of the fence! the clydesdales were my favorite and the kids loved them too!
we love and miss you aunt nikki!

what's a better fall activity?

apple and pumpkin picking....is there any other way to enjoy the first hints of fall? i think not! we drove down to illinois to enjoy the beautiful weather and teach the kids about orchards and green pumpkins.

kite flying

my husband loves to fly a kite. as a teenager he would take his kite to the beach and just lay down in the sand and stare up at the kite for hours. he loved it. last weekend he taught maggie to love it too. it was the first coldish day we have had. Abraham & I sat on the hill, had snacks and watched the sky and the marvelous clouds. it was a good family day. we were in our favorite place-Forest Park.