Thankful Friday

1. I'm thankful for summer vacation.  The kids and I got to hang out at the park and have a swim date with some friends this week.  So fun!

2. I'm thankful that peaches are in season.

3. Marcus' new school approved OT & PT to continue throughout the summer break.  I'm thankful for this provision and that he got to have his first 2 sessions with his new therapists this week.  He was cooperative and they said he worked hard, which I'm thankful for.

4. I'm thankful that Marcus' speech has been exploding as of late.  He's got a lot more consonants under his belt than he had even last week.  And who knew that learning to say "uh-oh" and "help" would curb so much of his frustration?!  Praying for continued improvements and that as he learns to say more, his anger and frustration will dissipate more.  Praying also that more speech would allow him to interact more with his peers.

5. The kids have been playing together so well lately.  Daily, I hear them giggling by themselves most likely due to some weird humor that they share together.  (You end any sentence with "underwear" and they both crack up.)  I love that they wrestle together and that Marcus bugs Audrey like any little brother would.  He'll purposely crash the creations she makes out of blocks with the most rascally grin on his face.  And even though it annoys her, I secretly love it because it's such a typical younger brother thing to do.  Despite the occasional bickering (which I get a kick out of), they're best buds and I'm so thankful for that.

6. I'm thankful that Mike shared with me the "warm fuzzy" excitement he has about this baby.  We could so easily be swallowed up by anxiety of all the unknowns, but the Lord has graciously allowed us to have hope and to eagerly await this little guy to join the family.  The worries are still there, but thankfully they are undergirded by the promises God gives us to love us through everything.

7. I got to hang out with my gals, Jenny, Jeanne, & Joan yesterday.  We got together with our  7 kids and 2 more on the way, and I really enjoyed our special day together.  We don't get to do this too often, so it was a treat.  So thankful how God is taking care of each of them, though their trials are each so different.

8. I also had the chance to grab some coffee and dessert at night with my friend Jane, whose friendship I really treasure as well.

9. Tonight, Mike and I get to take Audrey on a surprise date to have dinner and watch Toy Story 3.  She's gonna go wild!  Thanks to Auntie Miriam for babysitting Marcus tonight!