Footie Pajamas and Thankfulness

I love this picture of all the kids in their footie pajamas! In another year or two, Amana will be too big for footie pjs, so this picture represents all my kiddos in the same season of childhood. Plus, it's not a bad picture of them all! I just commented to a friend that if they're all looking in the same direction, it's a good picture. With three out of four looking at the camera AND smiling, hey, that's a GREAT picture!

I've been trying to keep track of funny things the kids have done or said. I get so far behind in posting them that I often forget! But here are three relatively recent funnies:

• Anlynn asked if Isaac wore onesies. I said sometimes. Then she said, "Oh, well my baby wears onesies and twosies." :)
• We took the kids "hiking" a few weekends ago. There was a lot of cow poop where we were, so the kids learned about cowpies for the first time. Later Amana said, "Oh, look out for that...um...cow cake!"
• Anlynn is obsessed with turning five. I know it's months away, but she can't wait. Holding her hand up in front of me she said with a gleam in her eye, "When I'm five, I'll be a whole hand." It was like she was confiding a secret to me!

Homeschooling is going better than I could have imagined. Amana has suddenly become a real reader. She's been able to read for quite a while, but she's now starting to use inflection and tone while she reads. She picked up a library book today and read half of it aloud to herself...just because she wanted to! I love reading so much, it is a joy to see my children enjoy books as much as I do. Amana works very hard on spelling words each week. She hates to miss any, which is a good thing. However, I don't want her to equate her worth with her acheivement. I tell you, that's a hard thing to teach to a child who longs to be perfect! My ultimate desire is for her to find her value in Christ alone. Thankfully we have plenty of opportunities to talk about it.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, thankfulness is on my heart. A constant echo for me lately is Jesus...I'm so thankful for Him. For who He is, for what He has done in my life, for the way He loves me. He is the reason I live and the reason I love. I long to get to know Him more and more through His word, the Bible. Who am I that He should look my way? Oh, how blessed I am because of Him!

I'm also thankful for the health of my family. With all the hype about H1N1, fevers gallore, and all the regular germs that abound, I'm thankful that for right now, at least, my kiddos are healthy! Another thing I'm thankful for is the long stretch of beautiful weather. I love the cool crispness of fall, when the sun still shines and the sky is still blue. We've had quite a stretch of nice days, and I am thankful for them!

Besides spouses and children, what are you thankful for this year? I'd love to hear what they are, so shoot me an email or leave me a comment! Be blessed!