Thursday Thanks Tank #104

Every week, I take time to make a list of my thankful thoughts. Here is a sampling of what I am thankful for this week.

1. Play dough. Man, that stuff is goooood. It is the only thing that has kept my little girl happy the last hour before I pick up my oldest son before school. She is really ready for her nap but I hold her off until he gets home.

2. Routines. I am starting to find my Fall routine and it feels good. Two activities- no, make that 3, start this week and after that, I think we are all systems "Go" for Fall.

3. Dandelion Flowers. I loved watching the excitement of my kids as they ran through a field today grabbing flowers. The flowers are as special to me as the most beautiful bouquet in any florist shop.


4. My husband. I guess I can put him on my list every week if I want to, right? Today, he came home and "saved" me from a little girl that was way, way, waaay to tired. Remember how I have to work to keep her awake for her nap until late? Well, her not-so-quiet brothers woke her up from her nap not too long after she fell asleep. This afternoon was tough. My husband came home, handed me a $20 (he suggested that I get a quiet dinner out somewhere), and took my really cranky little sweetheart.

He's a good man.


5. My Elsie Daisy. She's a sweetheart. It was hard to see her so upset all afternoon when I knew it was just because she was extremely over tired.

Here she is during one of the only quiet moments of the late afternoon.


6. $20. What would you do with $20? Remember, I said my husband gave me $20 to get a quiet dinner for myself? Hee, hee... I went out to Starbucks, picked up a frappicino and a gift card for myself and then came back home for the dinner that I had already made. That's $20 well spent!

7. A Messy Room. I looked around at my living room today and just laughed. A tub of dress-up clothes was dumped out. There were costumes everywhere. A 4 year old Ninja turtle was drawing on a Magna Doodle. There were baby toys spread out on the remaining carpet. And, Elsie Daisy was bringing the toys in the kitchen. The closed tub of play dough was still sitting out next to the table. One child was reading a book on the couch and had various other books on the floor behind him. My other son was running from place to place. I laughed. I thought to myself- I am thankful for this. One day, when my house is neat and way too quiet, I will miss this.

8. Prayer. I have said it time and time again. I am thankful for prayer. I believe in it.
I have to end this thankful list with a prayer request. And, I am thankful for those of you that will lift this up in prayer.

Please say a prayer for my niece, Sarah. I'd love for you to pray tonight, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday... but if nothing else, say a simple prayer for her right now.

She had a procedure (a laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy) done this week that discovered a "laryngeal cleft" (or hole in the airway). The discovery was quite exciting. Sarah has not been able to drink fluids because they caused her to aspirate. All of her fluids had to be thickened. Until Monday, no one could figure out what was wrong. Monday's procedure found there is a cleft below the voice box in the trachea (air tube) that most likely is causing her aspiration.

She is having surgery to fix the cleft on Monday at Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital. This is a rare and serious surgery. Sarah has to to be there at 1pm. The surgery will start at 3pm. The surgery will take 2 hours. She will then be admitted to the intensive care unit. She will be in the hospital for 2-3 days depending on how things go.

Here's a picture of Sarah on Monday. She is such a tough little girl. She has been through so much.



Pray for Sarah, my sister Carrie and her husband John and their son Matt.

THANK YOU so much for your prayers.

I am thankful for your prayers.

~Take time to be thankful today. You will be better off for it.~