~Thankful for chill bumps~

Today I'm thankful for chill bumps.....it means I'm alive and able to feel. Life had gotten to a point this time last year that I was just going through the motions of life....not really feeling anything. Now there is no doubt I'm alive! In the last 8 months I have felt every emotion that exists, but the one I feel most is extreme happiness. Life is not for just going through the motions. We need to be alive and feel every experience. We need to do more than just exist.

Love to all,

~Day 8 of Thanks~

Today I am thankful for a warm, cozy house to protect my precious family. During the economic hard times, we are blessed to have our home. Being a teacher, I see so many kids who go without.... and my kids have pretty much all they want. I'm thankful that Wayne and I are both able to work and have college educations that enable us to make a nice living for our family...... even on the days when we complain about our jobs. :)

Sara got braces on her top teeth today, so we've had lots of complaining about pain. :)  Anna pulled a tooth last night, trying to catch up with her sister. Reed just wants some teeth. :)

Make it a great week! Love to all,

~7 Days of Thanks & 34 Weeks Old~

Today I'm thankful for an all-knowing Father who knows our needs even before we do. He protects us and provides for us. He carries us through the tough times when we turn to Him. I don't know how I would have survived our 52 days in Macon NNICU without Him. All of the prayers that were lifted to Him on behalf of Reed and for us as his parents definitely made a difference. I believe with my whole heart that we would not have our Reed today if it weren't for us, as his parents, totally turning him over to the Healing Father and turning to Him to get us through our dark days. I also believe that the prayers lifted up by so many of you magnified our pleas to God to heal our son. God definitely used Reed's crisis to work on others who needed to see something to make them believe in our Healing Father. I, as a mommy, cannot fathom knowingly and willingly sending any of my children to die on a cross....how that would have felt. I am so thankful that Our Father was willing to do that for us, His Children. Thank You, Lord, for giving Your Son for our sins.

Reed will be 34 weeks old in a few short hours. Of course, I have gobs of pics to share. :)  I cannot begin to tell you the depth of the happiness and joy he has brought to our lives. Not that all other babies don't do the same, but with Reed it all goes so much deeper because of his situation.

He is trying to sit up now. However, he has quite a belly to maneuver around, so he has a little trouble holding it up for long. :) Thank God for that belly, and every roll on his body!!! He still LOVES his bath time. I'm not sure who ended up getting more wet tonight....him or me..... 

The Thanksgiving season is here, and it will be so much more powerful this year with all the thanks we have to give! I hope your life has many thanks to give in this season of Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for all of you who continue to care and want to keep up with Reed's progress. You inspire me to continue this blog. We can't wait until we can share him with the world at his one-year birthday party!!! We are 2/3 of the way there!

Love to all,

~Day 6 of Thanks~

Day 6 - Today I am thankful for wonderful opportunities for my children to have once in a lifetime experiences. Sara had the best time at State Honor's Chorus, met knew friends, and learned some great musical lessons. I'm also thankful for WONDERFUL friends to help out when we are in need....to whom we can entrust our most prized possessions - our children. :)

We had a wonderful trip to Atlanta to experience State Honor's Chorus. We met some great people and reconnected with some old friends. Although very short and busy, this was a nice little getaway.....even in the freezing temperatures and rain. :) 

We drove up yesterday and spent the night. Anna and I did a little shopping while Wayne and Reed stayed at the hotel. A little more shopping this morning while Sara and the group had a final practice before the concert. We flew down to Forsyth to drop Reed ....and Anna..... off with our friends Hall & Melinda, who so graciously kept them for us to go to Sara's concert. I'm sure Anna had tons more fun playing than she would have at the concert. There were a bazillion people there! It was wonderful to see what our kids can do in such a short time. The kids practiced pretty much from noon to nine last night with a two hour supper break. Then they practiced from 8:45 to 11:45 this morning. WOW!!! What an amazing job they did with only 1 1/2 days of practicing.....singing from memory, sign language, and singing some songs in rounds. It was AWESOME!!!

We are all exhausted and settling down for the night. More tomorrow when our little miracle turns 34 weeks!!!!

Love to all,

~Days 4 & 5 of THANKS~

We are heading to Atlanta tomorrow afternoon. Sara is a part of the Elementary Honor's Chorus from all over the state. She will leave in the morning with the group to spend the day practicing for the concert on Saturday. We will join up with her tomorrow evening and spend the night. Saturday morning will begin with early practice until lunch. The concert is at 1:30. She is super excited, and has really enjoyed this opportunity. Because we will be out of town tomorrow, I am posting days 4 and 5 tonight.

I'm thankful for a new wonderful work place that is a great place to go each day. I am also thankful for supporting administration and a great group of teachers to work with. They have all made this year the best yet. Knowing you are appreciated makes a huge difference in your desire and effort at your job. Being told you are doing a good job makes it even better! God definitely blessed me by putting me right where I am this year. Blessings in disguise.... :)

Be sure to bundle up! This weekend is going to be COLD....especially in Atlanta! Make it a great Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Love to all,

~Day 3 of THANKS~

Today, Lord, I thank You for blessing me with a wonderful husband. In the past 12 1/2 years of marriage, he has continued to bless me with a wonderful life full of wonderful things, including our 3 precious children. He takes care of all of us in ways that so many others wish their husbands did. He picks up the slack where I leave off......which I have done a lot since March 14th. We often take each other for granted, but You have definitely set our priorities right in the past 8 months.

Love to all,

Day 2 of THANKS

Today I am thankful for all three of my perfectly healthy children. We learned this last time around that things can change so quickly for the worst in a matter of seconds...we went from a perfectly healthy pregnancy to emergency premature delivery with no chance of survival. Thank You, God, for blessing us with 3 healthy children.

Love to all,