Thankful Thursday

"The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad."

Psalm 118:24

I have to admit that sitting down and concentrating on the many blessings in my life is causing me to be more of a gracious person. It seems that I should automatically live with an attitude of gratitude but sadly that is not the case. Having to regularly thank God for moving and working in my life is helping me to actually open my eyes wide enough to see what God has done and in response 'rejoice and be glad'. I believe my outlook is changing for the better and for this I am thankful.

Today I am thankful for...

• The Advent season. The anticipation of Christ's birth. Christmas decorations, parties and warm scarfs.
• Heat. Our furnace has been acting up. Two nights without heat in CO - not a good thing! Thank goodness the furnace is still under warranty because the 8 hours Mr. Fix-it worked on it could have been costly.
• The shrinking pile of laundry - almost done!
• My adorable tots who give me reasons to laugh every day

What do you have to 'rejoice and be glad' in?

What a Rascal

This morning I dressed Caleb in this appropriate shirt after his bath. No, we don't normally bathe the kids in the morning but today started out like no other...

The twins awoke around 6:30am. They were giggling, talking back and forth and playing their typical crib games (or so we thought).

By 7:00am it was unusually quiet.

When we entered the room we found Caleb buck naked in his crib (Carissa was laughing and egging him on). At first we thought it was funny (we've found Carissa in the buff before) but then we saw the unthinkable.

Yup, you guessed it, PEE & POOP! Caleb not only peed all over his sheets, blankets, and stuffed animals, but he also pooped! And to make matters worse he thought it was funny.

He quickly understood that his 'accident' was not acceptable but I'm praying 'Lord, please let this be a one time incident'!

It was gross.

Jeff stripped the bed and put everything in the laundry. With no need to strip Caleb I plopped him in the bathtub and scrubbed him from head to toe.

Our Caleb, we love him dearly but he can be a little Rascal!

Don't you love those curls?

08 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was at the Kintner's house in Golden, CO. It was a fun day of cooking, watching the Macy's Day parade, eating yummy food, playing charades, and just being together as a family.

The tots enjoyed their baby cousin Olivia, especially Carissa who laid next to her and talked to her for awhile.

The tots loved playing with their fun cousin Kelci who made them giggle all day with wrestling, tickling, pretend games and more... Kelci also taught Carissa several funny phrases with motions - she hasn't forgotten them and now repeats them at random.


A highlight of the day for the twins was taking a spin (or several spins) on Grandma's quilt rack. Personally I was a little jealous - doesn't this look like fun?

The Twins First Cup of Ice Cream

During our trip to AZ my mom, aka 'Nana' took the twins to Dairy Queen for thier first cup of ice cream. True to their personalities Carissa ate her ice cream in a slow, neat, dainty-like fashion while her brother Caleb ate his at a quicker pace, a shoveling-like manner resulting in a creamy face.

Proof that Caleb's bites are not dainty. Nor are they neat.

Carissa ate about half of her ice cream. Caleb on the other hand ate all of it. When he got to the bottom of the cup he tipped his head back, drank the melted cream and said 'MORE'!

Thankful Thursday

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1st Thessalonians 5:18

• I am thankful that we returned safe and sound from our family trip to AZ. Yesterday was a long day of traveling but the little ones were troopers. All of us are very happy to be in the comfort of our own home. Jeff and I were ecstatic (and I mean ECSTATIC) to sleep in our king size bed - it was heaven! And the kids are very happy to be back in their familiar surroundings. There really is no place like home.
• I am thankful that we got to see my mom every day during our visit. We all had good health and truly cherished our time together.
• I am thankful that God provides for us - spiritually, physically, emotionally, monetarily...in every way.

What are you thankful for today?

Be on the lookout - I'll be posting some pictures of our visit to AZ very soon!

Thankful Thursday

"We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near;

men tell of your wonderful deeds." Psalm 75:1

Thankful living...it is an attitude I'm acquiring an appetite for.

I say 'acquiring' because my cravings aren't as weighty as I want them to be - I'm a work in progress.

I am however finding myself gradually hungering for a deeper understanding of God's goodness. This hunger is causing me to cultivate a sense of appreciation for the inherent fullness of life - to help me to see what is right and good in my life and to focus on what I have rather than what I lack.

So today I am THANKFUL for:

• homemade bread given to us by one of Jeff's co-workers
• an unexpected shopping trip where I scored some bargains!
• my chiropractor relieving my terrible neck pain
• events to look forward to - the women's retreat and our family trip to AZ!
• my friend Tammy whom I am co-leading worship with at the women's retreat. I am also grateful and that she is bringing me a sleeping bag and a flashlight - 2 things I would have forgotton had she not offered to bring them for me!
• the Lord's graciousness and compassion to me

"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name." Psalm 103:1

GO BRONCO'S!

All of you football fans out there know that the Denver Broncos played the Miami Dolphins today. Carissa watched some of the game with daddy - she was his little sidekick. Before long she was saying 'go go go' and 'Go Bronco's'!
Even with the 'cutest cheerleader' ever the Bronco's still couldn't get it together!

FYI...Caleb wasn't too in to the game. We attribute this to our friend Paul who has indoctrinated Caleb. Since day 2 Paul has tried to get Caleb to say 'Go Chiefs'! Oh no...not the Chiefs!