Thankful days 16 - 21

Day 16 - Chaselyn Today is Chaselyn's third birthday. That's why I was kind of nostalgic in the post yesterday. My little girl is 3. Can you believe it? Three years ago we were a couple, but Chaselyn made us a family. So special! I am so proud of her. She's simply incredible. She speaks in full complete sentences and with purpose. She's a loving sister (sometimes a little too much). She has an awesome memory (this scares me sometimes). She sings the best songs (both real and made up). She is very inquisitive (this too scares me a bit). She is creative. She's amazingly well dressed. She is absolutely the most beautiful, most intelligent, most entertaining little 3 year old.

I love my sweet little girl and I thank God for blessing me with her 3 years ago.
 
Day 17 - ability to drive
Day 18 - The holidays
Day 19 - food, family, and football
Day 20 - my childhood
Day 21 - rain and cooler weather

Days 12 - 15

Day 12- I was thankful for being so blessed that we could ask our friends to donate a toy in honor of Chaselyn's birthday instead of having more stuff.

Day 13 - I was thankful for my mother-in-law Debbie. She raised an amazing son. She has supported our relationship since day one. She has been uber-helpful since my diagnosis. And it was her birthday.

Day 14 - I was thankful for the simplicity of balloons bringing so much joy to my children's faces.

Day 15 - Today I am thankful for tiny blessings that start out as a feeling, then a heartbeat, then little flutters, then kicks, then they come into the world in all of God's glory. It is amazing. And I'm honored to be called Mommy by two of the most precious babies in God's creation.

A hint for tomorrow's post: Cake

***Originally the hint for tomorrow was a 3. This resulted in a flurry of texts from 2 very excited and concerned friends wondering if I was pregnant. I assured them that it would be very ill-advised to even think of things of that nature. So if you did see my post in those few minutes before I changed it, and you too were either concerned or excited, I apologize.***

Day 11

I've been waiting for-ev-er to write this post. Today I am thankful for MaryAnn, more familiarly known as MA. I love MA. She's my bestie. I'm not really sure when our friendship blossomed. MA says she can remember the first day she saw me, I don't remember. Our friendship evolved over doorway conversations about her amazing daughter, tasty things to eat, and the occasional conversation about statistics. Then once we realized we shared a common devotion to God and our families our conversations got a little more intimate. She entrusted me with her most prized possessions, Caroline, and I knew I was in.

She was there for me when I was tired of working. She was there for me when I just needed a quick laugh. She was there for me through 2 pregnancies. She was there for me during the transition time between student and grown-up. And even though she's a few 100  miles away, she's still there for me. She's always been there when I need her. She can just tell when something is off. She knows me. She gets me.

I've never had a friend like MA before, and I don't think I ever will again. So, I'm just gonna keep her.

Day 10

Today I am thankful for a little devotional book called "Jesus Calling". This book was given to me by another church family member on my first trip back to church AD (after diagnosis). Since then I have relied on this book to get me out of my funk. The book is written from Jesus' perspective and it's as if He's talking to you. Now, I'm not saying that the words are from God, but I do feel they are inspired words. And it's kind of scary how it always seems to fit the problems I'm facing. I highly recommend this little book.

Day 9

Today I am thankful for the nurse figuring out she could get the blood she needed from a finger prick.

Days 5 - 8

So I actually did write something on Saturday, but it was lost somehow the internets froze up and it was lost. On Saturday the 5th, I was thankful for football games and all the things that go along with it. I was thankful that on Friday night we were able to enjoy the homecoming festivities and that continued on Saturday with the parade. Up in Fayetteville, I know there was tailgating family and friends. And the weather in the fall is the perfect complement to the activities. Then there is the actual game. College football is my favorite sport. I think it's the young men giving it their all just for the honor of winning. On Sunday the 6th, I was very thankful for my church family. We recently found out that there is a good chance that we will be moving in the coming year. It tears my heart out to think about leaving my new family. I already had to leave my biological family a few years ago with the promise that we would be back in a few years. Of course that last part was not actually fulfilled, but by the time we realized that we wouldn't be going back to AR we had already gained a new family down here. This family has been with us through it all just as my biological family. They were there through 2 pregnancies, 2 babies, numerous prayer requests, and when I was diagnosed with cancer it was my church family who was able to take care of the little things so my biological family could focus on me and my needs. They have watched my kids. They fed my family. They have shared in our joy. They have shared in our sorrows. We have grown in the love of God so much while at this church, it is the first church I've been able to call home. On Monday the 7th, I was thankful for my Mommy. My mom came down to Waco again to help me take care of the kids and the house while I take my chemo. I love having my mom here. She just gets me. She understands how I think (you know because she raised me and all). She can commiserate with my cancer pains, since she herself has been fighting cancer since August 2010. She has managed to be away from her husband for weeks at a time, without complaint. She's there, or here, for me whenever I call. She's my Mommy and I'm just starting to find out what that really means. Today the 8th I am thankful for these ease of communication these days. I can write one post and people all over the world can read it. With email, text messages, cell phones, etc. we can quickly disperse information. Sometimes the information is important like the news of new babies on the way and sometimes it is just ridiculous and pointless. But no matter what you have to say there is a medium for you to get the message across.

Thankfulness

I attempted to write something at approximately 11:58 last night. But with only 2 minutes I didn't think I could do justice for anything that I'm really thankful for. So I just went to sleep. Yesterday I was thankful for my ability to walk. It's the little things. The things you don't even think about. The things you take for granted. I have been reminded of this through 2 very powerful ways this week. On Sunday as I stood to worship and raised my right arm, I realized that less than 6 months ago I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to do that again. Then on Wednesday, Chaselyn went to BSF with Mrs. Laura and came home having learned the story of Barnabas and Paul healing the lame man. The memory verse for the week is "He had faith to be healed" Acts 14:9. Again I was struck with an appreciation for my working legs. Today I am thankful for weekends. I can't wait for the weekend. My family spending time together. Watching some football. I think Stanton's even planning on grilling tonight. It's an amazing time. And then on Sunday we'll get up and go to church. We love our church family. Then Sunday afternoons are usually spent cleaning or resting. I love the weekends!

Today I am thankful for...

...this little guy.

Today is Jacob's 18 month birthday. It's kind of bittersweet as any milestone the kids reach is. But today I will choose to be happy with my growing boy. (Not sad about how time has passed.)

Yesterday I was thankful for hearing this song on the radio (Caution: If you know anyone going through a difficult time in their lives it will make you cry).






If you are already a sobbing mess like I was, then DO NOT watch this.



Matt Hammitt - Story Behind "All Of Me" by EMI_Music

I told you not to watch it.

I will attempt to write something everyday until Thanksgiving. Sometimes I'll write a lot sometimes just a sentence. Sometimes deep, sometimes silly. But I will try to at least share one thing I am thankful for.