Counting His Blessings #1081-1121

Whoa!!

What a fantastic past two weeks here in our home and with friends and family. This season of celebrating the birth of our Savior has been wonderful, filled with God's graces everywhere. And it isn't over yet. This next weekend, we travel to see my family and spend the day with them celebrating all over. Graces yesterday, graces today, and graces tomorrow.

Our family on Christmas morning 2012!

I will warn you this list is long... His gifts are abundant. AMEN!!

1081. our co-op performing their play on the birth of Christ in a nursing home.
1082. the singing of the residents in the nursing home with the children as they sang
1083. those smiles on the faces of the residents... faces all lit up.
1084. our children... learning to serve and bless others.
1085. 25 lil girls dressed up as the princesses they are, making jewelry and me... getting to teach them Psalm 45:11. Their King is entralled by their beauty, how are they to honor Him.

all dressed up for her princess party

still silly as ever... which only makes her more beautiful

1086. coming home that same day to the horrific news of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting... this opening my heart more to pray for our country, for the lost, for God's light to shine in the darkenss.
1087. for a God Who hears my prayers
1088. for a God Who can heal and will heal broken hearts
1089. that God is so much bigger then the evil in this world
1090. that those lives of those precious children, their lives, they matter... praying for great miracles and breakthroughs through their testimonies!
1091. that we "walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7)
1092. evidenced of yummy chocolate chip cookies all over Abigail's face
1093. all of us at home together, spending the day in sweatpants. Sweatpants are from heaven!!!
1094. celebrating Brent's Grandma's bday and seeing lots of family.
1095. a top only decorated Christmas tree - evidence of a very spunky 1yr. old in the house.
1096.celebrating Abigail having Jesus in her heart for one whole year.
1097. how what we are studing in BSF and what we our studing in our history curriculum lines up perfectly.
1098. God's provision as always!
1099. taking off of homeschool for Christmas break for 3 weeks!!!!
1100. officially ending my first yr of homeschooling
1101. legos
1102. our Christmas angel - you know who you are... if you are reading this, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. Your heart is overflowing with the true gift of Christmas. Thank you for blessing us!!!
1103. making Christmas cookies

1104. decorating those cookies with Daddy

1105. delivering the cookies to our neighbors and friend

they loved doing this for our neighbors!

1106. getting to make pies by myself while Brent took the kids shopping in the holiday madness
1107. my mother - in - law having me over and sharing her stuffing recipe with me.. yay!!
1108. chicken noodle soup for our Christmas Eve dinner - our own lil famly's tradition
1109. a 2nd visit from our Christmas angel on Christmas Eve night!!!! The first was unexpected, but a 2nd visit... we were beyond our imaginations blessed. There really are no words!!
1110. Isaiah getting to the presents Christmas morning before anyone else. OOPS!
1111. taping the 1/2 opened gift back up, smiling, and loving my spunky 1 yr old.
1112. CHRISTmas... this CHRIST, God with us!!!

Christmas morning!!!

1113. peppermint mocha creamer (the only thing better then this is Dr. Pepper and a snickers!)
1114. snow coming down on Christmas morning

1115. enjoying a wonderful meal with Brent's family on Christmas day.
1116. not a wink of sleep - 2 babies throwing up all night, as hard as it was... oh my, those two were so darn sweet.
1117. Brent - what would I do without him? He is my partner, 100%. I am so blessed to do this whole parenting journey with him.

I love this man!!!

 

1118. Abigail after throwing up countless times, looks up at me, pulls me close and whispers in my ear, "my heart is clapping!"
1119. snow again
1120. Isaiah's joy of the snow!

1121. 4 out of 5 of us down with a stomach bug.... God so graciously making it to wear either Brent or me was up while the other was down. What a ride!!!
1122. taking the kids shopping for their cousins' Christmas gifts. I said to them, "you have been blessed, now it is time for us to go and bless others." Joshua and Abigail took it seriously. Being blessed by our angel this year opened all of our eyes to giving in a whole new way. They searched those aisles for the perfect gift for each of their cousins and were so proud when it was all done.

Our greatest gifts

are always

right

in front of us!!!