So after reading One Thousand Gifts I really wanted to start keeping track myself and I figure this is as good of a way as any t o keep track of them. so here goes... Oh and the kids are helping too:) 1. Healthyness 2.Good living 3. Mommy and Daddy 4. Not sick 5. Clothes and Food 6 Blue Blanket 7 Blue Jacket 8 sweet sticky kid hugs 9 Trains 10 "Sing, Sing. Sing" 11 Blue Bean Bag 12 God coins 13 A singing "Great is thy Faithfulness" while folding clothes 14 Z singing "keen up, Keen up" 15 laughing blue eyes 16 a's mothers heart 17 L concerned about people "glittering" (littering) on the street 18 Johns curiosity and strong will 19 a dedicated providing Husband 20a God who is Everything 21 some time of quiet 22 new friends and old friends This has been a busy day. kids still getting over the reminents of coughs. It really affects their attitudes when they are fighting off something... but we have started bible time in school again too coinsidence? hmmmm.... Samuel was up a bunch last night- at least every hour. Not sure if it is just congestion or just the teeth still working through. None through yet.... His latest accomplishment is climbing the stairs... at 7 months... a sign of another curious boy I think:)

Hello again...is anyone here...?:)

So I decided to come back..... I made a new friend who has inspired me to start blogging again, if only to record these moments of life that are speeding so quickly...too quickly by... I am hoping it will help me to slow down the time just a little bit to be able to breathe and enjoy it a whole lot more. And maybe years from now when my kids are older and they wonder what life was like just a blink ago, I can look back at this with them and have something to say... I have been following a couple wonderful blogs lately, inparticular A Holy Experience which is all about recognizing and being thankful for the many many gifts from God in our everyday lives. One of my goals in Blogging will be to have a place to record just some of these blessings. The kids have been doing this with me as well. If I post some with a letter after it, it is something one of the kids has written.... So what happened today....

Samuel was up most of the night with croup coughing and has had a fever all day. I was sitting holding him for his nap, watching as he slept. I was thinking how extremely exausting having a sick child is, but then I was also thinking how thanksful I was to be able to hold him and comfort him in this time. There is almost a sweetness in those still quiet hours holding a sleeping baby....

Zachariah is potty training... He is doing great if he has no pants on. Which makes it interesting if anyone unexpected comes to the door.... A couple tricks with potty training I have found. Zach first choice for potty training treats was nori-(seaweed) sheets. He was doing ok. Then I bumped it up to seaweed + chocolate chips ( known as chocolate swirls in our house) plus if any of the other kids on their own take him to go to the bathroom and he goes, they both get a treat. One other helpful tip I just realized... I was running low on chocolate swirls so I picked up some Trader Joes Dark chocolate sea salt almonds. Then when I take him and he goes I get one too:) This has been much more motivating for me:)

Lydia is doing her own hair now She is fixing it in 2 pony tails with a little hanging down in the back that she can't reach I think:) Then she completes the look with clip on bows. She LOVES brushing and doing her hair fancy...

Anna is quite a big sister. She loves to play with Samuel and make him laugh. She loves singing to him and Jesus. She is writing her own musicals and her own praise songs.

John is still a Train expert. His latest is HO model trans and has a few different ones. He is continually working on rearranging his layout. He has Tons of energy and I am continually looking for ways to creatively channel that for good.... Life is busy...Life is Good....