Thankful Thursdays

Today, I am thankful for...

1. Food coloring. A long shot turned into a sure thing. On Tuesday at work I was thinking about what we could do to help teach Matthew how to use the potty. I was thinking about how much he likes colors. He is very into mixing colors and remembering what 2 colors change into (e.g., red and yellow make orange, blue and red make purple). It hit me! Maybe we could use food coloring in the toilet to make Matthew more interested in it. I know it seems gross, but hey, after our last potty training adventure, I was willing to try just about anything. It has worked like a charm. NO ACCIDENTS! 2 1/2 days and we are off and running. I am not about to think that we are completely out of the woods, but this experience has almost been pleasanet (I mean, as pleasant as mixing pee into multiple colors can be).
2. An opportunity tomorrow. More on this later.
3. Another opportunity to teach at Huntington University this semester. I am almost done with all the preparations. I am looking forward to having the same students again this semester!!
4. Great weather. We have had some great days lately! Loving playing outside!
5. Fix n freeze meals. Our church started this new program last month and we have 9 meals in our freezer ready to eat! Tonight we had crescent roll pizza! It was fantastic, especially since Mommy had no prep time today to make it!

Have a great week!

Where has the time gone?

Our little boy turned 3 this week! We had a pirate-themed party and Matthew received beautiful gifts from our family. Thank you to all who made his birthday special for him!

Three years ago today we brought our baby home from the hospital. He was so little and cried most of the first night. I remember wondering if life would ever be the same. The easy answer was NO!! Life is so much better than it was 3 years ago!!! I have 2 beautiful babies who I adore, and while we struggle with all the regular toddler craziness (x2) everyday; I am so thankful for this journey.
Our neighbor girl who babysits for us was over tonight. She was showing me her new clothes for the start of high school and I just kind of paused and thought about how in the blink of an eye we are going to be shipping these kids off to high school and wonder where the time went. It was in that moment that I thanked God for the simple struggles we face everyday: sharing (or lack thereof), eating (err, dropping food on the floor), and bedtime (the nightly ritual of Ella trying everything she can think of to get out of going to bed and Matthew coming downstairs about 20 minutes after we put him to bed to tell us he wants something to eat). I know our struggles will get more complex as the years pass, but today it made me thankful for where we are on the journey right now.

Ryan's family

Jamie's family

Us.

Can't imagine loving 3 faces anymore!

I am blessed!