Thankful Thursday

1.  My mother-in-law, Pam, whose birthday is today.  She's always there to lend a helping hand or a listening ear, but never in a "so helpful it's unhelpful" way.  With all the mother-in-laws jokes and stories I've heard over the years, I realize how very, very blessed I am to have such a great one!

2.  Strong grandparents.  My grandfather fell ill again and was put back in the hospital and then rehab a couple of weeks ago.  Yesterday, he was well enough to be sent home.  David's Grandmother has also had major health issues the past week.  Yesterday she underwent open heart surgery that entailed two valve replacements and a by-pass.  The doctors said it was quite a complicated surgery, especially for someone her age.  She has a long road of recovery ahead of her, but so far, she's doing well all things considered.  Pray both of them continue to heal well!

3.  A new contract.  After nearly a month and over a dozen showings, we're under contract again on our house.  What's more, our prospect house is still available!  By the end of the weekend, we hope to be under contract on it.  We are feeling every emotion you can imagine about this situation:  skeptical, hesitant, hopeful, excited, nervous, etc.  I will say that without a doubt, though, we realize that no matter what happens this go-round, we are going to be just fine.  Our prayer is for God's will to be done and for His best for us to take precedent, whatever that may be.  Stay tuned!

4.  David being home.  He was in Norway last week and Wyoming the first part of this week.  It's the first he's traveled since June, so we're thankful for that, but boy are back-to-back weeks tough.  I lined up plenty of help and play dates and we mustered through, but I am extremely grateful he's home with nothing else on his itinerary at the moment!

5.  Family movie nights.  For the past month or so, we've started a little tradition on Sunday afternoons. After nap time, we hit the pool with the kids, then come home to bathe them, order pizza, and watch a movie together.  (Or at least, David and I trade off watching a movie with Audrey while the other plays or walks around with Luke.)  Her first movie was Cinderella, then we watched Winnie-the-Pooh, Curious George, Toy Story, and It's a Bug's Life (she only made it through about half of that one.)  We've had to fast forward through several "scary" parts in each one and I think we're going to dial it back to Veggie Tales for the next couple of weeks, because the last two have been a bit too mature for her.  But, we have really enjoyed having the time together and it certainly ends the weekend on a fun note. 

Prayers for our house situation, a restful Labor Day weekend, and a great first day of preschool for AJ, please!!!  More updates to follow on all that and more, plus a recap of August and new pics coming soon, so check back next week.