Day 14 of 365...

Day 14 of 365... Thankful for the internet.

...because, without it, there are soooo many people  I would lose touch with. I tried to avoid facebook for two years, but after a little peer pressure I gave in and joined the ranks of the facebook society. It helps me feel connected, which is good, because as a 'stay at home mom' I tend to feel isolated from the rest of the world at times.

Like anything else, I think there is a right and a wrong way to use it. And I have seen so many people abuse it, and seen/read many things I wish I had not. But I use it for it's helpful attributes. And I am glad we have access to it =)

Day 13 of 365...

Day 13 of 365... Thankful for little 'keep-sakes.'

Most of you will look at this picture and see a cooking utensil, but it is much more than that to me. I look at this and see a little piece of my great-grandmother, "Nanny Silk." Each time I use this ladle in my own meal preparation I still feel that little child inside of me, anxious for whatever she was cooking to be ready to eat...  You see, this was hers. And when I was little, I thought her cooking was the best! To this day I still would give a million dollars just to taste her food.

I may not be the great cook that she was, but when I use this ladle in my own kitchen today, I feel like a tiny bit of my Nanny Silk is with me. And the memories of her are precious to me.

Day 12 of 365...

Day 12 of 365... Thankful for happy children!

Today I am thankful that my children are happy and well adjusted. Many may take this for granted, but if you have happy, well adjusted babies you should really be thankful. My kids have so much fun together, and they enjoy each other.

I worried and worried when I was pregnant with our second child that I was taking away somehow from our first, even though the entire reason I wanted to have a second baby was so that our first would have someone for the rest of his life that he shared a bond with. Seeing them now, together, and how much fun they have together, is priceless to me.

We worried about the age gap- but I see in my boys that they are perfect for each other, and God, as usual, knew best. The 2.5 years (and one day! haha) age difference works well for them, and for us. Each and every day with my boys is so fun, and I wouldn't trade the lack of sleep and loads of laundry and messes for anything else in the world. =)

Day 11 of 365...

Day 11 of 365... Thankful for dinner with my family.

Tonight's menu: ''Chicken-a-la-king' with a side salad, and a big helping of togetherness.

Today I am grateful that my husband, boys, and I can all sit down and enjoy a meal together.

When I was a child and I pictured myself as a 'grown up' with a family of my own, I pictured that my husband and children and I would all sit down together in the evenings and have dinner together. Many people probably may not think twice about this, but as a child who grew up in a split family I so desperately wanted that home with a 'Mommy, Daddy, and 2.5 kids'. (I always wondered what the ".5" was, I assume now that maybe the '.5' is the family pet, since he was sortof our practice child, haha!)

Today I am the Mommy, with a husband of my own --and he is a fine Daddy to our two boys. He was not put on a day time schedule where he could be home with us in the evenings until a few months after the birth of our second child. Having him here in the evenings is wonderful for several reasons; mostly for the babies, who get to spend more quality time with their Daddy ... but for us as well as our family as a whole.

He is finally here, at home, for dinner time- and as we all sit at the table, bow our heads and thank God for the meal before us and another day that He has given us, I also thank Him for this time together with my family.

Day 10 of 365...

Day 10 of 365: Thankful for song-writers who get 'it'.

(I suppose I could also title this "Thankful for music, for allowing me to create a soundtrack of my life.")

There is one song in particular which touches me. I cried the first time I heard it. John Mayer is the writer and singer, and part of the chorus says:

"Fathers be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do,

Girls become lovers, who turn in to mothers,

So mothers be good to your daughters too..."

Having been the child of a so called 'broken home' and living through one bad divorce between my mother and father, my childhood was one that I could never wish upon a child. When I heard this song, I felt like it could have been written for me, or about me. To listen to this song (even today, although now I am at peace with whatever feelings once ailed me over broken relationships within my life from childhood to adulthood) is therapy. While I am grateful now for the lessons I have learned from other peoples' choices, I spent many days sad over those choices my own parents made. My father battled his own demons for years before finally walking a path that would bring him closer to God (and I am so proud of him today!) and my mother chose to opt out of her role as a parent after only 9 short years. I credit the choices of my predecessors partly in my own choices (both good and bad) which have been made in my own relationships. Yes, I love that John Mayer song. It is one on the 'soundtrack' of my life.

Whether I want to hear something to remind me to look to my God, or to get me energized for the day with a little heavier guitar riff, I have a song for that. If I'm angry and need to hear someone sing something a little less 'rainbows and sunshine', I have a song for that. I have songs I sing to my children to get them to sleep, songs that my husband and I sing which take us back to our dating days when we drove around Grayson for hours on end just enjoying each other, I have a song to take me back to that. There is another song which reminds me of my parents' divorce. Strange enough, today it comforts me in a way it didn't 20 years ago. I have songs that remind me of my teenage years with my friends in highschool. Mostly those songs make me miss my friends, but I am thankful for the memories we made together. 

There is a country song that goes something like this, and it sums this post up pretty perfectly:

"Aint it funny how a melody can bring back a memory?

Take you to another place and time

Completely change your state of mind..." 



Day 9 of 365...

Day 9 of 365...Thankful for extra 'free time' with my hubby!

Due to a new schedule at work, the hubster got 3 days off in a row over the weekend instead of his usual two in a row. This actually put me a day behind on my blog, and I couldn't be happier. I would take more time with B over sitting in front of the computer wasting time ANY day!

Day 8 of 365...

Day 8 of 365... Thankful for the wisdom of couples who have chosen 'forever' together...



To the left, are Brandon's grandparents, who celebrated 65 years of marriage last week. To the right, are my grandparents, who married at only 16, never stopped loving each other, and chose to spend their senior days together, until my Papaw went to be with the Lord a few years ago. 

The wisdom, life experience, and advice of couples like this is priceless to me. I could sit for hours upon hours and listen to these couples talk about marriage, the struggles, and choices they made along the way to get to where they are in life together. They are the best kind of role models.

In my life I have seen too many marriages that fell apart, for whatever reasons. Some valid, and some that just didn't make any sense at all. I think too often in today's world that when things get tough people tend to just quit, rather than 'keep on truckin' and stick it out. It makes me sad. Granted there are some instances where I understand the choice people make to end their marriage, but for me personally, my husband and I have chosen to stick it out and make things work.

Do we love each other? Absolutely. Do we drive each other insane at times? Without a doubt! Have their been times when we wanted to punch each other in the face and run as far away from each other as possible? I'd be lieing if I said no. But even on those days when I was so mad at him that I couldn't look at him, there was still no one else in the world that I wanted to talk to.  But we love each other and we love our children and we have chosen to work through the hard times. And we hope to one day celebrate 65 years of marriage together; to sit in our home one day and enjoy our grandchildren together; to one day be 'that couple' who can pass down the same wisdom of our grandparents to our children and grandchildren that I so appreciate today.

                                                                                           

Day 7 of 365...

Day 7 of 365: Today I am thankful for cuddle time on the couch with my 3 guys. =)

...because there is nothing better than being able to relax together! Tonight B and I each had a kid on top of us asleep and we just sat there, each with a sleeping boy, and watched a movie. It was a good way to start of the weekend!

Day 6 of 365...

Day 6 of 365: Today I am thankful for a husband who leaves little love notes laying around the house.

...the reason pretty much speaks for itself. =) It's nice to know that after 9 years together and almost 8 years of marriage that our relationship still means that much to him. And these notes mean so much to me because after 8 years of marriage and two beautiful (and wild!) kids together, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day 'stuff' that comes with being a grown up/wife/mommy/daddy. Sometimes we each need to remember that we're still "Joanna" and "Brandon", the same Joanna and Brandon who couldn't wait to live together and start a life together 9 years ago. Yes, these little short and sweet love notes are worth more than gold to me...

Day 5 of 365...

Day 5 of 365... Today I am thankful for a floor full of toys.

Today I am thankful for a floor full of toys. Yes, sometimes not being able to walk through the house without stepping on 20 different Hot Wheels cars drives me nuts, but a floor full of toys means:

1: --that I have been blessed with healthy, happy children. If there were no children in the first place there would be no toys. And I simply can not imagine my life without these kids!
2: --that I have boys who are imaginative and energetic;

3: --that we have the means to purchase toys for them;

4: --that I know they will one day be grown and out of the house and I will miss the floor full of toys and clutter. (And when that day comes I will be sad and longing for the days when they were little and the floor was full of cars, motorcycles, dinosaurs, and plastic guns.)

Yes, I am thankful for a floor full of toys. =)



Day 4 of 365...

Day 4 of 365: Today I am thankful for my grandmother (a.k.a.Nanny Jo). 

I am thankful that God chose me to be her granddaughter; thankful that I have the honor of being named after her (JoAnn --> Joanna); thankful for my relationship with her. She is truly and without a doubt my very best girlfriend. And we get closer as time goes on. I love that. I love my relationship with her.  

Things weren't always so great, though. And I believe that is part of what makes me love her so much now. (You can't appreciate what good you have without experiencing a little bit of the bad too...)  There was a time when I was very disrespectful, down right mean, and a real pain in the neck to her. As an adult myself now, I have apologized over and over for that, too. I retrospect, I think I treated her like that because I knew she was my safe place, my 'go-to' person who would never give up on me... I knew all that about her at that time even though I didn't think about it or acknowledge it. I am thankful the Lord has given me time with her to make those bad times right, because there sure were times when she had every right to want to kill me, and every right to actually go through with it.

She has taken me through some of the hardest times in my life... She was the first person to talk about God with me, and she was my safe haven when my father was battling his own demons, and I needed to be somewhere else for a few years. I am eternally grateful that she took me in when I was 13 and raised me until I was grown. I didn't realize what a jewel I had in her until I was in my early 20s.

She has been the one I can go to if I need to cry, laugh, vent, or just get away. She has been my rock when I was a child/teen and times were hard... when my immediate family situation was less than perfect, she became my mother, more than my grandmother. She showed me how to be a tough, independent person. Showed me what is really important in life, and never gave up on me. 

Today she still feels more like 'mom' than grandmother. Words will never be able to fully describe the love I have for her. And today we are closer than we have ever been. I appreciate the sacrifices she had to make in order to raise me, and I appreciate the time she put in to me, all because she saw something in me that at one time I did not see in myself. 

There was a time when I wanted to be nothing like her. Those awkward, awful teen years were hard...on both of us, honestly.  I was doing things and living a life that I knew was not the right path, but chose to walk it anyway. Thank God I eventually came to better judgment. Today I am proud to be named after her, and even chose to follow in the "Jo" line of names for my first child, partly in honor of her. Today we have more in common than ever, and her wisdom is worth more than gold to me.

I think she sees a part of herself in me now, and that makes her happy too. Now I am the mother of two boys just like she is, and we are able to share stories about motherhood and the funny/wonderful/stressful/annoying/awesome joys it brings.

I can only hope other people out there have someone else like this who means this much to them. If not, you're completely missing out =)



Day 3 of 365...

Day 3: Thankful for "well checks" and a good Pediatrician!

Today I took the baby to his one year well check. I am so thankful that my children have a Pediatrician who I enjoy being around. I can sincerely say that the Dr, as well as the nurses and office workers, care about my kids, and they make us feel like we are friends/family. The people know my kids by name without having to look at a file to see who we are, and if I take one without the other, they always ask about the other one BY NAME. If Bryson is sick, they will ask almost first thing "How is Jonah doing? What has be been in to? " I love that.

I am also grateful that we have good health insurance, because, even if it is expensive, it's better than the alternative of not having it, and then having to worry about how we would pay for medicine that we can not do without.

Day 2 of 365...

Today I am thankful that God has given me a child who shows interest in the Lord. It warms my heart and gives me such joy that I am able to have a conversation with my 3 year old about the God who does so much for us, and for him to be excited to go to church. During the week he will pull out his 'church shoes' (dressy shoes) and ask if it's time to go to church yet. He also bows his head before meals with me at home and we say grace before we eat, and he says his prayers before bed each night (or, most nights, anyway). We thank God often for our blessings, our family, and for each other.

I am also thankful that my husband and I are able to worship together. Admittedly, we are not perfect examples of God's children, and we strive daily to be better than we were the day before. That's all I can and will ask of my children, too; to be better examples today than they were yesterday. After all, we are only sinners saved by grace.

Hopefully, with God's word, coupled with the guidance of our leaders at church and a life time full of the experiences of their Daddy and I, my children will grow in their love of the Lord, understanding of the Word, and be spared from learning some of life's lessons the same way Brandon and I have.

My child (both of my children actually) are answered prayers. Throughout both of my pregnancies, all I prayed for was a happy, healthy, well adjusted child. And now I have 2 of them. My boys are so happy, and thank the Lord they are healthy. And I can only hope that as the baby (lil CBH) grows up that he, too, shows the same interest in the Lord as his big brother, and we can all grow in the Lord together.



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Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. -Proverbs 22:6

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him... -1 Samuel 1:27

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless His holy name forever. -Psalm 145:21

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children, and to their children after them. -Deuteronomy 4:9

Day 1 of 365...

As another new year is just beginning, I am inspired by the positivity I am seeing on the 'world wide web'... Many people posting each and every day the little things in life they are grateful for; it's so refreshing. It has served as an extra reminder to me to also show thanks for the blessings in my own life, and oh have I been blessed!

Today, January 1 of 2011, (1/1/11!!!) I am thankful for the happiness I see in my children and the opportunity I have been graced with to stay home with my children.

I choose this today as my 'happy thought' because it has been a conversation topic off and on since the birth of our two children (J, born 6/20/2007, and B, born 12/21/2009) and I think of it often. Big B and I often talk about what it would be like if I were to go back to work now that we have the Spawn (loving reference to our babies of course!) and we are both in agreeance that the babies would be and are happiest with me being home with them.

Sure, we may not live in the fanciest home or drive new cars, but this is the sacrifice we willingly pay to allow our children to be at home with me each day... so that I can teach them how I want to, and so that they have the time with their Mommy that each child thrives on and deserves. We choose to live in an older and small home and drive older cars for the love of our children. Of course if the survival of our family depended on it I would head back to work in a heart beat (after all, I worked hard for those 5 years in Rowan County earning that Bachelor degree!) but for now, we are at peace and in love with our tiny home and our happy babies.

Life is good, I wouldn't have it any other way. If someone were to say to me today "I will give you a million dollars but you have to be away from your children the majority of the time to have it", I would turn it down. This is the life we have chosen and it is good!