Thankful Thursday

January has gone by so quickly. I always look forward to February. I've been getting things ready to start our "Valentine's Day Countdown."  We will put up our decorations on Saturday I believe.

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband always taking care of us.  I was reminded of this when he told me he felt like we should get the tires checked because it had been on his mind.  It was about time for new ones.  We've been traveling a lot lately, and he wanted the tires to be good to go.  He took care of this today, and I'm thankful he thought of it.

~ going to the library and snack day with my boy.  I told him today I was thinking how many more Thursday snack days we have until the baby is here.  I treasure our times together.

~ fun time with my boys registering for baby!  I cannot believe some of the stuff they have nowadays for babies!  Some seems rather excessive in my opinion.

~ taking a nap.  Before I was pregnant I just did not take naps.  I'm glad I can if I feel I need to and it does help me feel better for the rest of the week.

~ watching the boys play in the annual church flag football game last Sunday afternoon. They've done this for the past few years. It was a pretty day, and no one got hurt!

~ reminders of God's grace. This has come up several times lately.  I love the reminder.

Let me leave you with this verse today:
 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  Ephesians 2:4-10

Have a day of blessings!
 

Thankful for my amazing husband!

It is hard to put into words how thankful I am for my husband.  He has always been such a wonderful husband and friend.  Over the past couple of months though I have realized (over and over and over again) how much more I love him now.  I did not know I could love him more than I already did.  He is such a blessing to my life.  

I know he is hurting too with the loss of our baby, and we sometimes talk about the things we will never get to do with this baby.  He has been so wonderful and done so much to take care of me. 

When I first found out I was pregnant, I was having so many pregnancy symptoms.  He started fixing lunches for himself and Caleb because I could not stand the smells.  He would come home from work to fix supper many days when I was just so tired and hadn't done it.  He stopped at the store to get water for us so I wouldn't have to lift it.  He made sure my car was filled with gas so I didn't have to get gas myself. 

With our loss he has listened as I've shared my hurts and questions, held me as I've cried, wiped my tears, missed work so he could take Caleb to school and pick him up when I couldn't, drove me to doctor appointments because he didn't want me going alone, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom.  I'm sure there has been other stuff too.

I so appreciate his love and support and am thankful God gave me such a husband and best friend.  We will be celebrating 12 years of marriage in less than a month. 

Have a day of blessings!

Kids and husbands

When I was pregnant with Caleb I found an online group of ladies also with August due dates. We have stayed in touch through the years even with changes in an online community with our own email group and most recently on Facebook. Lately I've been hearing from these Mom's that their five year olds have loose teeth or who have already lost a tooth. This just means to me that soon my boy will have his own loose teeth! (Am I read for that?)

This got me thinking about how our children grow up. When they were babies we shared notes on when they were doing every developmental milestone. It's hard in those times not to compare your child to another child. Is my child behind (or ahead) because this other child _______ (sat up, started talking, walked, rode a bike without training wheels, tied his shoes, etc). Now these five year olds are losing teeth. Losing those baby teeth will mean he's growing up. Just as I couldn't imagine him with teeth before he started getting teeth, now I can't imagine him without his baby teeth!

Thinking about this new stage has got me to thinking about how we make comparisons between kids. It can be hard not to compare your child when you are around others of the same age. I have realized lately that there is no need to compare my boy with others. Children are all unique in their abilities just as we as adults are. If he hadn't learned to tie his shoes already, would I love him any less? If he isn't the fastest on his team, will I feel less love for him? Would I think he was less wonderful or less great if he doesn't learn to ride his bike without training wheels before he's six? NOPE not at all!

Over the weekend I was talking to my husband about calling to have our air conditioner serviced. He said that it was just not something he was good at so we should call someone. I thought about this comparison thing. I told him I admire him for who he is. It doesn't make me think less of him because he can't repair air conditioners. He is great at what he does and has many skills and talents.

Do you find yourself comparing your children or husband or even yourself to others? Realize today that they are unique and special. Your love for them shouldn't be based on what they do or don't do. Appreciate them for who they are and what they contribute to your family.

I love both my son and my husband because of who they are. I wouldn't want to change them. They are who God made them to be. And I happen to think they are the best just the way God made them!

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

It's time for week #2 of Flashback Friday with Mocha With Linda. I had fun participating last week and wondered this week what she'd choose for the topic. Here is this week's prompt:

When was your first date? You can choose either your first date ever or your first date with your spouse - or both! How old were you? What did you do/where did you go? Did anything memorable - either good or embarrassing? If it was your first date ever, did you continue to date that person? If so, how long? If it was the person you married, did you know he/she was "the one" or did it take a longer for love to bloom? Any other memories you wish to share about those wonderfully awkward first dates?!

My flashback:
My first date was with the wonderful man who is now my husband. We were eating lunch one day in the Bean with our group of friends. He asked me if I'd seen the movie "Titanic" and if I'd like to go. I remember someone in the group asking what did he say and another girl saying, "He just asked her out." I was so excited. My friends helped me curl my hair, and I remember seeing his little red truck pull up outside my dorm. He looked so cute all dressed up in his cowboy clothes. We went to eat supper at Cotton Patch and then went to see "Titanic." I had never seen it before. It was a very long movie and we weren't sure we were going to get back to campus in time before curfew! But we did!

That was the first of many wonderful dates. Our favorite thing to do was to take walks around campus. On cold nights now it reminds me of those walks, and I remember our "early days" of getting to know one another. I told my Mom he gave me "that feeling" in my stomach. She said she didn't think it was my stomach. :) I'd never been in love before. I had liked guys and had crushes but nothing ever like this. I've probably mentioned this here on my blog before, but my Mom even had a feeling about the way he looked at me one night when they were visiting campus. This was before we had even started dating; she wrote about this in her calendar journal too. The first date was in the spring semester of our freshman year. He proposed in December of our senior year.

Something that is special is that my husband and I were friends first. We got to know each other and always wanted to know more. We had so much to share with each other and were such a good match. It didn't take long for it to feel like I had always known him.

Thanks for visiting today! I look forward to reading your stories of your first date.

Have a day of blessings!

A birthday wish!

Wishing my husband a wonderful birthday today! I'm glad I get to be with him today and show him my love. The card I got for him says I feel like I am the one that got the gift. That is so true, he is such a gift every day to my life!

Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday: He Speaks (a little bit late!)

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I missed this month's "Marriage Monday" with a theme of "He Speaks." We were asked to talk to our husbands about Christmas and let him share his thoughts. I tried to type as my hubby talked the last Monday he was off as we were driving to pick up a Christmas gift. I really appreciated his thoughts and wanted to post them now, even though I'm late! I typed what he said and then he edited and added to it. Please read it! He has a wonderful message, and I'm so glad he shared.

Here it is:

With the commercialization of Christmas it's too easy to get caught in a trap. The retailers play the Christmas music throughout the stores, the newspaper swells even thicker on Sundays to hold the larger than usual ads and even the day after Thanksgiving becomes "Black Friday." STOP and think for a moment: what are we celebrating for? Are we truly doing these things because we are trying to celebrate the birth of Christ our Lord and Savior, or have we fallen into a trap with all these "tricks" from marketers. Not to say that marketing is bad, but as soon as the calendar turned from October 31 to November 1, Christmas trees popped up in many stores and gone were the ghosts and goblins. From the beginning of November it builds from there. It's easy to let ourselves be caught into what the retailers think Christmas is all about--to them it's the time of year that they catch up on their sales. Many retailers operate in the red all year and then Christmas comes to fill in the gap. What is the meaning of Christmas, or what has the meaning of Christmas really turned into?

To give an example I'm going to switch holidays from Christmas to Easter. I grew up in a Christian home, but the meaning of Easter was never fully explained to me. In fact it wasn't until I was in college that I fully understood what Easter was about, that is, the resurrection of Christ. How or why I grew up not connecting the dots on Easter is still a mystery to me. I thought it was a day when we dressed up for church, had a surprise visit from some strange creature the Easter Bunny, and hunted eggs with my cousins on Sunday afternoon. Why? This Christmas would you ask yourself what am I doing this for? Do my kids know why we are celebrating Christmas?

My wife grew up in a home that didn't participate in the santa claus thing. She still had gifts on Christmas morning, but they were from Mom and Dad. I thought this was strange the first time I heard it, but then I heard the why and it made sense to me. We have so many made up characters we are taught about as children such as the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny and santa claus. My mother-in-law said that she never told her daughter to believe in santa claus because he isn't real and someday what if her daughter grew up, finds out that santa isn't real, and begins to question whether God existed. It was too hard for her to bear the thought of her daughter losing her faith in God because of a silly game we as Americans play at Christmas.

We have our traditions, and while family traditions are nice many times we don't know why we do them. For instance, every year we put a dead evergreen tree in our house( and I'm allergic to trees). Why? Even the Israelites were given traditions because of what they'd been through coming out of Egypt. The tradition of the Passover was instituted so that they wouldn't forget how God delivered them from such a terrible time in their history. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses writes that they needed to tell their children why they are doing these things so that the traditions will be kept alive and reverent. The oral history of events was necessary to preserve the tradition. This Christmas my family is trying hard to make it a day of celebration and family. I challenge you to talk to your family about the traditions and why you celebrate Christmas. Make sure everyone understands because if we don't take the time to explain the season then we just have another meaningless holiday.

When God created the world He knew that man would be free to make choices, and I believe he designed a way out for man that involved sending His Son. God gave man a place on a beautiful earth and said enjoy. Man and woman sinned and well the rest is history. But He didn't leave them there. He provided a way out. He gave humanity His one and only Son as Savior to the world. What's amazing to me is that God walked with man, man sinned and was separated from God. Then God sent his son Jesus not only to bridge the gap but to walk with man again. He was born of a virgin in a manger because there was no place else to stay. The King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Son of God began His brief walk on this earth in a manger. That isn't exactly how Hollywood would write the story is it? But that's what God did. The point of the story is that God gave. As Dave Ramsey says "He's a Giver," and being His children we should follow his lead. I encourage you this Christmas to stop and focus on the true meaning behind the Christmas story and to give in a way that shows God's love to the world.

jp

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Well there isn't anything more I can say (except maybe you need to write more often honey! You should have your own blog!.....Actually I'm considering an idea to do with him next year...) Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday: A love letter to my husband...

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My wonderful husband,
I want to take this time to tell you (and the world I guess!) of my love for you! Today we have been married for 8 years and 5 months. I remember in our dating days how it thrilled me to see an email from you in my inbox, and even today I feel the same way. It makes me smile when you send me an email or leave me a note. You are such a wonderful husband. I'm thankful that you love God. It thrills my heart to see you growing and becoming more like Him. I'm thankful that you are my best friend. You know me so well and that gives my heart such comfort. I'm thankful that you make me laugh. It feels good to talk and laugh together late into the night when we should be sleeping! I'm thankful for the ways you help me be a better person. You help me see things from a different perspective and I appreciate that. I'm thankful that you spend time with our son and he has such a wonderful role model to follow in you. You are so important to his life and he loves you so much! I'm thankful for your financial wisdom. You bless me by the way you are wise in our finances. I'm thankful that you know when I'm hurting and you care. You always know what to say and how to make me smile. I'm thankful God gave you to me! You are the best. Love, Bethany

To my readers, Thank you for visiting my blog today. Join us for Marriage Monday by clicking on the button above.

Have a day of blessings!

Things I've learned in the past week (or two!)

Over the past two weeks as you know my husband has been recovering from a tonsillectomy. I went with him to his pre-op visit and heard the warnings given by the doctor...that if he (hubby) thinks he is going to work the next Monday (following surgery on previous Tuesday), he's wrong! And the doctor was right!

I've learned and been reminded of a few things over the past few days of caring for my husband.

~ It takes an adult a long time to heal after a tonsillectomy.

~ The first couple of days I missed his voice so much. He wrote me messages or used hand signs to tell me what he needed.

~ It's no fun to think about cooking a meal for just me and Caleb.

~ It's hard not to scoop myself a bowl of ice cream when fixing a dish for my patient.

~ It was very good my Mom was here for the first couple of days after surgery.

~ I'm thankful our couch is so comfortable and has two recliners. We slept there for over a week so he could keep his head elevated! It was a nice change from our bed actually to sleep in the living room. There was more space for one thing.

~ It's a blessing my husband is such a hard worker at his job. He has sick leave hours saved up that he's been able to use during this time. I know of some who squander their sick leave and don't have any saved up which doesn't seem wise in my opinion.

~ I'm also thankful for his understanding boss and coworker who emailed to check in on him from time to time.

~ I found out just how much my husband enjoys reading. He finished two books he already had started and read and finished another one after that. He's on his fourth now I think.

~ He also enjoys talk radio and I've learned a thing or two there as well.

~ I'm thankful for those who were concerned and asked about him during his recovery. It's nice to know people care.

~ Taking care of my son made me realize how much my husband helps out with him in the evenings with bath time and playing together. It made me appreciate those military wives and single moms who do this 24/7.

~ Even when he couldn't talk, he could still make me laugh. When I'd measure out his medication, he'd always turn it and look to see if it was up to the "2 tsp" line or over it before he took it. It made us laugh after I pointed out to him he did this every time as if he didn't trust me and thought I'd give him too much or too little!

~ Taking out the trash, putting the cans to the curb on Wednesday (when a grasshopper jumps on my back) and getting the recycling tub to the curb isn't my favorite chore!

~ I realized how deeply in love I am with my husband. Caring for him really made me feel connected to him.

~ My patient made me feel incredibly loved and beautiful as he whispered to me his love and appreciation as I'd give him his pudding, water, and medicine.

Thankfully, he is on the mend. He still has some pain and gets tired out easily. I'm thankful he did not have any complications from the procedure. I'm praying and believing that he won't have to use the CPAP, and he'll have restful nights of sleep now. We appreciate your prayers. Hope you have a great weekend!
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"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." I John 5:14, 15

8 things...To my husband

8 things I love about my husband

(in honor of today, our 8th anniversary)

1. I love the way you accept me as I am (and have from the beginning,) not wanting me to be anyone else but me. I can truly be myself with you. This is a wonderful feeling.

2. I love the way you can comfort me by peeling away the layers (you've told me I'm like an onion!) of my sadness to figure out the real issues that are bothering me.

3. I love the way you interact with our son and give him a wonderful example to follow every day. He wants to be just like his Daddy and I'm so thankful he has you to follow.

4. I love the way you always support me in my goals and dreams. In our first years of marriage, you were encouraging me in fulfilling my dream of being a teacher. More recently you've supported me 100% in my dream to be a stay-at-home Mom. Thank you.

5. I love the way you make me laugh all the time about unexpected things. It is so fun to remember past funny times with you and laugh some more together.

6. I love the way you love the Lord. You don't know how much it encourages me to see you continuing to grow in Him and sharing with me what you're learning.

7. I love the way you teach me by your example...how you say I'm sorry, look for the positive, and work hard daily.

8. I love the way you treat me with respect and love. You make me feel cherished and I'm so grateful.

"It doesn't require a special day to express how much I love you ... every ordinary day is more than special when I am with you." Author Unknown

Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband! I have absolutely loved being married to you, my best friend, these past 8 years. I'm thankful that God gave you to me to walk alongside you as your wife as we journey through this life together. You are amazing!
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"A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

(Since it is Tuesday, "As long as it is called Today" is posted below.)

My sweet husband!

I meant to originally include this in my Thankful Thursday yesterday but forgot and this really deserves it's own post anyway. ;)

Last Thursday I heard a knock at the door. Caleb said it was the UPS man. I was surprised because I couldn't think what delivery I had coming. The white envelope had my name with a return address of JA. I opened to find a small pink box with this inside. It is the August birthstone (peridot). It is so simple and beautiful! You can stack them to wear side-by-side or wear them one at a time. My cousin has this ring so that is where I got the idea.

Also there was a card from my husband that said "Just because I love you."

Isn't that sweet! We looked at the remembrance rings when we went on a trip since we don't have a store here. He worked with my Mom to figure out my ring size for sure and then ordered it to surprise me last week.

It makes me smile to see it on my hand. Thank you sweetie! You are the best!
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"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." I John 4:7

Marriage Monday: The Humor of Christian Marriage

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Sometimes I wonder if other couples laugh like my husband and I do. The funniest times for us are often late at night when we should be asleep. It seems the later it gets, the sillier we are. There are things that have happened to us that we remember and joke about. Sometimes we laugh at situations that weren't funny at the time but late at night they suddenly are very funny! These are great times that I really do cherish. It feels so good not to be serious all the time.

My husband is someone with whom I can totally be myself and know he'll accept me. One of those things he accepts is my laughter. I'm not the type of person to burst out laughing when I'm with a group. My husband knows how to make me laugh though, with a funny tone, facial expression, private joke, or tickling me. It is such a nice feeling to be 100% comfortable in laughing with him, being my true self. When we laugh together we have a happy home. We are able to pass this on to our son as well, which is important.

Laughter is good medicine. It is true that we take life too seriously, and we could all use more laughter in our lives. I hope your marriage is one of fun and humor.

Join us for Marriage Monday by clicking the button above. God bless you!

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"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

Thankful Thursday

I hope you're having a nice week. This one has been busy for me along with the weekend. I usually have a list of various things I'm thankful from my week, but this week I want to focus on reasons I'm thankful for my husband. This mainly involves things that have happened this past week. I kept thinking I'm just so thankful for him so this post of thankfulness is dedicated to him!

I'm thankful my husband...

*listens to me.

*makes me laugh.

*hunts down lizards for me. A few nights ago he saw a tiny lizard moving across the floor by the kitchen door. After we said prayers I was throwing something away and saw it go under the stove. He came and chased it down with his flashlight and eventually the vacuum to get rid of it. Tonight I moved the shower curtain and saw movement in the tub. Another lizard. He quickly got it out of there for me. I don't mind bugs or spiders, but lizards I cannot stand! I am thankful he gets rid of them for me!

*showed calmness about the mess when we got home Sunday. I'm sure it would have been easy for him to be grumpy that the freezer door was left cracked and we had a mess and ruined food. He wasn't though. He was calm and wonderfully helped me clean it all up.

*enjoys spending time with our sweet boy. They always do things together in the evenings, but this week it really helped me have time to finish my course (see previous post).

*helps me in big ways. In addition to spending time with Caleb, he also took clothes off the line, folded them all, and put them away! I was so happy! I was off my routine schedule of doing laundry on Monday because of VBS in the mornings so for him to do all this while I worked on my class made my heart so happy.

Join us today at Sting my Heart for more Thankful Thursdays!

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

I'm proud of my husband!

My husband completed the Dale Carnegie course. The class began back in March. It was 12 weeks. They met once a week for three and a half hours. Each week he had to prepare a 2 minute report on a variety of topics. He learned so much, and we did as well as he practiced his speeches for us. There are a couple of the practice speeches that he did that Caleb loved doing with him. They still do them sometimes!

We did not get to attend the graduation class because we were on the mission trip. Today the class leader came by his office and gave him his certificate. It is in a beautiful frame too that will match his college diploma already hanging in his office.

I am proud of him taking the initiative to take this class. He had read Dale Carnegie books from the library and has always been interested in this class. I know it has already benefited him, and he'll continue to reap the benefits of the class in the future.
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"Now that we know what we have--Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God--let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't' have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all---all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." Hebrews 4:14-16, MSG

Top 20 reasons ...

Why I love my husband.....
This was on a message board and I made a list. It was fun reading what other posters loved about their husbands. Here is mine (in no particular order!):

1. He is my best friend.
2. He makes me laugh.
3. He knows immediately when I'm upset.
4. He can uncover my layers to find out what is wrong.
5. He provides for us.
6. He is such a great Daddy.
7. He loves the Lord.
8. He shares his Bible knowledge with me in a way I can understand and relate to.
9. He listens.
10. He appreciates me.
11. He is romantic.
12. He protects us.
13. He is financially wise.
14. He helps me out with the housework when I need it.
15. He tells me I'm beautiful and means it.
16. He isn't afraid to hold my hand, put his arm around my waist, or give me a kiss or hug.
17. He helps me to see the beauty in God's creation.
18. He has a quiet strength.
19. He shares his dreams with me and listens to mine.
20. He seeks ways to improve himself.


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"For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior." Ephesians 5:23