Thankful on a Thursday

 This week has been really busy. Kai is sick and we're trying to get the house ready for guests. Ben's aunt, cousin, and 2nd cousin are coming to town on Saturday. We haven't seen them since the family reunion in August, Malakai was only 4 weeks old! So, I haven't had much time to update around here, but here's my weekly list of people/places/things that I'm thankful for.

71. my clean, unpacked, and mostly organized kitchen (finally!)

72. the sun shining outside and it actually being as warm as it looks.

73. bebe feets

74. My hardworking husband

75. the first fresh cup of coffee brewed in our new place.

76. getting mail that isn't junk or bills, especially in packages.

77.watching Lost and nerding out over the details with Ben.

78. long naps for my sick little bean.

79. health insurance, even though it doesn't cover much, it's better than nothing.

80. quiet moments reading The Message

a night out and a day in

Date night last night was a lot of fun. We parked between the restaurant and the theater so we could walk to dinner and then to the show. We spent a bit too much on food and drinks, but it's not very often we get to go out so we decided to ignore prices and get what we wanted. 

{Ben & the Don's Manhattan}

Lucky Noodle is such a fun restaurant, it's really popular and quite unique in it's Italian + Thai fusion. Ben got the pad thai and I got pan roasted halibut with risotto. After eating way too much we walked to the theater and settled in for the show.

The opener was a bit weird, and there were the usual Conan quirks, but it was a good time. My biggest complaint however was the volume. I STILL have a headache! It was kind of a late night as well, but something Ben and I really needed. We were exhausted when we got home, but in a good way.

Today Malakai and I are sick. I'm hoping it's just a cold. Thankfully we have his "well baby" appointment on Friday. Our insurance covers these but not sick appointments, so it couldn't come at a better time.

Kai had 2 or 3 colds when he was a newborn. One was at 3 weeks old and it tore me apart. Now that he's (almost) 9 months old it seems that it's harder on him now that before. He won't let me put saline or the aspirator in his nose, he gets frustrated when he tries to drink because of his congestion, and worst of all he's not sleeping well. 

For his naps the last two days I've been putting my pillow in his crib. We tried under the mattress like we used to when he was little but it just makes him slide down or roll to one side or the other. So, just for naps he gets to be elevated on my pillow and he is sleeping so much better. Plus he just looks too cute on a big pillow, doesn't he?

It's funny how parents can sometimes be hesitant to talk about how cute they think their own child is. I was working in the nursery at church last Sunday and these parents were talking to each other about their 17 month old daughter and how cute she was. I thought it was so sweet and it made me feel better about how cute I think my own child is, and less shy about saying so. I mean, look at him!

date night

My mister and I are going on a date tonight! We haven't been on one in a couple months and the last two were for our birthdays. This night out is just the two of us, just because.

We're going to get some great Italian/Thai food and then go see this guy in his live debut. It should be fun to get out with my man, escape the house, and just have fun!

seeds

I've been thinking a lot about change. The name of this blog is reflective of the constant change that I've experienced in my life. I'm positive that there's not one person out there that hasn't experienced change in their life, it effects us all. Funny how it's also something that a lot of people have trouble adjusting to. I'm choosing to embrace change and the journey it takes us on. I'm learning to let go of control by allowing God to take charge and lead the way.

Yesterday at church our pastor started a new series on change. Perhaps it's the drastic metamorphosis that spring brings (especially in the Willamette Valley) that has us all thinking about change. I'd like to think it's God nudging us towards something.

The message yesterday was about seeds and the series relates to discovering God's plan to change our world. Pastor's intro stated:

"If there's anything you need to be prepared for 

when becoming a follower of Jesus it's change."

Seeds represent change, not only in the literal sense but God used seeds to illustrate change in the Bible several times over. He likened His word to seeds, in reference to Abraham we are the seed, and in more than one of Jesus' parables he spoke about seeds. 

Then we were given these

I'm a really visual person so I love it when people can use tangible things to illustrate what they're talking about. When my husband tries to explain how something works I often tell him not to bother unless he can somehow show me. I'm the target demographic for that show "How it's Made". 

Anyway, Pastor went on to say that our life experience is simply the fruit of seeds we have planted (or allowed others to plant) in our heart. 

This got me thinking that we rarely know what type of fruit we will bear based on the seed planted. I looked out my back window this morning and saw these little trees. 

Each one looks completely different from the other, but just a few short weeks ago they were all identical in their thin brown bare branches. Now one has purple buds, one has pink flowers, the 3rd is still bare, and the 4th in the corner is green and leafy. 

I have no idea what any of these trees are. When we purchased our house it was part of a trust and the legal owners didn't disclose any information. I have to be patient and let God show me what will come of the seeds once planted there.

 I have to trust God to take care of the seeds planted in my heart instead of being in control myself. I'm no gardener, but He is. I just have to let Him teach me.

Thankful on a Thursday: suffering

As I start this post I have a particularly nasty tension headache. I have a long history of headaches ranging from caffeine withdrawal and sinus headaches to migraines. The tension headaches I've been experiencing recently are different and I believe they are stress induced. When I get frustrated or frazzled all of sudden I get this lightening bolt to the top or side of my head. It's down right debilitating. Yesterday it was so bad I couldn't talk straight.

In the midst of suffering I feel like I have two choices. Either to focus on the joy that surrounds me and be thankful for my blessings or to zero in on the pain and feel sorry for myself. I have good reason to feel sorry for myself lately. I feel like I'm suddenly accident prone having bruised my legs up cleaning the new place, straining my back (also a long history there), and burning my hand while making dinner. When I'm in the midst of these things it's instinctual to feel the pain, to be irritable with my husband and impatient with my son, and then angry with myself for acting so terribly.

So this week I'm especially in need of a reminder of what I'm thankful for, I want to choose joy.

51. For the caramel macchiato Ben bought me last night to soften my rough day.

52. Malakai's "bunny toof" smile. His 4 teeth make him look so different!

53. black shelf liners from The Dollar Tree

54. ice cold water.

55. clean floors.

56. a long hot shower before bed.

57. starburst jelly beans.

58. coloring with my sister.

69. spooning.

70. being done with taxes.

What are you thankful for today?