I'm thankful...

1. that the weather was nice enough yesterday for us to go to playgroup for the first time in a couple of months.

2. for last night's intro to genealogy that has me all fired up!

3.  for Amber's expertise and composure in the face of my near-panic last night as I discovered Elaine has lice.  

I'm thankful that...

1.  our trampoline bounced off our roof, rather than crashing through it, in the storm last night.

2.  the kids slept peacefully through it all.

3.  it didn't last long so I could get some sleep too.

I'm thankful for...

1.  Todd (and Zoe) generously babysitting for me on Monday evenings while I give piano lessons.

2.  Todd and Amber generously babysitting for me on Wednesday nights while Zoe and I go to church.

3.  the fact that my brother lives two houses down, making it very convenient for him to babysit for me!

I'm thankful for...

1.  linger longer and...

2.  Wanda Donnell's chicken and dumplings

3.  GPS

I'm thankful for...

1.  the rare treat of having a morning to myself, since the kids spent the night with Aunt Alison and Pete is at a basketball tournament.

2.  all the fun Stephanie and I have texting each other about whatever dumb TV show we're currently watching.

3.  Tylenol.

I'm thankful for...

1. our new tradition of playing basketball on Friday nights.

2. the fun discussion we had at book club last night.

3. sweet oranges.  Not every orange is a winner.

I'm thankful...

1.  for routine.

2.  that after months of listening to Ira Glass urge me to watch Sleepwalk With Me, it finally turned up on Netflix.  It was pretty good too.

3.  for the simplified arrangements from the Children's Songbook in The Friend each month.

I'm thankful...

1.  that Frank's been in a pretty good mood for the past few days, after a week of not so great moods.

2.  that the young men are in charge of tonight's activity.

3.  for this wellness challenge, helping me to be more consistent about doing good things.  

I'm thankful...

1.  that after 5 years of reading the Book of Mormon as a family, we finally finished it yesterday.  When we started, Frank was 4 and just learning to read, so he struggled through one verse a day.  George was 2 and "read" his verse by repeating a few words at a time.  And Elaine was a twinkle in our eyes.  Now Frank reads 5 verses, George reads 2 or 3, and Elaine repeats one verse.  And now...we get to start over!

2.  for good friends.

3.  for the fun books my parents introduce to the boys.  Currently reading How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous and The Real Book About Spies.

I'm thankful...

1.  that I got to hold my newest, tiny nephew last night.

2.  that it's cold and the sun is shining.

3.  for roasted red pepper and avocado bites, and that Pete suggested having them for lunch every Monday.

I'm thankful...

1.  for Pete's weekends off work.

2.  for the excellent leadership training I attended this morning.

3.  Pete's pulmonary function test went well and his prednisone dosage has been reduced.

1.  I'm thankful for Stephanie's generous hospitality on Pete's bi-monthly visits to Vanderbilt.

2.  I'm thankful that, for now anyway, Frank and George still love for me to come read to their classes.

3.  I'm thankful that we have health insurance.

1.  I'm thankful for slow cookers.

2.  I'm thankful for the sound of Elaine singing throughout our entire day.

3.  I'm thankful for the Audiobooks app and free downloads.  I'm listening to Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini right now.  Wonder what I'll be listening to three months from now when the wellness challenge comes to an end.

1.  I'm thankful for winter weather.  Because I prefer cold temperatures to hot, and getting out of school for inclement weather is as exciting as a holiday.

2.  I'm thankful for cheap Chinese buffets.

3.  I'm thankful for This American Life.

Lo-tech and High-tech Stuff

1. I'm thankful for my cornbag that keeps my feet warm at night.

2. I'm thankful for the Gospel Library app that allows me to read my scriptures first thing in the morning without having to get out of my warm, cozy bed or even turn on the light.

3. I'm very thankful for the new youth curriculum.  It is inspired and inspiring.

Wellness Challenge

As part of a 3-month-long wellness challenge I'm participating in, I have to journal 3 things for which I'm grateful every day.  Here goes...

1.  I'm thankful to live near family who can keep my kids for me when I wake up with a wild hair one morning and decide to repaint my bedroom.

2.  I'm thankful the paint that's been sitting in the garage for the past 3 years was still good and that the nice lady at Wal-Mart shook it up for me with her fancy paint-shaking machine.

3.  I'm thankful for Paul F. Tompkins and his Pod F. Tompkast.