Thankful

Last week we got to spend the week in Destin.  It was amazing, relaxing, beautiful, peaceful and I kind of wish I was still there.  I have been struggling the last couple days getting motivated.  Maybe it was all the relaxing on the beach with not a worry in the world.  I have several things I could be doing right now, but I decided to sit and read while the girls were sleeping.  I heard the mailman come by, and she delivered CD of all of our pictures from our AMAZING photographer Stephany.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at them.  I am so thankful for my sweet husband and beautiful girls.  They are all truly gifts from God.  

Our family of five.  In about 2 weeks the twins will turn TWO.  I can't believe how fast those years have gone by already.  We have truly enjoyed every minute with them - they are a joy even through all of their sickness last year!

My sweet Brooke. I have been disappointed with myself for how easily frustrated I get with her.  Her new favorite word is "why" and she has recently started the complaining stage.  Still no reason for me to be so frustrated with her - I am trying to be loving and patient with her!  I am so thankful for her - she is such a help with the girls, and she often just comes up and gives me hugs and tells me she loves me.  She really is a sweetheart.

These two girls just melt my heart.  They are SWEET babies.  I am so blessed to have such well-behaved and happy girls.  It has made the often difficult baby phase so enjoyable for us.  I love the relationship they have with each other, and can't wait to see how it develops as they grow older.

I'm so thankful for this man!  He is such an example to me.  So loving, selfless, patient and forgiving.  I'm so thankful for a sweet husband and daddy who knows how to love his family!

Sometimes I feel like all I am doing is cleaning, cooking, laundry, changing diapers, sweeping food off the floor, saying "no" and performing mundane tasks.  Then I look at this picture of my three blessings and realize that I am serving my family.  My attitude while serving directly affects them.  I want to be a sweet mom who looks to Christ for strength, love and patience.  I just want to share a little encouragement from the book I was reading this afternoon:

"I thought parenting was going to portray my strengths, never realizing that God had ordained it to reveal my weakness." Dave Harvey

"Our weakness is the place where we learn to depend on his power.  When we are stripped of everything that we thought we could trust in, when we're absolutely desperate for help, the Lord moves into our circumstance and demonstrates his power. Sometimes he shows us his power by changing the circumstance, miraculously accomplishing what we could never accomplish.  At other times he shows us how his sustaining grace enables us to endure situations that otherwise would crush us.  Sometimes he makes us feel his strengthening arm upholding us in the trial.  At other times he teaches us to walk by faith, believing that his arm is there even though we don't feel it.  It is in these varied circumstances that we learn of his greatness, his sustaining grace, and his ability to glorify himself in ways we would have never imagined."  "Give Them Grace" by Fitzpatrick & Thompson