Thankful Tuesday

1. Ice cream dates at DQ with my kiddos 2. Me and Ev's bedtime routine 3. Mickey's rough housing with the kids 4. Lots of laughs at community group 5. That I can call my mom anytime and she always answers 6. Mickey's cousin Brandi and all the clothes she has given us for Alea! 7. That Evan still says he will marry me when he gets older 8. Homemade pumpkin chocolate chip granola bars 9. Netflix (more for Ev than for me!) 10. Fun date night with good friends at the Home Show 11. Old photos 12. God's awesome plan being revealed for our community group 13. My sis in law is going to have a baby girl in December, so excited she will have 1 of each now. 14. Tank tops 15. Alea's cute painted toes 16. My eyelash curler, silly I know, but makes me look awake when I am not! Ha! 17. Good, solid, helpful Christian parenting books 18. Olympic hype-I love it all! 19. Titus mentor moms-their hearts and wisdom 20. Our home Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, Let us show gratitude,By which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

Thankful Tuesday

1.  The adorable way Alea talks right now-can she stay like this forever?
2.  Ankeny Summerfest parade-so awesome every year!
3.  Flip-flops
4.  Shade!
5.  The amazing examples of motherhood I have all around me
6.  Bedtime
7.  My kids' LOVE for reading
8.  Oatmeal with berries and honey
9.  Iowa made honey from my neighbor Tiffany-you keep making the list Tiff! :)
10.  Neck rubs
11.  Our comfy sectional sofa
12.  My mom and mom in law buying clothes for my kiddos!
13.  My dad's kind, thoughtful heart in sending me a note in the mail
14.  The fact I don't have to be sad that school supplies are in the stores-doesn't affect me now!
15.  A strong, healthy body
16.  A wonderful pre-school director at church-she loves each and every kid!
17.  The encouraging faith of Daniel from the Bible (would I trust God when even in the den of lions?)
18.  Kids laughing and playing in our backyard for hours with nothing but a sprinkler and a baby pool
19.  Reading a book about creation and how it is so clear that is how the world began as opposed to the theory of evolution
20.  Ev can put his own clothes on now-getting to be so big! (Thankful he accomplished this, but sad he is growing up!)

Again, love making this list every week, it helps me to be thankful even when all I want to do is whine about this or that.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you indeed were called in one body. And be thankful.

Our RV trip!

In June, me, the hubs, and our kiddos had the pleasure of borrowing my in-laws RV.  We had tossed around several ideas for a summer vacation but we were coming up stumped, due to a low budget and trying to come up with something fun for all of us.  Flying somewhere (not much fun with a 3 and 1 year old), staying in a hotel (not much fun with a 3 and 1 year old), driving somewhere far away in our van (not much fun with a 3 and 1 year old), were our options....until my father in law bought this amazing RV!  We thought this might actually be fun! Kids aren't strapped into car seats, cable going down the road, a microwave, separate bedrooms, no potty stops, and the list could go on...So we quickly planned an unplanned trip!  ha!  This just means that for once we didn't try and see and do everything, we just enjoyed the time together and did the simple things like enjoying pop-tarts in the morning while watching cartoons, going on hikes, playing in lakes, visits with family, pools, canoeing, movies, fishing, and lots of just being together. 
We started out by staying a night at my in-laws farm to see them and learn how to work the RV.  Next stop was Coralville lake.  We didn't want to get too far just in case it didn't go well, but our kids just soaked it up and we had a great time hiking and swimming in the lake.  Next up was the QC to get the RV worked on a little bit and a visit with my parents (Mickey and I actually snuck back to Ankeny for a night too without kids to go to our neighbor's anniversary party).  Then we picked up the RV, my dad brought us our children, and off we went to Appleton, Wisconsin to see Mickey's cousins.  The whole family was up there to celebrate the baptism of the 1st grandchild on this side of the family.  It was a blast catching up with all of his family and meeting little Ella.  While there, we headed up to Green Bay thanks to a tip from a family friend about a permament carnival with .25 cent rides.  We went on a ton of rides and ate dinner for less than $20!  It was an awesome time. 
Next, we drove down to Baraboo, Wisconsin where we stayed at a campground close to Devil's Lake State Park.  What a beautiful spot in this country.  It was so peaceful and the water was so clear!  Evan got to go fishing for the 1st time on this lake. 
Finally, we headed down to Decorah, Iowa.  I grew up having my Evans' family reunions there and it is a place near and dear to my heart.  All of my cousins understand this!  We hit all the spots I used to go to as a kid: The Whippy Dip (ice cream place), the movie theater, beautiful Dunning Springs, Mabe's Pizza, and the Decorah Pool.  It was everything I hoped to be able to enjoy this town with my kids and husband. 
There is much more I can say, but just please enjoy the pics of our trip and I highly recommend an RV trip with young children-I couldn't imagine anything else being better! 

Taking a break from hiking around Coralville Fossil Gorge

Our humble abode and handsome chauffeur

Digging in the sand at Coralville Lake

At Ella Kinzenbaws baptism

Chasing butterflies at our little pond at our campground in Wisconsin

Having a blast riding the .25 cent rides at Bay Beach!

Hiking at Devils Lake State Park

Fishing for the 1st time-didn't catch a thing! ha!

Mickey making kettle corn over the fire, it was awesome!

Alea loved watching the horses at our campground in Decorah

Hiking up Dunning Springs in Decorah

Eating ice cream at the Whippy Dip in Decorah

Just love this pose by Miss Alea at Dunning Springs

Me and my lil man enjoying some Mabes pizza

Thankful Tuesday

1. Skype 2. Long, overdue conversation with my lil bro Nate on Skype 3. The AMAZING things about to happen in Nate's life 4. Pool time 5. Olympic trials 6. The best neighbors (and random hang out time with them!) 7. My hubby's Every Man A Warrior study 8. My son's hand movements when explaining something 9. Greek yogurt with granola 10. Flavored water 11. My church 12. How Alea wraps one arm around my neck like I'm her homie :) 13. Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal- I know I am 29 and I am not supposed to eat kiddie cereals anymore but I can't give theseup! 14. Karen Kingsbury books 15. Good deals on summer clothes for next year 16. Successful adoption stories 17. How the Word of God speaks to me and changes me like nothing else can 18. Hot summer days 19. Pinterest 20. Unexpected times when something is cheaper than what I thought it was going to be! Hope you are thinking about all the little and big things you are grateful for this week. I am loving the challenge of making myself aware each day of all the ways God is blessing me... Psalm 7:17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord! The Most High.

Thankful Tuesday-"Camping Edition"

So.....I know I missed last Tuesday but I have a completely valid excuse, we were camping!  And...the IPAD died and alas, we didn't have the charger. Now, don't worry, we still weren't exactly roughing it, we still had DirectTV... :) My kind of camping!

Anyways, I will get to my thankful list now and a post will come about our amazing RV trip.  Below are the 20 things I am most thankful about our trip to GOD for:

1.  The simple joy of kids playing in the sand and splashing in the waters of a lake.
2.  Watching Evan masterfully climb rocks and seeing his love of hiking grow!
3.  Playing bags with Mickey while the kids were sleeping in the RV (& winning I might add!)
4.  The mini-break in our RV trip for Mick and I to go back to Ankeny (without kids) for our neighbors 10th anniversary party.
5.  Running the trails along Coralville lake and the hills of Decorah (so different than running in Ankeny)
6.  Air-conditiong in the RV during a major hot spell
7.  Having DirectTV in the RV (we don't even have cable at home so it was a little treat and great to keep the kids happy while going down the road)
8.  All the wonderful memories of family reunions flooding back while in Decorah
9.  The kids screaming for "Whippy Dip" in the car over and over-my fave ice cream shop in Decorah
10.  A playground set right outside our RV at our campground in WI
11.  Time with the Kinzenbaw cousins and their lovely wives
12.  My father in law for lending us the RV
13.  Time spent canoeing and fishing at Devil's Lake
14.  My husband who drove the RV the whole time since there was no way I was driving that huge thing!
15.  Going to Bay St. Beach for 25 cent carnival rides!
16.  Sleeping with Ev and waking up with him rubbing my head and saying, "Good morning!"
17.  Watching Alea want to do everything Ev is doing and following him around and repeating everything he says.
18.  Seeing deer out of our RV window in the mornings.
19.  My kids having a love of nature.
20.  Time, resources, and the means to go on an RV trip like this, memories have been made that will last a lifetime.

Psalm 105:1
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known among the peoples!    

Thankful Tuesday...only 3 days late!

Soooo, I really wanted to be good about posting on Tuesday's the things I am grateful for AND I actually did have them ready to go on Tuesday due to some rare alone time at Panera, but alas, the transfer from paper to the computer did not happen... But better late than never so here goes the Top 20 things I am thankful to God for this past week: 1. Smell of a freshly shampooed and soaped child 2. Quiet time at Panera by myself after a long week 3. My ever cautious, rule following son coming out of his room after nap saying, "mommy, can I come down?" 4. Alea falling asleep in the van less than a minute after a Jester Park outing, head hanging way down 5. Mickey taking care of me after I fell running 6. Nice lady giving me a bandaid so I could run two miles home w/o spreading blood all over Ankeny 7. Garage sale deals, example an Old Navy winter coat for Ev for $5! 8. The way Alea gives kissers 9. 2 sets of intact, loving grandparents for our kiddos 10. Much needed rain 11. 2 friends telling me they see my spiritual growth, it is all God, but I love how God is changing and molding me! 12. Old friends and new friends 13. The new homeschooling group at my church 14. Fresh blueberries on my oatmeal 15. Mickey tearing up while watching Courageous,love his sensitive heart to God's call on his life to be a father 16. New opportunities 17. When my 2 little ones are cuddling together on my king sized bed 18. Grilling out and eating outside! Less for me to clean up! 19. 4 bathrooms to clean...wanted to complain about this the other day but thought that people with no bathroom at all wouldn't mind cleaning 4! 20. God is teaching me more and more everyday, I feel His pull on my life in ways I never imagined. There you have it! Come back this coming Tuesday and I encourage you to take some time and give thanks! Psalm 107:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.

Thankful Tuesday

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp is a book I have read recently and a book that has significantly impacted me and hopefully will eventually change me... (it is hard to change life long ingrained attitudes!) I will write more about the book and what it is about another day, but for now, a short synopsis and some giving thanks. The main idea from this author is to experience the true joy that God wants us to have, we have to CONTINUALLY give thanks... That when we focus on all the "gifts" God has given us and gives us daily, we can then let go of the sadness, stress, and stuff that ultimately gets us nowhere. This author hits it hard too, she has been through some stuff that would not make it easy to be giving thanks. So that is it about the book for now, I would highly recommend it and will review it fully in my next post. But as a tired momma who needs to go to bed,I want to list some things I am thankful to God for this past week.. 1. Putting on pjs and washing my face after a long day 2. Watching Evan, Isaac, and Solon run around the park, just 3 lil boys without a care in the world 3. Friends who sacrificially bring a meal/food to help our family out 4. Movie night in the basement with smiling excited kids 5. A hot sweaty 4 mile much needed prayer run 6. My Titus girls 7. A church family giving abundantly to a missionary family leaving our church 8. Looking forward to my kids being in my cousins wedding 9. Playing words with Friends with my mom 10. Ev saying to me while hugging his sister, "I love her." 11. My dishwasher! 12. A great GI doc for my lil girl 13. Making the bed 14. Coffee ( can I list this several times?) :) 15. Hosting the Wilson's, missionaries from Hungary who have blessed us more than they can imagine 16. Watching Esti and Eliza Wilson dance ballet in our living room to classical music never having taken lessons 17. Eating a catered lunch from Panera via my pastors wife Judie with her, PJ, and some missionaries while kids napped! 18. Blue skies 19. Giving sandals to Ev's lil buddy Isaac and seeing his face light up when we gave them to him 20. Being encouraged and blessed by Zsofi Wilson during some one on one time while kids are sleeping That is it for now but more lists to come! It was fun to think about all the good gifts God has given me just in the past week, this list doesn't even cover it. Sure, there have been some stressful and hard things on there too but that is the point, why focus on those? I feel more at peace than I have all week after sitting down and really counting my blessings.. Try it, you may just feel better too! Thanks to the book for this idea and to my friend Erin who is also counting her blessings on her blog. James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.