Update on life around these parts....

Hello, sweet friends~

Can you believe it's November?  Me neither.

 

Last week, with some of her free time, Ella raked up all the leaves in our yard just to get a big pile that she could jump in, and invite the other kids to jump in with her.  I love it.  It's one thing I appreciate so much about my kids-- they are easily impressed and they love the simple joys of life.

The last time I posted here it was all about how much I was struggling, and after that tough week, Mark encouraged me to take the following week off.  We did, and it was a good week.  We all went to the library and brought home stacks and stacks of new books and Mark and I even got to go on a date.  (We ended up running errands most of the time, but we did stop to have dinner and I love any time with just this guy.)

a goofy photo we took

We celebrated Isaac's 13th birthday with his yearly-requested homemade donuts, which everyone is always thrilled about.



And then I got sick :(.  (Sinus infection, achy, feverish, lots of sinus pressure.  It's been going on for over a week and I can't seem to shake it.)  Whenever we're sick, I figure God is sort of enforcing rest, and so I try to embrace it the best I can.  So this week has been a mellow week, too.  I've been trying to sleep in in the mornings (if I'm able) and have been leaving the kids to sort of fend for themselves for the first couple hours of each day, and we've done a light week of school.  I have been making meals but honestly, that's about it.

I'm going to close out this post with a list of snippets from my journal of things I'm thankful for.  I'm still working through that thousand-gifts list that I began so many years ago (thank you, Ann Voskamp) and even though I'm up into the six thousands by now, I don't think I'll ever stop.... 

6528 | date night

6530 | read-alouds

6531 | kind, helpful, attentive kids

6534 | our home

6536 | Adelia, this morning, thanking me for reminding her to set the table (which is her morning chore. And which she often forgets.)

6537 | Isaac, doing extra in the kitchen this morning

6542 | our fireplace

6550 | elderberry syrup

6555 | Mark playing a loooong game of Risk with the kids, which Audra (!) won after three hours.  (Three hours is a long time for a seven-year-old to be invested in a game!)

6560 | family movie night (We watched the Water Horse, after reading the book this week.  The movie was nothing like the book but the kids enjoyed both.)

6562 | Audra's sensitive spirit

Love to you all, 

~Stacy