Count My Many Blessings...

After reading my cousins blog about quiet times and reflections, I felt inspired to share my thoughts tonight. I've been meaning to do this for a while and it seems like the nights are so busy. So thanks Matt--for inspiring me to take these few moments to be thankful and reflect upon the great blessings in my life.

I have to be so grateful for the time I have to spend with Dave right now. It is NOT easy to have him out of work--especially with the struggle of finding a job in this crazy economy. However, we both feel that it was a good thing, and that good will come of it. We are enjoying getting to "know" each other again. It seemed like 6 long years of tag team with work and kids and we had very little time to spend together. So, it has been so nice to enjoy "dating" again.

I am also so very grateful for such a sweet cousin! Debi--you seem to amaze me in every way and are there when the kids and I need it the most! You have touched my heart in the most amazing way with your sensitivity to the kids and their frustrations in moving. Jacob has taken to Leah and just LOVES his playdates with her. He is always soooo excited when he comes home and he told me today that he even likes macaroni and cheese now--"so don't worry mom--one of your kids likes it now":) Thanks you so much for letting our kiddo's share this friendship!

I am thankful for all of the little "ANGELS" that are looking out for our family! You are all so amazing and I am thankful for all of your little secret sharings! Tonight we had the kids in bed, all except Brooklyn, and we were eating dinner and talking when the doorbell rang. I didn't hear a "hello" when Dave answered, and he soon came back into the room holding the cutest pot of paper flowers and candy! What a special moment to be thought of tonight! Also, I had the cutest preschool mom "over-pay" me and when I tried to figure it out--she said it was a little bonus! The thoughtfulness keeps pouring in from the most un-expected moments.

I took Madison and Jacob to gymnastics tonight--it is always so much fun to watch them! One of the things I love the most is seeing them learn a new skill and sharing it with a look over thier shoulder at me! The look on their faces says"Look mom--I did it!" ever so proud! I am so proud of them and the milestones they have made in gym. Another thing I love is the teacher/child relationship! It is the ONLY gymnastics place we have found that has the belief and philosophy of building the esteem of the child. Each teacher (and there are several) lives and portrays this theme to all of the children all of the time! I am grateful for their confidence, patience and time spent with my own children and hope it is something my kids will be able to continue! A HUGE THANKS to FLIPS gymnastics for a job very well done! My children love you!

Last night I had some errands to run and I was listening to music while driving. As I got to the end and was ready to head home I thought that I could just keep on driving down the freeway--with no end in sight and never looking back. It was so peaceful to just drive and think. And the force that brought me to exit the freeway and head home was my sweet husband and three adorable little children--who count on me and depend on me in the most important way. I love them so much and am so grateful for their smiling faces and happy expectations in life!

I believe their are angels among us, sent down to us from somewhere up above...they come to you and me in our darkest moments, to show us how to live, to teach us how to give, to guide us with a light of LOVE! Thank you to all of you ANGELS out there--whoever, and wherever you are!

alison

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Our favorite, the bagpipers!

this is green!

the green machine

The "gang" watching the parade go by

My cute girls ready for the day

Cold weather, again!

Just as fast as the good weather came, it left us! We were back to coats, gloves and boots for this one!

A little taste of spring...

The kids have been soooo anxious to get out and play. When the weather warmed up they begged to ride bikes and shoot balls. Madison just learned how to ride her bike without training wheels--yeah madi! And jake is a huge sports fan and is loving the basketball hoop that grandma gave him.

The Story of the "Little Red Hen"...(Adams Style)

One day, Alison decided to make some bread. She noticed that everyone around her was starting to make their own bread and it seemed pretty easy. Now, she was raised on her dad's famous wheat bread, but his recipe seemed to be a 24 hour process. With 3 little kids to help, she thought it would be wiser to find a "simpler" recipe. Especially since this would be her first attempt. One day, her visiting teacher stopped by and announced that she had a wonderful recipe to try, with a DVD to show you how to do it. Alison thought that was a great idea. Another day, her mother-in-law, Maureen, sent a loaf of homemade bread back with Dave and mentioned that she, too, had a great recipe she used. Alison liked the idea of grinding the wheat, kneading the dough, watching it rise, baking the bread and finally eating it. She liked the idea of having fresh ground wheat to use for her bread--yum! So she asked: Who will help me grind the wheat? Maureen said: I will! Who will help me mix the dough? Jacob said: I will! Who will help me bake the bread? Madison said: I will! So, she used the ground wheat (sent from Maureen), she kneaded the dough (thanks to the Bosch and Jacob), she watched it rise for 45 minutes (thanks to yeast and an oven) and she baked the bread (thanks to Madison). Then she said: Who will help me eat the bread? Just then Dave walked in from work, took one little sniff... and said: I WILL! And so there we sat, eating the most delicious homemade wheat bread---made from scratch!

*My idea is to start simple and work my way into my dad's recipes. He really does put a lot into his bread and makes it everytime we visit! The kids absolutely love it and it is so healthy. I also figured that it costs about $.50-.75 a loaf compared to $4.00 at great harvest! And it has no preservatives or sugar.