day 8 and 9 thankful

day 8:

While not as productive as we'd hoped, it was still a really great day. Seventy degrees and sunny, actually. The most perfect November day ever. We had dentist appointments for the big kids and then had a picnic and hours of play at the park. The sweetest part of the day for me, though, was the evening.

Growing up, we play a LOT of Uno. Whenever my grandparents would come in from Mississippi, we'd have huge games that lasted hours. I have so many sweet memories of those times... Anyway, last night we taught Corban how to play. And we played and played and played. He was getting so excited, threatening 'skippers' and hoping to make us draw four. It's so crazy that I'm at this stage... I've always dreamed of doing those things that I treasure so much from my childhood with my own kids, and here we are.

Where does the time go?!

This 'thankful' is multi-faceted: I am so thankful for a family that enjoyed being together growing up. I loved that time with family, the uno games, hours of aggravation, scrabble, tetris euchre, etc. We did a lot of it, "QFT" as mom called it, and I think it's so important and good. I'm thankful for my Grandma and Papaw... I can't play Uno and NOT think of my Papaw. He is an amazing, incredible man... If there was ever a man to make this girl feel treasured and beautiful (prior to my husband), it was my Papaw. And along those same lines, thinking back to having just watched Courageous... I am so so blessed to have had such amazing men so present in my life. I am still floored, in awe of who I consider my dad, Jack.. a twenty six year old man at the time coming in and loving me and my older brother as if we were his own. I don't remember ever once being referred to by him as his step-daughter... always his daughter. He loved me and raised me as a father should a daughter, though he didn't have to. I recognize now how incredible this really is, and I am more thankful than I could ever express.

And now, I have this husband... the boy I fell in love with half my life ago.. now a man... and an amazing one at that. And watching him be daddy to our kiddos, especially those little girls... not a day in their life will they have to wonder if they're special. 

I have so much to be thankful for!

day 9:

Do you remember my mention of massive to-do lists? 

Yes, I might as well throw them out the window. 

You do remember, too, that we have three small children? 

That's right. 

And that I've been struck by a plague of sorts and can't get well? 

Mmhmm.

"Blessed are the flexible, for they are not easily broken." 

Right? 

:)

I say this all jestingly. Sort of. I'm not really down about the lack of progress being made on my list. I AM bummed that it's already Wednesday night, but I keep telling myself that we have until Monday morning. Still five more days. Keep trucking along. Keep having fun. 

Progress has been slow today. This bathroom project is much more of an undertaking than anticipated, but it's moving along. It's now 100% empty of anything original, praise the Lord! The new shower base is down though not installed, but PTL again, it fits! 

A funny story: We bought a new toilet today. 

Not in our original plans, but we found out it was necessary once we actually tried to flush the been-stagnant-for-three-years one. Three years of rust and calcium made a barrier unbreakable so... 

we are now the possessors of a two flush option toilet. 

Toss that thought around for a moment...

Have you ever heard of such a thing?! Ha!

After all these silly details, I'm thankful for the provision to be able to finally remodel our bathroom! :)

Anyway, I'm going to be too lazy to insert pictures at appropriate places and just attach them all at the end.  

 the removing of the beautiful green speckled tile!

(Oh I forgot to mention... the beautiful floral border that was up before? Ladies and gentlemen, it was TAPED on. Easiest wall paper removal of all time!!!!)

Sweet Nora James-- with a BOW! That means.. HAIR! :)

 My boy playing UNO. :)

 Jordan cutting the shower in half so that we can get it out of the bathroom:

 He ended up having to cut up the floor in order to remove the old drain. He first cut the whole shower out around it:

 ... and it's gone! :)

Enjoy your day!