Thankful Thursday

Thursday already?! Wow...time flies. I hope everyone had a great week! Here are some things that made my heart happy this week...

1.) Our small group reunion! Our old small group is getting back together for a summer study on Galatians, and we had our first meeting last night. It was so good to see everyone and get caught up a bit. Two of our families are expecting babies in the next two months, and I'm very excited for them!

2.) My friend Leslie gave us two big bags of girl clothes for Delaney! And SUCH cute stuff! :-) They're expecting a baby boy and not planning to have any more kids, so she divided up her little girl's stuff and spread the love! Thank you, Leslie! Laney just added about 4 pairs of shoes to her current wardrobe, so we had fun trying those on tonight. Okay, maybe I thought it was more fun than she did... :-)

3.) Josh was having some car troubles (it was shaking constantly like he was driving over rumble strips), but it all went away when he got 4 new tires. That's a blessing because we were praying it wasn't something major. Ya!

4.) Two more projects coming my way! Yaaaa! :-)

5.) I had a day to get caught up on stuff around the house. Today was a day of rest from exercise, so it felt like I had lots of time to get things done like laundry and tidying...all the fun stuff. :-)

Well, that's all from here. Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Even though it's technically Friday morning here in Tennessee, I haven't gone to bed yet, so it's still Thursday to me. That makes this post right on time! Here are some things I'm thankful for this week...

1.) A great anniversary with my sweetie. We were low-key homebodies (mostly because we were sitter-less), but we still had an awesome day ... because we were together! (Sappy, I know.) I love you, baby!

2.) My very own personal trainer! Granted, I'm only going to meet with her once a month or so, but I, Jennifer Hesse, have a personal trainer. This is huge for me. I was once the girl who hated to sweat, but exercise is slowly winning me over. Slowly but surely. And since I want to make sure that sweat is counting for something and working the areas I want to work, I met with one of the Y's trainers to develop a little plan of action. I like action plans. :-)

3.) A day at the lake with our dear friends Jeremy & Kenya. We headed out this afternoon for a picnic and fishing expedition on Jeremy's little fishing boat, which incidentally, Jeremy & Josh bought while we were at Cedarville (Jeremy was the financier, Josh was along for the ride). We had a GREAT time, and the kids loved playing in the water. The fish weren't biting near the shore, so the boys went out trolling right before sunset in search of one trophy fish. This was Kaden's first time fishing, and Josh wanted it to be memorable! On their way back to shore, just as they had given up, they got two bites...and Kaden got to reel in two fish with his daddy and Uncle Jeremy. A pretty memorable night for all three. :-) And just seeing the smiles on their faces made me very, very happy. My little boy is officially a fisherman!

4.) I fit in some pre-pregnancy jeans tonight. Yes, Laney is 13 months old ... Shush. :-) I'm doing the happy dance!

5.) Laney surprises me every day with her spunk and adventurous spirit. She makes me smile! Despite the fact that she's just getting steady on her walking legs, she loves to climb. I thought that Kaden was a climber b/c he was a boy, but it turns out that Josh and I are raising two fearless monkeys. :-) I'm telling you, they did NOT get this from me!

I hope that your weeks have been full of many blessings, too. Until next time!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday again. Time to share a few things from this past week that made my heart happy!

1.) Laney is getting to be quite a talker. She has recently added "ba-bye" (with corresponding wave) and "love oo" to her short list of phrases. It's so adorable to hear her talking in her high-pitched little voice. She loves to snuggle when she gets up from her nap. She leans in for kisses on her forehead, and if I'm really lucky, she gives me a hug, pats my back, and softly says, "Love oo" after I say it to her. It's enough to melt my heart! My baby is growing up, that much I know for sure!

2.) Kaden's "rest with me" scared phase. Okay, I know that sounds weird, but Kaden has been going through this thing where he gets really scared at night. He thinks there are monsters everywhere, and his imagination is going into overdrive. Although I don't like having to go back to his room to re-tuck him in several times, he's been asking me lately to rest with him for a few minutes so he can go to sleep. Even though there's a part of me that wants to rush him to sleep so I can get back to my "me time," I have this awareness that these days won't last forever. Lying in bed whispering about the day and praying to God "for Kaden not to be scared" is a pretty special way to spend my me time. I'm grateful for quiet moments with my normally very busy boy.

3.) I'm reading a fiction book for a freelancing project, and it's a nice diversion from the non-fiction stuff I've been reading. I'm thankful for all the work God's been sending my way -- especially since the beginning of the year.

4.) The Y! I know, it's a standard for me, but really -- it's a blessing. Great childcare, great facility, great classes...YA! Josh and I are in a health-nut phase lately, and we're loving the Y!

5.) Our Anniversary! On Saturday I get to celebrate my sixth year of marriage to my wonderful husband. In September, I will have known Josh for ten years. Gosh, that makes me feel old. :-) But more than that, it makes me feel grateful that God has been so gracious to me. So good to me by giving me this wonderful man to share my life with. I can't wait to celebrate the last six years with my sweet hubby. I love you, baby!

I hope you all have a LOVE-ly weekend. :-)

Thankful: The Florida Edition

I'm sitting here in the Florida room of my parents' timeshare, at least an hour earlier than I anticipated due to Laney's early wake-up call, but surprisingly, I am actually grateful for the time to chill and reflect on the past few days. I can hear some birds chirping, a little creek peacefully bubbling by outside the screened-in porch...oh yeah, and Laney happily crunching a plastic container. Music to my ears! :-) Mom & Dad are at an owner's meeting with the timeshare people and the boys are sleeping, so it's just Laney and me enjoying a little breakfast and some quiet time.

I thought Laney would really sleep in today b/c we were at Disney World ALL day yesterday -- we left here at 9am for breakfast and didn't return until after 11pm (WHOA!), but alas, she did not get the sleep-in memo. She's not a fan of the timeshare crib. My mom and dad have been taking care of her in the middle of the night since she's in their room, but they came and got me at 7am this morning since they had to go to their meeting. Normally she sleeps through the night at home, but like I said, she's not impressed with this crib. Oh well--back home tonight (maybe tomorrow if we stop in Atlanta).

Before anyone else wakes up, I better get to the thankful part. :-) In no particular order...

1.) Time off from the ordinary! It has been really nice to take a little breather from normal everyday life. Before we left, Josh worked 5 days of 15-hour shifts (including his commute), which didn't leave much time for anything else. It was nice to have his undivided attention during our little vacation. We have had a lot of fun in a few short days!

2.) Our kids have been so great...and so much fun! They did great on the drive down, and we have loved watching them enjoy the pool, the beach, the park, and everything in between. We pushed them to the limit yesterday, and they really did great, considering how exhausted they were by the end of the day. I think the fireworks were worth it. :-) (Actually, let me reevaluate that when Kaden gets up and we see how grumpy he is!)

3.) Great weather this week. We had forest fires to the north, a tropical storm to the east, and high winds from the storm that blew the smoke down the Gulf coast. But fortunately for us, Orlando is just far enough inland that we missed all of that stuff! Pretty amazing. We've had a few showers, but the overcast skies have actually been a blessing by keeping the hot temperatures and scorching sun at bay. We had such great weather yesterday at the park, and the day before that we had sunny skies at the beach, too.

4.) A new swimsuit! Josh and I went shopping at Target for a new swimsuit for me. I literally haven't bought one in about 4 years, and I was overdue. I don't swim a lot, so it hasn't made it to the top of the priority list until this week when I realized all of my suits were in serious disrepair or just downright ugly. I found a really cute tankini, and I think it will last me for a few years.

5.) Fun times with my parents. When my parents separated last summer, I wondered if we would ever go on a family vacation again with them. That made me very sad because it's something we've looked forward to doing -- getting all the siblings and grandkids together every other summer for a big family vacation. This week was really an answer to prayer because after having faced the threat of losing time together with both of my parents together, it made these days even sweeter. Thanks to their hard work and God's grace in beginning to heal and change their relationship, we had a great family vacation (but we really missed the other siblings and grandkids)! More than the weather, the down time, or the smiles of my kids, that has made me the most grateful this week. Thank you, God!

More adventures await, so I need to sign off. Sending love from sunny Florida!

Thankful Thursday Returns!

So, I missed three Thursdays in a row. Betcha thought I forgot, right? Well, Thankful Thursday is back. I'm not working on a project this week, so I've had time to catch up on things like housework and blogging. I don't have to tell you which one I prefer. :-) Although, I will say that my hardwood floors are gleaming, and that makes this girl's heart mighty proud.

And here are some other things that have reminded me of how blessed I am...

1.) Healthy kiddos. Both of the kids had their annual checkups this week, and they are both doing great! Kaden has grown like crazy in the last year -- from 30 to 40 lbs. in just 12 months! Oh, and he also grew about 3.5 inches. No wonder he's wearing 4T clothes! Delaney's doing great, too. She's starting to communicate more, still working on her walking skills, and getting two new teeth. Their checkups reminded me of how blessed we are to have two perfectly happy, healthy children. Praise God!

2.) An upcoming trip to Florida. We weren't planning to go, but my parents have a timeshare in Orlando and are heading down for their annual trip. We decided at the last minute to tag along, and we're looking forward to some fun in the sun!

3.) Kaden's constant chatter. I know I've said it before, but the boy can talk! And by talk, I mean this little guy is 3 going on 30. He questions, considers, celebrates, and commentates just about every waking moment. There are times when there's a little voice in my head saying, "Shush!" but I've restrained myself. :-) After all, didn't I spend the first 2.5 years of his life waiting to converse with my little dude? (Not that he wasn't talking before, but just not like THIS.) The fun part is that just about every day, something hilarious comes out of his mouth. On Sunday I painted my toenails, which is very unusual for my post-baby self. Kaden was very interested in my new toes, and after a day of checking them out, he said, "Look Mom! Your big toe is growing up to be red!!" (He and I were talking about how he's growing up to be such a big boy, so that's where he got that.) Anyway, he's a blast, and 99.9% of the time, I love hearing his little voice throughout the [whole] day!

4.) Antibiotics and steroids. This is going back to my recent bout of strep throat, but I just have to say what a blessing modern medicine is. I can't imagine what people went through before antibiotics were invented. And the steroids? Wowee...now those were some good drugs. :-) My throat is happy again!

5.) Our little plants are poking through the dirt! Our lettuce, peas, and corn are all growing from seeds, and the tomato, brussel sprouts, peppers, and broccoli plants are growing, too! We haven't seen any carrots, squash, or turnips yet, but we have visions of veggies dancing in our heads! :-) Stay tuned.

Well, it's time to wrap this up. I'm not sure that I'll be blogging from Florida, so I may be absent again next week.

God Bless!

Thankful Thursday

It's my day 'o gratitude again. ;-) Here are a few things...

1.) A very interesting project on my desk at the moment -- Proofreading a book about the First Amendment and the separation of church and State in America.

2.) A fun two days off in a row with daddy home. Park, playing outside, and grilling burgers were all on the bill of activities.

3.) Kaden's new phase of incessant talking. Though Josh and I wink and sometimes chuckle at our new motor mouth, it's quite amusing to see him amping up his word count (by the thousands each day, I think!).

I hope everyone is having a great week. Until next time...

Thankful Thursday

It's time to share five of the things that made my heart happy this week:

1. Quiet moments with Laney. We have Tuesdays all to ourselves when Kaden goes to preschool, and it's fun to have some girl time. I love it when we have time to look into each other's eyes and get to know each other better.

2. I love it when Kaden says grown-up stuff in his little boy voice. On Saturday AM, we all went to the Y together and then stopped by Starbuck's to keep chipping away at a gift certificate I have. Kaden calls anything from Starbuck's a "special drink," and he loves having his very own. They make a $1 kid's drink called "Vanilla Cream," which is basically steamed milk w/ vanilla flavoring in it. This was his first time having this drink, and after a few sips, he gleefully declared, "This is WHEELY WHEELY good!" It was probably funnier in person, but it made Josh and me laugh. There's so much joy in the little things!

3. The YMCA's free childcare. Enough said.

4. My wonderful hubby who is helping me find time to see my nutritionist again and make time to exercise. Thanks, babe!

5. When Laney and Kaden see each other for the first time in the morning, they both break out into huge smiles. It never fails to make me happy!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

Today is the first day of "Thankful Thursday," my new weekly topic that will give me a chance to thank God for the week's blessings. Nothing beats stress away like looking for the positive and finding gratitude there. So here goes:

1. Cold weather -- even a *little* snow last night! -- the kind of frigid temps we rarely see here in TN, the kind of temps that beg for hot cocoa [or tea...see next item]! Now there's a celebration!
   
   
2. Loose-leaf tea. If you haven't tried it, you are missing out on a tasty, calming winter treat!
   
   
3. Playtime with Kaden. My new napping strategy for him includes purposely wearing him out in the morning. This is no easy task since he seems to have hidden reserves of energy, but I'm up for the task. We've been playing outside, going to the Y, walking in the woods, and having lots of fun while getting ready for a good, long nap. Bonus: exercise for me!
   
   
4. Laney learning new things. She is in a constant state of motion and discovery, and it's fun to see her growing up into more of a toddler and less of a baby. She's getting steadier on her feet, and I think it'll only be a few months until she's walking! She pulls herself up on furniture like a champ!
   
   
5. My uber-industrious hubby. I'm grateful for how hard Josh works to provide for our family and that he hasn't given up despite business start-up stress and working at a job that is not exactly where he pictured himself. I'm proud of you, baby!
   
   
6. Weight loss! I lost 2.5 pounds in the last week, and that is something to be happy about! I think all that naptime exercise is paying off. :-)
   
   

Those are just a few of the many things I have to be grateful for, but it's a good place to start for today. If you want to join me in exercising my gratitude muscle, feel free to jump on the bandwagon!

A Day of Thanks

What am I thankful for?

God, to whom I owe all my thanks!
A wonderful husband
Two healthy, happy kiddlets
Friends and family who support me through good times and bad
The chance to be a SAHM and do work I enjoy from home
A warm home, good food, and friends to enjoy Thanksgiving with

I could keep going and going, but the turkey's calling!

God Bless and here's to a great year!!!