Thank You, Jesus

I'm definitely in a place to say thank you. My God has given me more than I could expect, ask, or imagine... I'm grateful for the normal things, salvation(!), food, our nice little apartment, the Christian brothers and sisters we've met while moving here, there and everywhere (it feels like it anyway... CA, NE, OK, and now TX), but am I thanking God for the things I see as struggles now? The things I know He is using for my best interest... for His interest in me?

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" for this pregnancy and all the discomfort that has come with it? This pregnancy has been much, much more pain-filled than the first two.

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" for moving us away from great friends, from our families, from our familiar surroundings?

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" For my husband working so many late nights and my feelings of isolation and loneliness?

Can I say "Thank you, for putting us in this teeny, little town with nothing to do, and almost no way I can see to meet people; where Theona asks if we're going to "the Wal-mart" when we drive toward town because THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE HERE?!

Do I want to say "Thank you" for these things? 

I do.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I want obedience. I want to give thanks in the tough things. I want to give thanks in everything. I want to see where God takes me from there... or here, I guess.

"Oh, Thank you, Lord for this pregnancy, even, thank you that there has been so much extra pain this time. I pray you would use it for your glory and that you work in me through it."

"Thank you, that my husband has had so many extra hours to work and you've been providing a commission that is such an answer to prayer and obvious provision. Thank you, Lord for meeting needs in a practical way."

"Thank you for this little town. Thank you for bringing us here. Thank you for giving my husband a position that makes him known in our community. Please give him grace and strength to continue to honor and glorify You - that you would give him grace in the eyes of people watching."

"Thank you, Lord that I feel so lonely. I have you to call on and you put a song on my lips. Oh, how you encourage me in those times when I'm searching for a friend and you make yourself known to me..."

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Here's something, be blessed.

Lord, please teach me to give thanks in all things. Would you help me continue, and would you grow this into something that brings glory to You?

real quick... My little BFF

Very often at dinner, Theona says to me, "Mom, you're the best cook." Honestly, I love it. I'm pleased that my family enjoys food I make for them.

Tonight, Theona looks up at dinner and says to me,

"Mom, you're my best friend."

 

*sigh* she's such a sweetie... 

I can hardly believe she's almost three. I love hearing these sweet,  surprising little things she has to say. So, this is partly for my own memory, and partly to share how amazing my little girlie is.   ;)

I should make myself a note to come back and read this when we're not having this kind of day.

My biggest crochet project ever... Coming soon!

I've been working on a child size afghan for Theona. It's probably going to be a Christmas present (as she keeps asking if I'm making it for her for Christmas. ha ha). The pattern has several stitches that were new to me when I started, but I think my crochet skills have improved a lot since beginning this project. Also, this pattern calls for like, 47 ounces of yarn. The yarn I'm using comes 5 ounces to a skein, good thing I got it on sale!

In other crafty news, I tried to knit a baby hat "in the round". I pretty much failed miserably! I think I need a different size of knitting needles with a shorter chord between them. I'd like to make some to donate to the hospital in my town, and in McAllen. When Theona was born she got a special hand knit baby hat, not just the little blue and pink striped standard. I thought it was sooo special! I'll let you know if/when I attempt this again. Especially if I'm successful!

In the meantime, I'll be finishing up my Theona blanket, the "BIG" one, the 47 ouncer... haha. 

I know you're on pins and needles just waiting for pictures.  Hopefully soon, I need Abe's help for that... I miss my trusty ol' simple Mac!

On the Road to Homeschooling! (Funny Story)

I hope to home school as the kids reach school age, but I'm sure like many young moms, I'm intimidated by the idea. I hope I can do a good job and teach my kids well, so not only do they get an excellent education, but just as importantly that they know the Lord and have a godly and biblical worldview. 

We talk about lots of things throughout our days. Theona has lots of questions and I just try to talk out loud about the things we are doing so she has an opportunity to learn more about whatever it is and so Jecoa hears a lot of language. He's starting to talk more, and it's fun to hear his new little phrases.

One thing we've been doing a lot of lately is coloring with chalk outside. Theona is always asking me to draw certain pictures or letters, and she'll tell me what she is drawing. I wondered how much she understood the letters. She knows the alphabet song, but I didn't really think she was learning to recognize any letters yet. When she would ask me to draw a "T" I'd tell her "T for Theona"

Well (you need a little background here), there's a cemetery that we drive through on our way into town, and they recently built a little shrine at one of the grave sites. They also built a metal cross. It's about 20 feet tall! It has solar lights on it, so at night it lights up. 

We were driving on Saturday, after dark, and I told Theona to watch for the houses with lights on them, as some people already have Christmas lights up. She was telling us, "Look at the lights on that house! Look at the lights on that house!" As we passed houses with lights, then as we passed the cemetery she exclaimed, "Mom, look at the lights on that 'T'!" - the new big cross! I thought that was too cute! I was so proud that my bright little daughter has recognized the first letter of her name! How funny, huh!

So I guess we are well on our way toward homeschooling! I'm not the most gifted teacher ever, but she's learning! If my girlie is recognizing letters without much practice, I suppose we're on the right track. She's learning lots of things every day, and I'm so glad that I'm making a good learning environment for her!