Thankful Thursday, Week 121

As I think about this past week, I am especially thankful for...

~A surprise visit from our Gramma and Papa Nate...
~...who were on their way to my Aunt Heather's wedding :)!

They brought their dogs, and Peter *loved* Mitzi...

He was still a little wary of Fritz, though ;).

It was Papa Nate's first time meeting 'Siah :).

~Abbi is so funny... so wild and goofy... but she does have a thing for animals. She was taking energetic Fritz everywhere with her, while Emmi and Peter were still shrinking in terror, haha!

~Awww :)... Not only did we get a picture of Tori *and* Gramma, their tongues aren't out ;)!

~A room full of family :). This could be captioned "welcome to the game arcade", hahaha!

Peter did take Fritz for just a little bit about forty-five minutes before they left, heehee :). But he was running from him about as much as leading him, heeheehee :). 

~I think we can be thankful that our couch is still standing... haha :)! Look at Josiah, heehee :). 

~This little face!!!

~We are such weirdos... as proved by the next pic... it's never boring here ;). We are usually laughing at something or other :).
 ~Andrew put together that lego plane Gramma brought him that is sitting on the table :).

~And we hear music about as much as laughter :)! Tori is such a good piano player, and Peter is so thrilled to "play" with her :).

They are so cute :)...

~Look at Abbi's new crocheting skill :)! I walked her through one stitch last night, and she just picked it right up... I should have stuck with it last time I tried to teach her. She was sitting -quietly- of her own volition- crocheting, for the longest time this morning! So sweet :). She is hoping to make a scarf :). We'll see if the inspiration sticks long enough!

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!"

                          ~Psalm 150:6

Thankful Thursday, Pics from Grandpa and Grandma's Visit :)

We had a wonderful visit with Grandpa and Grandma earlier this month :). It was full of many wonderful things...

~Plenty of talking and laughing together.
~Lots and lots of treats ;).
~And about as much geo-caching...
~With lots and lots of nuts. No, I'm not talking about the little ones. I'm talking about acorns right now ;).

Daddy found it, but wouldn't pose... oh well, Bethi offered ;).

~I love, love, love these two and watching them together. Aren't they sweet :)?!

This looks pretty right here. You go right around that bend, and it turns into a make-shift junk yard :P... we didn't know that until after we were there!

~Peter has inherited his Buddy's love for... rocks. Haha :). In their defense, these had purple spots and actually very pretty :)!

~She was starting to get a little tired here, but she is so sweet anyway :)!

~"S for Sun...", she says :).

You never know how big a cache will be, or how dangerous to get to! Tori figured this one would be too far into the woods for her comfort, so she stayed at the car, but I took Peter from her because I didn't want him to miss out... I should have just left him. Haha! We were so far behind everybody else that he pretty much missed out anyway, haha! We got there as they were putting the cache back, heehee :). Grandpa offered to carry him back, but he stayed with Tori the next stop. I don't think he cared.... he wasn't too thrilled with the rain that was coming off and on ;).

~Grandpa and Grandma brought this really fun baseball net for the boys. Peter enjoyed getting in the way while it was being set up ;)...

~Abbi and her new "Izzy" :).

~Emmi and her 'chillins', Anna and Bekah... not sure where her Melody is... she's such a good little Mommy though :).

~Tori loved playing with this dolls hair, heehee :).

~Grandpa and his new little grandson :)... (and his Lord of the Rings/geo-caching shirt, heehee ;).)

~Grandma with the little guy :)...

 

Goosey goosey Emmi :)... her Anna doll is "riding" the duck ;)!

~Peter putting the baseball net to good use :)!

~LOVE this FACE!!!

~This one is pretty funny, too. Heehee!

~Andrew caught one!

It was such a blessing to get to see them again :)!!!!

 

Thankful Thursday, Week 120

See what I mean? Me and my unrealistic brain. Haha :). Our week has been so busy, but really really fun :). I just haven't got around to blogging during it... so, I'm still not caught up. But I'm working on it. The next couple posts will be pics from Fourth of July and our Grandparent's visit (which we are very thankful for :)!), and I can't get at them right now. But I wanted to post this one while I have some writing time :).  So, anyhow :)... Some thankful thoughts from this current week :)!

~Peter's love for church. Well, I think he just likes to go for a car ride. But the plea he makes is cute... "Shoes? Go church?!!!". When told on a Monday one week that we couldn't go to church, it was locked, he did change tactics and ask, looking at Daddy who was heading out the door for work, "Shoes? Go work?". Heeheeheehee :).
~A Sunday afternoon spent enjoying some outside time and then sitting around and doing nothing but talking together and reading until it was supper time.
~Yummy milkshakes Mommy made earlier this week.
~A sweet time of fellowship and the hospitality of a friend here in VA. She and her mother invited us into their home, and we had lunch and enjoyed some time to talk before she took us to her grandmother's house to see her new pets...
~Little baby bunnies :). They were so soft and sweet! Peter was holding it on his lap, but when he was done, he just gave her a "Peter look", and said. "Pick up. Put back." Hahaha! Abbi loved it, social, animal loving creature that she is, she was looking forward to the visit as much as I was, haha :). And it was Josiah's first "real" social outing, as far as going to someone's house :).
~She also sent home a bag of clothes for the little girls to grow into, so thoughtful :). And she had tomato plants in her garden. I absolutely *love* the smell of tomato plants, and it's been over a year since I was around any. Haha :).
~Raindrops on the roof... I love that sound :)...
~Miss Mary across the street. She has been such a blessing to out family ever since that night Josiah arrived. She took Tori and I to the library this week to pick out some books for us and the little ones, and we had a great time. And I'm thankful for new children's literature. That will be out of the house in two weeks... just about the time that new books start feeling really, really, old in this house ;). Yay! Heehee :).
~Quilling... Ohhhh, my word! I was looking on pinterest for some card ideas... I found a beautiful card with quilling all over it, and saved it, although I've never done quilling. I was going to just draw flowers in that design, but I looked up quilling "just for", found a tutorial, found a sheet that showed all the different shapes that can be made out of the basic paper roll, found some more quilled projects... I think... Just think... That I'm addicted. Haha! It's so pretty, and fun, and easy! And not monotonous even though it's the same thing over and over. Heehee :).
~Enjoying talking to a dear friend last night, and her little sister :).
~Overnight oatmeal. This is a great invention in my opinion, heehee :)!
~Quiet early mornings.
~Peter's talkative little self. Right now, as I'm typing this and he is eating breakfast, he is giving me a commentary on the antics of a orange cat that walked into our yard. "Kitty cat! Eating stuff!" (Stuff equaling grass, haha :).). As the cat started rolling in the dirt he exclaimed, "Wait a minute! Getting dirty!" And as I type this, I have no idea what the kitty is doing, but Peter says it's "coming after me." Haha! He seems like such a quiet little guy, most of the time. Most of the talking he does is either about/to Josiah, or copying the little girls... unless you get him by himself. And then it's like he can say anything, and does, too. I love it when that happens, he is just adorable!!!

Now, I need to be going. Schoolwork and Saturday cleaning await :)!

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations."

                                 ~Psalm 100:4-5

Thankful Thursday, Weeks 116, and 117

First disclaimer: I did not post yesterday's post. And Tori did not write it. No, I now have a new little tyrant behind my back. *Looks pointedly at Bethani*. Moving on...

Second disclaimer: Get ready for a few days of Thankful "Thursdays". It's been too long since I did one, and I plan on catching up and staying caught up. *Laughing at my unrealistic brain*. So if it seems like all you see around here this next week is posts like this... um, it's because that's what's happening. Heehee :).

A few thankful thoughts from last month...

~We got all the little girls clothes switched out (well, the boys too, but that never seems to be as big a deal. Theirs either fit, or they don't. There is no middle ground. Haha :).)!

 

~This sight. Is he cute, or what?! Mommy pointed out that the boys seem to put pencils behind their ear naturally, while the girls seem to only do it if they see their dad do it. It's like playing with cars. Isn't it funny how this stuff is ingrained in them? Haha :).

 

<3

~Matching monkeys.
~Peter's love for the Piano Guy's "Peponi" (hence the cd player in our room, heehee :).).
~Seeing these little ones enjoying time together.

~I do not think it is wrong to note that I was also thankful for the clean-ish room that night. And Abbi took over cleaning the books on our bookshelf all of her own volition. It's amazing how neat she can be while picking one when it is her, and not I, cleaning them every day ;).

~A game of "Candy Land" with the younger five (well, six... if you count that Josiah was sitting by watching ;). Peter was so cuuute, he had never played it before :).  He insisted on placing the card rather than his man on the matching square :).

I have a picture of Abbi where she was trying to use the computer 

"illegally" when she was just a bit older then he is now, haha :).

~Mornings spent outside.
~Sweet Abbi and her obsession with frogs... yuck... but she's happy :).

(On a side note, the nest that I mentioned before fell down a few days later. Daddy said there wasn't anything in it, so that was good. But that will explain the lack of updates.)

~Popsicles.

As his first popsicle, he wasn't sure at first, but he enjoyed it :).

Sweet baby soaking up that sunshine :)...

 
~Juicy, sticky little hands :). (Although it rather bothered him... heehee :).)

~Josiah's love for this duckie toy. It was Abbi's favorite when she was a baby, too. He is sooo much like her... it will be interesting to see if he continues to follow in her footsteps. Watch out ;)!

~THIS face... that smile, ohhh, that smile!

~Emmi's artist rendition of our family :). Isn't it cute :)?

Have a blessed Sunday :)!

"And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

“For he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”"

                                        ~Ezra 3:11