#898 - Date nights with them

Last night Daniel took Ella on a date, and thanks to our wonderful helper, Halie, I was able to take Riley on a date at the same time.

Ella went with her daddy to our town's annual Father/Daughter Valentine dance. When I told her they were going she was SO excited! She couldn't wait to put on her beautiful dress. She was so giddy when I told her it was time to get ready. We made sure Daddy did not see her until just the right time. And Daddy made the night extra special by picking Ella up at the front door - with a rose in hand. Ella was too cute..."Thank you for my rose, Daddy!" And off they went to dance the night away!

Once we said goodbye to them, Riley and I got ready to go to the 2nd annual Mother/Son Valentine Dinner at the church. My sweet date and I had a great time. At one point he climbed up in my lap and just sat there for the longest time. How much longer will that happen?? Not much, I'm sure. How thankful I am for our loving and kind boy!

Such a fun night celebrating our love for one another that's only possible because HE first loved us!

#899 - Love for Learning

Riley loves kindergarten! It hasn't always been this way. The first day of school last August, he came home and said, "It wasn't what I expected. I don't think I'll go back tomorrow." Poor guy...he learned real quickly that's not how it works out in the real world. It took him about a month, or so, and he adjusted to his new normal and began enjoying life as a 5-day-a-week school attendee. 

Last week he came home with the biggest smile on his face. "Mom! Guess what?" (First, let me just say it still saddens me a bit that my baby no longer calls me Mama) So I replied, "What, buddy??" "I'm an AR reader!" AR stands for Accelerated Reader, and apparently it's a pretty big deal for kindergartners to be on the AR level. He then proudly showed me his certificate. Daniel and I are so proud of this little guy! He loves school and is quite the conscientious one. I pray he will always enjoy learning!

#900 - Gift that keeps on giving

New Years Day, 2015, the Baylor Bears were scheduled to play in the Cotton Bowl. I wanted to be there. You see, when I was a Baylor student, we were excited if we just won one game a season. We never dreamed of going to a bowl game! The Cotton Bowl is a short 2.5 hours drive down I-30 from us, so as soon as I heard they'd be playing there, I knew I needed (ok, wanted) to go. I very clearly hinted toward what a great Christmas gift the tickets would be. So, when December 25 came and it was my turn to open my gift from my hubby, I just knew that heavy box of whatever he was handing me was just a decoy. I tore into it to find a large container of Ghirardelli hot chocolate mix. One look at his proud, look-what-I-got-you face, and I knew there was no need to continue digging in the box. This man knows how much I love chocolate (I'm confident it will be in Heaven), and he thoughtfully researched to find the best bang for his buck. At first, I was a bit surprised he would even want to spend his money on hot chocolate for me, but as I went in the kitchen yesterday afternoon and made myself a cup (on February 3), I couldn't help but be thankful once again for this delicious gift that just keeps on giving!

P. S. I still love my Bears, but as you probably know, they lost the Cotton Bowl. Again, I'm thankful for my hot chocolate :)

#901 - 1st day of gymnastics!

Two years ago I decided to start documenting 1,000 things I'm thankful for. About 6 months ago, life took over and I just quit posting. It's time to start again. I said in my original post that it may take me 5 years to get to #1 (counting down from #1,000), and I'm right on track for that length of time, if not more. But, that's ok! My goal is to just do it, no matter how long it may take. So, here's the latest gift I'm thankful for...

This little girl was SO excited to begin gymnastics today at Steel Belt Academy in our small town. I love that we can literally walk out our door, past the church and across the street to a gymnastics academy! I know she's going to have so much fun learning. I just wish I could've stayed and watched! Counting down the minutes until I can pick her up and hear all about it. Love my girl's energy and excitement for life!