Thursday Thirteen

Things I am thankful for today;

1. My son cleaned his room last night before going to bed. I had mentioned to him as I was tucking him in that he would need to clean his room today, and he took it upon himself to put things away when I left his room but before he went to sleep. He did this all in the dark (because it's lights off at bedtime!) and is so proud of himself and happy to let me know. Thanks Bud for cleaning your room!

2. Living in Southern California. There really isn't much room to complain where we live. The weather is great and the beach isnt' too far off!

3. Sandals.

4. Dishwashers. I love that I haven't had to wash the dishes since we moved here. And guess what is running right now?!

5. Friends, old and new. The Lord has blessed me with friendships that have survived our being apart, as well as new ones in new places.

6. Boogie Boards. We bought the MaeLeb boogie boards the other day and took them to the beach to try them out. What fun!!! (although I think I need to get at least one more so Mama won't have to share!)

7. My bed. There's nothing like a camping trip to make me love my bed all over again!

8. Cable T.V. I am enjoying so many shows right now all because we got cable last year. My favorite right now.....So You Think You Can Dance (dance, dance, dance). Runner ups.....Design Star, Next Food Network Star, and The Mole. The ones I'm embarrassed to admit to watching....Wipe Out, I Survived A Japanese Game Show.

9. DVR. This little feature in our cable box allows me to record and watch shows (and fast forward through commercials!) when I would normally have to miss them. I love you DVR!

10. Craigslist. I love being able to sell things that we no longer need. The best part is making money off our crap unneeded items. The latest item sold was the dishes I had to replace. Money made: ten bucks! After my sales, I put aside my money until I have need for something. Lately I have bought desks for MaeLeb, more drinking glasses, and boogie boards. I love having this little bit of extra cash for things like that!

11. My Monday night bible study. It's great to continue to meet with a friend or two and talk about the things we learned in our study. I always go home refreshed and ready to live another day for the Lord.

12. Summer break. Although it has it's moments of impatience while waiting for school to resume, I am thankful for the lazy days of summer. It's great to not have things to rush off to.

13. Swimming lessons. Mae and Caleb dide great with their lessons this year and both are doing so well in the pool. Mae started out the season being tentative in the water, while Caleb was still in floaties. Now Mae is confident and is even venturing into the 'deep end'. Caleb is also making strides as he is now floatie-free! He is a little cautious but still has his element of fearlessness. I am thankful that they were able to start the summer off with swim lessons, now they are using their skills throughout the summer and enjoying the pool even more.