Thursday Thoughts

It's Thursday, and I have so much that I am thankful for and that have blessed me this week that I thought I should take a minute and share some of them. Most of it has to do with Lexi, but that is to be expected since we spend 11 hours a day together.

1) Lexi had her first Gymnastics class yesterday! And if you are sitting there thinking, "Beth, your kid is 20 months old and is way too young for gymnastics," well, friend, you obviously don't know my daughter. While she does have some trouble following directions (what one-year-old wouldn't have trouble listening in a room full of laughing little kids and a cushy floor that is covered in foam wedges and balls and tunnels to crawl through!?!), Lexi can do somersaults and hang on the bar way better than some of the 3-year-olds in her class! Of course, being a gymnast myself in my younger years, I am immensely proud of her, and thrilled to death to think that we can totally afford gymnastics classes here for quite some time (hooray for the wonderful Chicago Park District!).

2) Eric received some new video equipment in the mail this week and has been acting like a 5-year-old kid on Christmas morning. I love seeing him having so much fun and loving what he does for a living!

3) When I gave Lexi an apple this morning, she looked at me and said very proudly, "Thank you you're welcome."

4) I sat on the couch yesterday afternoon and watched Lexi play pretend with her stuffed animal Violet for a full hour. I still can't believe that this smart little girl was formed and developed inside my body. God is constantly giving me things I definitely do not deserve.

5) The snow falling outside our windows this morning. While I have loved loved LOVED the sunny 50 degree weather we have been enjoying, there is nothing more beautiful than watching the first real snow of winter fall gently past the windows and coat the ground with pure white.

6) I think that what I am thankful for the most this week are the hard times I have been going through. I know it sounds strange, but it is because of some incredibly difficult circumstances in my life lately that have allowed God to reveal Himself to me in some pretty big ways. And He has not only been revealing Himself to me, but He has also been revealing to me the poor condition of my heart. This breaking process is not fun, to say the least, but the blessings that come with the healing far outweigh any pain in the process. More about this later (when Lexi isn't squealing that she is done with lunch while throwing noodles all over the dining room floor.....).

7) Eating a bowl of cereal in bed last night while watching BBC's The Human Planet. Did you know that there is a species of bird that actually intentionally leads humans to trees with honey-bee hives? God is so cool.

8) Being a part of a really cool church that has really cool people that have a heart for the city of Chicago.

9) The cups full of creamy chicken noodle soup and fresh bread that Nick keeps bringing back for us from his restaurant job. YUM.

10) Dan coming over everyday for lunch now that school has started up again. There are some huge perks for him now that he is an art teacher at the middle school across the street from our house.