God's gifts from one captured moment

This photo's my new favorite.  I know, the lighting isn't perfect, but as I walked by towards the third/fourth grade Sunday school room on Sunday morning, I caught a glimpse of this: My former baby and her daddy, reviewing her memory verse.  And my heart melted again.  This is the tender man helping me raise our kids.  And this is one of those moments I want forever etched in the grains of my memory.  And this is why I am to look for God's gifts at each corner of each day.  This is where God's whispers His grace.

And now onto the week of God's blessings...

- Playing ball with Abel in the five minutes we had before needing to leave the house

- Capturing the first glimpses of springtime breaking through the confines of winter

- The giant chocolate chip cookie (made with garbanzo beans)... Delicious.

- Making moccasins for the baby I watch

- Being given another sweet gift that is so useful for my crafting/sewing projects... and feeling so loved

- My car not starting, and my father-in-law coming to my rescue
... And the baby sleeping right through it all
... And my father-in-law cleaning my battery connections so that it wouldn't keep happening
... And my father-in-law doing my other handy man tasks for me

- Adrianna writing about playing Mexican Train in her Wednesday journal

... And doing an art lesson to draw a picture of it

- These sweet animals of mine in a moment of peace

- Abel's love of rubber bands
... And saying, "Can I dude it, Mommy?" about every movement in and out of the car and in and out of the house

- Making treasure maps with Adrianna, Jack, and Jenny to find things we hid around our street

- Enjoying the first day where it was warmer outside our house than inside

- Finding "jello" that Adrianna can have... and of course, Abel enjoying it, too
... And Adrianna making a "Jello House" with it

- Going with Abel to eat lunch with Adrianna at school

- Adrianna being so excited to wrap up her schoolwork pages to give to Abel for his birthday

- More evidence that Ruthie and Rusty are no long enemies

- My step-dad putting together all of my 1,000 gift pictures from 2011 into video form (I will try to link to them on here soon!)

... And re-watching all those moments and remembering why it's worth it and why each moment matters

- Greeting Abel on his birthday with a phone call from his grandparents

- Adrianna's sweet present 

... And Abel not listening very well when she tried to explain it

- The handed-down train that Scott's co-worker gave him to give to Abel

 - Scott trying to put Abel's birthday train together while Abel napped

- And Abel trying to enjoy the train before we figured out how to make it work

- Abel's birthday party
... And taking it easy with another family (Abel's best buddy) and Scott's parents

- Enjoying Blue Bell fruit ice bars that Scott's parents brought back for Adrianna and Abel

- Laughing at finding Rusty like this when we came home from church ... and hoping that he learned his lesson about getting into the trash!














- Scott and Adrianna doing spring yard clean up

 - That precious moment

- Abel's voice, overheard on the monitor to his sis: "You want more me read to you?"  

...And Adrianna and Abel "spelling" together as they drifted off to sleep

- Number craft time with Abel

- The picture Adrianna made for Scott: after several attempts, she turned an S into a picture of him

- Adrianna helping me cut out the pictures for our Easter tree devotional (from Ann Voskamp, of 1,000 Gifts)

- Adrianna using her "5 Prize" she earned from school to have a movie night with dinner
... And her saying, "This chicken is actually really good, Mom."

- Adrianna crying over Scott leaving for a business trip

... And getting to bring her into my bed, way past bedtime, and read with her

- Spending a precious hour with my dear friend who is about to move away ... and crying for the way I will miss her sweet company, but rejoicing for what God has in store for her family

- A divine appointment Scott had on the airplane

- "Abel, do you need help with that chair?"  "Yes, Anna!"

- Riding home from school again

 ... And Adrianna being so much better on her bike after a winter of growing

 - Putting together the Easter tree

- Making banana chocolate goat smoothies for the kids for dinner

- Adrianna doing this to meet the requirement of telling me five things she was thankful for (after having a screaming melt-down)

- Cherishing a year of growth for Abel: 3.5 inches and 4 pounds, and the doctor declaring him to be "thriving"

 - Adrianna: "Mom, can I tell you a story?"
... And sending Daddy texts and pictures over dinner

- Scott's mom coming to help with the kids in that tricky hour before bedtime while Scott was away
... And seeing that beautiful resemblance