Counting my blessings...

I am just having one of those days where I just feel out of sorts. We are back on the search for a church home again and I am getting antsy to buy a house. But, instead of venting about those things and the other things that are bugging me, I have decided to talk about the things I am so blessed by right now!

Yesterday and today we were so blessed by a visit from our wonderful friends Christy and Andrew Hatfield. Christy has touched my life in so many ways and Andrew has been a great friend to Nick. Andrew and Christy are preparing for the arrival of their first baby in January and are preparing to enter the mission field in August. They are so special to us and it was so wonderful to spend some quality time with them. We are so excited for the work the Lord has prepared for them and the adventures that lay ahead. Christy was such a wonderful encouragement to me. Moving here and getting adjusted has been hard but Christy has helped me make the transition so much easier. She has been such a great listener and prayer warrior for me and I am so grateful to have her in my life! I will miss getting to see her and having her just a phone call away. But, she will still be just an e-mail away and I am grateful for that.

Another thing I have been so grateful for today is my wonderful parents. Max was asking all day if he could go and see Grandpa. Their relationship just warms my heart so much. My dad was a great dad but I have never considered him much of a kid person. But, Max and my dad adore each other! They already have so much fun together and I am so excited to see all of the fun "manly" things they do together in the years to come. Living close to my parents has blessed us in more ways than we can count. I am so excited that our children will have such a close and special relationship with extended family. And I am so grateful that my husband loves it as much as I do. I think for some men hanging out with his inlaws all the time could be a real drag, but Nick has expressed that he loves it and that it means so much to him too! Nick often initiates going out to my parent's house or planning something to do together and I just love that!

And, I just can't help but be so grateful for my own little family. All I have ever wanted to be since I was a little girl was a mom and wife. God has blessed me so abundantly through my amazing husband and children. Nick wasn't a super "romantic" guy when we were dating and when we first got married. But, lately, he has really changed on that one! On Tuesday this week he brought me home flowers to celebrate the anniversary of our first kiss! How many men remember that date? He has also been so sweet lately about writing me love e-mails and even just saying romantic things! I feel so loved by him! And, of course a day doesn't go buy that I am not grateful for my beautiful children! We love them so much.

Anyway, it is 4:12am right now and I think Sophie is finally settling back down (she was wide awake for some reason and I couldn't get her back to sleep so I have been letting her swing for a little bit!) so I am going to try to get her to sleep in her crib and I am going to try to get some sleep!