Thankful Thursday

Today we are linking up at Grace Alone. Go over and check out some more thankful posts!

It's so hard to pick something to focus on for today's post. I am thankful for so many things right now! From material blessings to spiritual blessings and beyond! I guess today I will focus on being thankful for my children and the relationship my husband and I have with them.

I had to make a late run to Walmart tonight because we were out of essential things and the kids are sick, so I couldn't take them with me. I waited until my husband came home from church and I intended to go to the local 24 hour grocery store, but it had closed overnight for some reason. Anyhow, when I got home it was after 10:00pm and the kids were supposed to be in bed. However, when I came in the door, my oldest son carried my youngest daughter down the stairs and brought her to me. He said she was crying and was really upset and that she wanted me. I held her in my arms and she instantly stopped crying as she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder. I almost wanted to tear up! How wonderful that my daughter can be so comforted by my presence! She often climbs into my lap during the day and just wants to sit there...even if I don't talk to her and am busy with something else. She just wants to be close to me and be comforted by being in my arms or my lap. Since she's my baby and she's now 4 months away from being 3 years old, I'm very glad to have her still be so clingy!

Then there's her sister, who will be 5 next month. She's my little princess! She loves everything girly and pink and wants to help mommy with everything! I try to take time to let her help me cook and do other things she takes interest in. When she goes to bed at night, she wants to be tucked in by me. Daddy just won't do, and I can't skip a night either. Sometimes when I'm busy at the time their daddy wants them to go to bed, I'll ask her to go up and get in her bed, and I'll tell her I'll be up later to tuck her in. She will leave her light on, open her door all the way and leave her covers on the floor before she falls asleep. This way, when she wakes up, she knows if I've tucked her in or not...because her covers will be on, the lights will be off, and the door will be closed halfway. If she wakes up in the night and doesn't find these things done, she will come downstairs, into my room, and ask to sleep with me. When I let her in my bed, she says, "will you tuck me in?" So I can either tuck her into her bed, or I can tuck her into mine! At first I found it to be an inconvenience that she wouldn't just go to bed when she was told, but after the first time she went through all that trouble to know if I had come up eventually or not, I find it so sweet that she cares that much! The only thing she wants at the end of the day, is her mother tucking her into bed, kissing her forehead and telling her she loves her! How sweet is that! I try very hard to always tuck her in before she goes to sleep since it means that much to her.

On to my 6 year old son. He loves me so much, and he's so honest and pure at heart. He has a wonderful sense of humor, and he's very much like his father, but gentler. When my husband is frustrated, upset or sad about something, he always says, "where's A___, he'll make me feel better!" A couple weeks ago, my husband had to work quite a bit of overtime so he wasn't home as much as he normally is. I could tell it was getting to my son because he kept asking me when daddy was going to be home, and he was lingering in the living room with us after we had told him to go to bed one night. We told him again to go to bed, and he left the room, but I saw him standing in the stairwell with his head hung down. I called him back in to ask him what was the matter, and he immediately started crying and said, "I just want to spend time with daddy." My husband looked at me and smiled, and called our son over to him and they lay together on the couch for almost an hour! It was a sweet moment for both of them, because sometimes my hubby feels like the kids don't have a preference of whether they spend time with him or not. It's not true of course, and he knows it, but I think dad's can feel that way often times, especially when the mom stays home with the kids and gets to spend more time with them.

My oldest child loves his daddy so much and wants to be just like him. I see him watching his father quite often and studying him. It really shows you how important it is to be a good role model and teacher, and not just hope that you can "tell them what to do" and have that be good enough. He is very intelligent, but lacks all common sense. "Like father, like son" (sorry honey, you know it's true.) But it's so fun to teach him and watch him catch on to things so quickly and just run with them. I'm amazed at how fast and well he's picking up piano. He is by far my most difficult child as well though. Maybe it's his intelligence that works against us, but he can be so trying and challenging at times. It frustrates me because he also has a HUGE heart, and can be such a wonderful child and person. All his Sunday School teachers have always just fell in love with him. I'm so thankful though that all my children are different and unique.

So today, this long post is just a glimpse of why I am thankful for my children and the special relationship that God has given us with them. I'm thankful that I get to be home with them and spend every minute that I can with them, before they grow up and move on to their own families! My heart is full and cup overfloweth with the joy and love that come from my children!