Today I count blessings!

Today, I count my blessings.  First and above all, we have a healthy strong baby niece or nephew growing as we speak in Mama's belly.  If you look closely at the picture below, focus in on the beautiful Mama on the right.  This is my sister in law Gena, and that there bump on her belly is her first baby, who will be 24 weeks this Thursday.  Baby Tucker Wade or Ivy Grace has given us quite the scare this last week and today I am blessed to have a beautiful, strong sister in law with a healthy bun still in the oven.  I can't wait to see who baby will grow to be, I just know he will be that kid whose ALWAYS ready to go and rush everybody out the door early! ;)  In the meantime, I'm going to continue enjoying the perks of Gena's pregnancy....like how she's always ready for some good eatin'!  And Gena if you can't go eat Mexican food, I'll be sure to bring Mexican food to you!  In the meantime, I ask each and every one of you to continue praying for Gena and baby Tivy (Tucker-Ivy), for their health and comfort until that joyous September day!

 Next, I count this crazy little boy!  I love my Aiden James!  This here picture is almost a perfect capture of his always zany, fun personality!  We are blessed to have him!  We had a blast at his end of year party as you can tell!  He's proven to be an awesome student on top of it all and tomorrow will be his very last day of Kindergarten!  Even more, I count the fact that he is attending such a great Christian school, where the knowledge of Jesus Christ and teachings of the Bible are at the very core of his curriculum! 

 I count this here relationship you see in the next picture!  My kids absolutely love each other, through thick and thin, good and bad, upside down and inside out!  That's not to say they won't be the first to aggravate the other, but I do promise they're the first to include and think of the others also.  One of the greatest parts of having four children is watching their lives grow together, lean on, and love one another!

 Today I also count my wonderful friends and family!  There's no way I could picture or even name every single of you I'm grateful for.  So, I'll start and stop with you Holly! :)  It's hard being so far from so much of my family in so many ways, especially my Mom and Grandma.  I couldn't survive the day to day life of a Country Mama without my reinforcements like her!  Holly you play so many roles in our family and I thank you for being here for me and especially these kids.  We may not always know what we're doing or how to do it, but we sure are having fun figuring it out!  When we face weeks and times in our lives like this past week, you're a constant to us and a comfort to my babies, and I thank you! 

 And yes, I think this zany little personality here can be counted more than once!

 And of course I count this little man and his smile!  I count it a blessing that one of my dilemas these last few days has been hoping my stitches don't come out because I can't quit laughing at these little people!  May I never take for granted even one single moment of enjoying who they are and how perfectly complete our family is because of each and every one of them!

 And that I got to go to Aiden's first TBall game of the year!  It's so neat to see how far he's come and grown in just this last year!  His confidence is bigger his attention is longer and of course, he's having a blast!

 And to see my kids get to know their Aunt Vanessa!  I have the most beautiful, fun, greatest little sister a girl could ask for....which also makes for a very awesome Auntie for my kids!

 Yep....this here's that confidence I just mentioned!  Look at that stance!

 And up to bat!

 Look at this boy run!

 Good game #39, same number as your Uncle Keith use to be!

 Today I count this beautiful gal right here as another reason I'm blessed.  As imperfect as I am, I hope to provide somewhat of a way for her to follow in becoming a Mom!  She sure has had the best examples so far in Mom and Grandma!  At the least, she'll have at least a comical outlook from having to be in my shoes a bit with these kids!  In the meantime, I want her to see just how wonderful, beautiful, strong, and unique she is and how priceless she is to all of us because of it!  Oh yeah, and baby kitty Camry!  When Reese started staying away several weeks ago, we suspected this may be the cause.  And sure enough, today we can count a new kitten as well!

 Speaking of newness around here....meet 3 of our little pups!  Eyes are open and we have little ones sneaking off from their house here and their!  The two on the right are Gracie and my favorites!  Such pretty pups to add into the count today!  And don't forget their 4 brothers and sisters that aren't counted!

And of course....Little Lexi!  Formerly known as Spanky but renamed by Gracie, I count her injured foot in our blessings today as well.  There was a reason she was my front seat passenger at and during the end of the year party, and may I say she was very well mannered!  This poor Mama dog hurt this foot pretty bad and Gracie and I did ALOT of doctoring on her, including physical therapy on this foot throughout this day pictured!  And sure enough, her foot has been saved and seems to be functioning well.  Let me not forget to count the sweetest part of it all....in the car, on the way to the vet this day, Gracie was so worried and scared about her dog!  The next thing I know, in her sweet, nurturing voice I heard my baby girl say, "Mommy, I sink we should pray".  And we did.  I count above all, the fact that our sweet baby girl knew exactly where to turn with her worries and fear!

                                

I count this garden.  Row by row.  Seed by seed.  What a blessing indeed!

 

 I count these here 'maters!  See the reddest one on the top left?  That was my first ripe tomato ever and yes, it ended up in my mouth and was wonderful!

I count each and every part of this garden that is ready to harvest, or getting ready to harvest.  I may not be able to tend to it now, but I know there's a good place for all of it amongst us!  And I also know, and count the fact that I WILL be well and able to harvest much more to come this year! 

 I count everything about this garden, our home, and our family as a blessing more than any I deserve!  And I count the fact that when I worry and fret, when I lose focus of what's been given to me and only seem to remember what seems wrong....that the good Lord slows me down and reminds me just how much I have to be grateful for!

 I count the fact that these kids love this garden, the values, and the skills that we're trying to teach and pass to them.  And yes, to learn on my own before doing so on some of them! 

I count the fact that both snakes Tommy killed in the last week (a rattler and water moccasin) were not near or around my children.  And Grandma, before you fall over, there's a good thing here......they were both found only when the kids weren't around!  There's safety in numbers and in teaching the kids to stay away from dangerous areas!

I count this specific moment that had me laughing so hard I could barely breathe...one of them that had my holding my belly so tight just praying it wouldn't be possible to laugh my stitches out!  And my dear little Cass....this here is also for future bribery purposes although I know I'll never need to result to such measures with my sweet baby boy!  But just in case, let me explain the 'Captain Underpants' getup here!  You have discovered and decided that it's not only cool, but very fun, to pee like a big boy.  However unfortunate for our sakes, that means we have to lock you in your clothing for now!  Sorry baby, it's only for a short time and we love you!!!!

And I will also count that the Pathology report from my surgery was CANCER FREE.  Right now my pain and inability to do much is not because of sickness, but because of healing.  Healing I'm thankful for.  So, I guess that means that I need to count my pain and inconveniences as blessings right now too.  So I will.

And of course my husband Tommy!  Whose not present in today's photos only because he's hard at work behind the scenes running much of the show, catering to animals, building for me, tending the garden, protecting our family from snakes and such, and of course....being the wonderful Daddy and husband that he is.

For tonight, I will stop there.  Not because the count ends, but because I think I'll save some for another day!  You see, I had started to feel a little sorry for myself because I can't get up and do what I would like right now.  I even had a little melt down...or two to be truthful.  And then I remembered.....

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power or Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

How blessed we are.  How unworthy am I, to ever count anything but how much we've been given.  Lord tonight I pray for protection, provision, and hope to all who have lost or are searching for loved ones due to the recent storms.  Please help me to walk a little more grateful tomorrow and to be a good steward of all you have entrusted to us.
Amen