With Easter approaching this weekend I am thinking about the sacrifice that was made for me.  It is hard for me to comprehend that God gave his only Son to die for me.

When I look at Brooke and Hailey and think about how much I love them it can be pretty overwhelming.  I would do absolutely anything for them.  Anything.  And I know all the other parents out there feel the same way about their children.  If it came down to it, I would give my life for Brooke or Hailey.  But to think about me choosing to give one of their lives to save someone else- no way.  That is not going to happen.

But that is what God did for me.  He gave his only Son to die.  For me.  It is hard for me to understand that God loved me so much that he was willing to let his Son die for me. Wow!

And that?  Is why I am thankful this week.  Happy Easter!

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Last week we were able to visit my parents (check out pictures of Hailey’s first toboggan ride if you missed that post) and we had a wonderful time.  I am thankful we were able to visit. 

While we were there, one evening my parents told Rich and I that we should go out on a date and they would watch Hailey for us.  Since we don’t live near our families and I am just a little bit overprotective of Hailey we never leave her with anyone so we can go out.  So, the last time Rich and I went out without Hailey was in July for our anniversary when my parents made a trip all the way to our house to watch her for us.

So, after strict instructions that I did not want Hailey falling down the stairs or choking or getting hurt in any way, Rich and I went out on our date.  We had a really nice dinner at the Olive Garden.  After dinner we went to see The Bucket List, which in my opinion was excellent.  I thought the movie was so good that I forgot all about eating the candy we had bought at Wal-Mart and then hid in my purse to sneak in with us (and don’t try to pretend you don’t sneak food in with you).  If you happen to go see The Bucket List, my only recommendation is to bring some tissues with you.  It’s probably not exactly attractive to have to wipe your running nose on your sleeve.  I’m just sayin’.

Anyhoo- I am so thankful for the nice date that Rich and I had.  It was so nice to be able to spend some time with just Rich; I had such a great time with him.  Thank you Mom and Dad!

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This week I can not help but to think about BooMama‘s trip to Uganda as I write my Thankful Thursday.  For those of you who do not read her blog, she went on a trip to Uganda with Compassion and I highly recommend that you read some of her recent posts (you could start with The Village or The Faces but really- it would probably be good for you to read all of her recent posts).  So this week I am thinking about some of the basic things that I have that I take for granted that so many of the children she visited to do not have.  Things like- indoor plumbing, running water, electricity, a home that is bigger than 6 feet by 8 feet, more than enough food- you know very simple things like that.  I just can not stop thinking about how fortunate I am and how much I really have.  We are all very wealthy when you consider how little so many others have.

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Many of you have been following along with the problems that Hailey has been having with her eyes and the unusual rolling her eyes do.  So I thought I’d update that this week the eye doctor called us back after watching the video we had left with him.  He told us that he really thinks that she simply has a childhood tic.  He said that tics are quite common in children and most of the time they go away as they get older.  He told us the same thing the neurologist had told us- this is just something that some children do as their brains mature.  So, now that I have heard the same thing from two different professionals (who did not discuss it with each other) I really feel a lot better.  I am so thankful that this is nothing to worry about and that Hailey will out grow it.

Since it is Valentine’s Day I thought it would be appropriate to say that I am very thankful for Rich.  He is a wonderful man, the love of my life, and an awesome dad.  I am truly blessed and I am so thankful to have him in my life.  Check out my Thursday Thirteen on Our Happy Happenings to read 13 of my favorite things about him!

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This week I am thankful that the neurologist finally called Hailey’s pediatrician back.  He had looked at the video we had taken of her rolling her eyes.  He said that this is something that some children do as their brains are maturing and that they out grow it.  He said it did not look at all like a seizure or anything to be worried about.  He said he didn’t even feel that we needed to do an EEG because he is so confident that it is nothing to worry about.  The neurologist who looked at the video has been working with children and specializing in seizures for many years and I trust his opinion.  I am extremely thankful for this news.  Even so, while it did make me feel better I had kind of hoped to have the EEG just to be totally sure.
 
We also left a video with Hailey’s ophthalmologist to look at.  He is very specialized in this area and can refer us to a neurological ophthalmologist if he thinks it’s necessary.  So, we are waiting for him to call us back with his opinion.  When we described to him what Hailey has been doing he had the exact same opinion as the neurologist- while it’s not common it is something that some children do when their brains are maturing and it is something they out grow.  If he calls us and tells us it’s nothing to worry about even after he has seen the video I’ll be fine with that as it will be two different very specialized professionals giving us the same opinion.

I am thankful that the area will live in has some highly professional doctors who are specialized in these fields.  I know many people do not have nearby access to such wonderful professionals.

If there is any new information I will certainly post about it.  Otherwise, I am hoping this worry is behind us and I can concentrate on worrying about the the trigger thumb we found out Hailey has that she will need surgery for.
 
Once again- I am so thankful for all of the kind comments and emails you all have been sending me- and of course- I’m especially thankful for your prayers.

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I am thankful that we have electricity.  A few of weeks ago our power went out because of high winds.  It wasn’t out all that long- only about eight hours.  But, it reminded me that we take so much for granted.  There were several times that I flipped light switches, expecting a light to come on.  At one point I thought, “Oh, I’ll go do some laundry since the internet isn’t working.”  And then I remembered the washer and dryer wouldn’t be working either.  Anyhoo- it made me realize that I take a lot of that kind of stuff for granted.  We had very high winds again yesterday and even though the lights flickered and the internet didn’t work for most of the morning (gasp!) the power stayed on.  For that I am thankful!

I am thankful for the nice time we had last weekend while we took a little trip “home” and stayed at my parents house.  As always we had a blast.  We were also able to spend some time with some of Rich’s family and had a very nice time with them too.  We love being “home” and if we could we would just pack up and move back “home” tomorrow.  We don’t like it where we live and we hate being away from our families….. ooops this is supposed to be a thankful list.  So, I am thankful for the nice visit we had and I will continue hoping for the day when we can move back ”home.” 

I am thankful for the nice distraction it was to be away visiting family.  So many days I just worry about what is going on with Hailey (you can read about my concerns here, here and here) and feeling worried all of the time can get pretty overwhelming.  So, it was very nice to have some distraction from all of the worrying I am usually doing.

I am thankful for all of the kind comments and emails I have been getting regarding Hailey.  It means so much to me to know you all really care about what is going on.  I don’t have any new information yet as the pediatrician still hasn’t heard back from the neurologist.  I will post any new information as soon as I have it.  Thanks again for your comments, emails and prayers! 

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If you’ve been reading my blog for a little while then you know about the problems Hailey has been having with her eyes.  If you don’t know and you have an extra minute you can read about it here and here.  If you don’t have an extra minute- to make a long story short- she does an unusual eye rolling thing.  Her doctors have so far kind of brushed off my concerns.  Well, last weekend I was able to get her rolling her eyes on video.  I am so thankful I was finally able to get it on video so that the doctor could see what Hailey is doing.

I brought it to her doctors office on Monday.  On Tuesday I talked to the doctors office and the doctor had sent the video to a pediatric neurologist for him to look at.  I am very thankful that a neurologist will be looking at the video.  While I think pediatricians are wonderful people they are not brain specialists.  The doctors office told me to give the neurologist a few days to look at the video, then he will call the pediatrician back and tell her what he thinks.  And, then the pediatrician will call us to let us know what the next step will be.  So, after months of worrying and feeling like my concerns were not important to the doctors, I feel like we are finally getting somewhere and I am so thankful for that.

I’ve also gotten a lot of emails and comments from you all about this situation and I am so thankful for that as well.  It means a lot to me to know how many of you care about little ol’ me and what is going on in my life.  Most of all, I appreciate your prayers. 

I will keep posting updates as soon as I know more.

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I am thankful for the wonderful time we spent with our family last week.  We spent several days staying at my parents house and had a wonderful time.  It was great to eat my mom’s awesome cooking (I gained 2 pounds while we were there) and to have extra help with Hailey.  Mostly though it was just so much fun to spend the time there.

My dad usually has a project going on somewhere in the house and he is currently working on remodeling their kitchen and dining room.  He’s been promising my mom he would do this for 22 years, so it’s about time.  Anyhoo- Hailey loved helping my dad (or “Pa” as Hailey has recently started calling him) with whatever he was working on.

Hailey helps Pa with some sanding in the dining room.

Hailey helps Pa set up a new stereo.

Hailey helps Pa play the guitar.  (I don’t think my mom will be very happy that you can see that green door in the background.  It leads to the kitchen that is being remodeled, so I assume that one day it will be painted a different color)

Anyhoo, I am so thankful for the way that my parents are with Hailey.  I absolutely love watching them together.

We were also finally able to celebrate Christmas with Rich’s side of the family.  We had originally planned to do that the weekend before Christmas, but then Hailey was sick and we didn’t think it would be a good time to travel.  So, this weekend was the first chance we have had to get together with them to celebrate Christmas.  It was a wonderful time and I always enjoy the time we get to spend with them.  Hailey enjoyed herself while we were at their house with all sorts of new things to explore.  And, also a different dog to play with make very nervous.  I am thankful for the nice time we had with Rich’s side of the family and I am thankful to have these wonderful people in our lives. Would you believe that we didn’t take any pictures while we were there?  Well, believe it- so I don’t have any pictures to share with you. 

Lastly, I am thankful that the DVD player worked on the way to visit our family.  Because it did not work on the way home and it was a bit unpleasant.  Because Hailey?  She did not sleep, not one little wink, for the entire ride home.

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While I have participated in Thankful Thursday on my other blog this is my first time here on this blog.  And, before I never participated very regularly, but I plan to start.  So, here goes my “first” Thankful Thursday.

1.  I am thankful for the great times spent with my family over the holidays.  We were able to see my parents, both of my brothers, and my sister in law.  We don’t get to see my brothers and my sister-in-law very often because they live too far away for frequent visits.  So, it was wonderful to get to see and spend some time with all of them.

2.  I am thankful for the “breaks” I had while my family was here.  Since I am a stay at home mommy (which I LOVE being) I do not ever get a “break.”  So, when my family was here they gave me lots of breaks by taking care of Hailey.  She loved the extra attention and I liked being able to take a shower without worrying she would wake up from her nap while I was in there.

3.  I am thankful for all of the new blogging friends I made in the last year.  I never thought I would say it but I have met some great people through the internet who truly are my friends.  Many days you are the ones who keep me sane by the adult conversation I am able to have with you through comments we leave on each others blogs and through emails.

4.  Now, let’s all pretend that I am not saying what I am about to say because as you mommies know I am surely jinxing myself.  I am thankful that Hailey has been sleeping better at night.  No- she still does not sleep all night and no- she does not stay in her own bed all night.  But, whereas before she was sleeping about 1-2 hours in her own bed before waking up and wanting to come into bed with us she has been staying in her own bed for 3-4 hours.  I am thankful for what I can get!  Now, do not ever mention this again, we do not want Hailey to realize that I have noticed this.

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