Today I'm thankful for...

1. Timing. Bobby was released as first counselor in the Bishopric on Easter Sunday. This past Sunday was the first time he sat with me and the kiddies during Sacrament meeting in just over four years. Boy, was it nice to have his help. It was a particularly challenging meeting that required three trips to the bathroom (2 with Sydney and 1 with Lillian), Liam needed to be taken out so he could fall asleep, and there were a few hair-pulling, toy-taking spats that needed to be [reverently] put out between the girls. I might not have made it without him. It was nice to have his help in the morning getting ready, too. It allowed me more time to prep my Young Women lesson. The timing couldn't have been better on that one.

2. Seasons and cycles. Last year (2010-2011) we got lots of snow. Lillian remembers going sledding down a hill in Fairmount Park and she points out the area every time we drive passed it. She also remembers building snowmen in the front yard and making snow angels. Every now and then when we talk about how spring is here and winter is over (finally), she gets a little sad and says, "but there wasn't any snow!" Very true- we had one lame dusting of snow this past winter (Although I'm not complaining. Un-melted snow in April is not my idea of a fun winter). It was barely enough to play in (which we did), but it was the crunchy, icy type of snow that's not good for too much except picking up in icy chunks and dropping on the sidewalk to watch it bust into a million pieces. Nevertheless, when we ventured outside to play on that snowy wintery day, Lillian and I tried to make snow angels in the yard. But alas, it didn't work. The snow was too hard and the angels did not look like angels. This makes Lillian sad, too. We were having this conversation on the way to school the other day and as I was trying to get everyone out the door and buckled in so we wouldn't be later than we already were, I made a reply without thinking, "That's why winter comes every year and we get another chance." What words of wisdom! Seasons come and go every year in one big cycle; each one gets its chance to shine and show its colors and its weather. What is missed in one season can be experienced in another; if we miss something one time around, we get a second chance when the season returns the next year. Our lives work the same way- we go through different seasons and experiences and we always get a second chance.

3. The Baboo Fairy. Sydney's pacifier is her baboo. Yesterday the baboo fairy came and took all of them to give to other children who need them. Last night was the first night she spent without her precious baboo. We survived it ok. She fell asleep fine without it and she didn't wake up until 3am asking for it. She didn't cry quite as much as I expected, and after sitting in the rocking chair together, laying down in her bed together, then having breakfast with Daddy at 4am together, she was ready to go back to sleep. I'm proud of her for doing so well without her deeply-loved comfort item. I hope she can continue to adjust well. And I hope I have the will-power to hold out until the baboo is nothing more than a distant memory in her little mind. The dentist says her baboo is to blame for her open bite and if we can get her off of it now then it will be able to fix itself. Cross your fingers for us.

4. Craigslist. We are trying to find new tenants for our house in Delaware. The current lease expires in June and we can't afford to let it sit empty for long, if at all. We've had a few interested parties but no one wanting to put in an application yet. We've been advertising since February. We are also looking for new housing for ourselves in an area with a better school district so Lillian can start kindergarten in the fall. We've looked at a few places but nothing has been the right fit yet. Craigslist has made the whole process- both finding tenants and finding housing- much easier, but it's still a stressful process. Prayers on both ends would be much appreciated.