Thankful Thursday

1. Last Thursday I was able to use two $10 off coupons at JCPenney to get some excellent bargains from the clearance racks. Ian was with me, and he was thrilled with the new Spiderman sandals I got him at Payless. The boy is obsessed with superheroes!

2. Last Thursday was Paul's last day of classes for the spring semester. I know he is very glad his mass lecture is DONE. He had 130 students in that class! Yesterday morning he gave his final exam, and today he gave it to those who couldn't make it yesterday. He has grading to do, but he doesn't need to go back on campus until May 20.

3. I had a fabulous time spending 2 hours with my friend, Carol, whom I hadn't seen in 6 years on Saturday afternoon. As an added bonus, we were at a Mexican restaurant! YUM! A big THANK YOU to Paul for being willing to take the boys to the urologist by himself so I could enjoy a meal with a friend, something which has only happened a handful of times over the past 6 years.

4. Ian got a great report at the urologist on Saturday!

5. I went to Milton's community yard sales on Friday and Saturday morning. I didn't spend as much time there as I usually do due to #1 Oliver letting me know he had ENOUGH on Friday and #2 needing to leave to drive to the urologist appointment on Saturday, but I did get a few great bargains such as a pair of white sandals (Nadia's size) for 25 cents that were in great shape, a Melissa & Doug 100 piece pirate floor puzzle for $1, a scooter for Ian, a single jogging stroller for me to use with Oliver when I downsize from the double stroller, etc. I found out on Monday that Nadia needs a new bike. She has outgrown her two wheel bike. I wish I had known that before the yard sales, as I could have gotten her a new bike there. I'll keep my eyes out now!

6. Paul's parents watched Nadia on Saturday (spared her 6 hours in the van) and took her to her soccer game. As an added bonus, they put together the trampoline and brought up the kids' cars! The kids have been having a lot of fun with their cars (Christmas gifts) and trampoline this week!

7. We're still ever so grateful that Paul has a job for next year! It is such a relief to have a reprieve for 3-4 months in terms of submitting applications and even longer than that in terms of interviews. It also means we don't have to move this summer (YAY!), and I get to stay home with the kids another year (thank you, Lord!). Now I am able to shift gears and start making more plans for the summer and next year in terms of camps, homeschooling co-ops, etc. now that I know we'll be living in this house for at least one more year. This week I sent in our registration to join the swimming pool again this summer!

8. I love the flowers at this time of year! I need to take some pics of the tulips, hyacinth, etc. in our yard, but I did snap one of these tulips at someone else's house on our way back from the playground on Monday. The trees are also sporting beautiful blossoms, which means the leaves should be appearing soon! It was a bit chilly on Sunday, but generally the weather has been very nice lately, which has meant more time outside - playing, mowing the lawn, walking to the playground, weeding flower beds, etc.

9. I was so pleased on Tuesday night when I saw that Nadia can now do a cartwheel! She's definitely making progress in gymnastics.

10. A few days ago we received two free tickets for Six Flags. I thought we'd just be getting one free ticket (for Nadia), but they also sent me a free one as her teacher! Six Flags tickets are not cheap so this was very exciting! I hope they do this reading program again next year, and next year Ian will be eligible so we could get three free tickets! Weather permitting, I'm planning to take Nadia and Ian to the one in MD on Nadia's birthday along with Uncle Maurice, Susie, and Rachel.

11. Last Wednesday I found out the search at Bloomsburg had been cancelled (the position I had applied for). Since we assumed Bucknell was a closed door, we decided last Thursday morning to put our house on the market. That decision changed later in the day after Paul received a call from Bucknell, but those few hours of thinking we were definitely selling the house were a blessing because they spurred me to do some purging and cleaning. Paul took a van load of stuff to the thrift store on Saturday, which is always a good thing in my opinion. Although I'd still love to have another baby, I was thankful that it wasn't as painful to part with the clothes Oliver has outgrown this time. Hopefully it will continue to get easier and easier for me.