Thankful Tuesday

1.  I forgot to mention last week that I received three lovely birthday cards from my three sweethearts, and we enjoyed some delicious brownie batter donuts for breakfast on my birthday. Dunkin Donuts is still selling them here in PA! Usually they only sell them in February.

2. I bought an unused Kumon craft book for 50 cents at a yard sale on Friday. Nadia and Ian have really been enjoying it, and it has been giving them good practice with cutting and folding.

3. It was wonderful to have my parents come and visit us for 20 hours on Friday and Saturday. We all enjoyed having dinner at Bonanza, and it was special to have them see Nadia and Ian play soccer on Saturday morning.

4. We had a fabulous time at Knoebels on Sunday afternoon.

5. Paul and I watched an excellent movie last night. I highly recommend "The Good Lie." Last week we saw "Unbroken," which was also good although I didn't watch the whole thing because POW camp movies are a little too "intense" for me, but certainly Louis Zamperini was an amazing man.

6. Paul's last lecture was on Monday. Classes are over! He's giving an exam next Wednesday morning.

7. Some trees have leaves and some have blossoms! My tulips haven't bloomed yet, but other tulips around here are in bloom. Tulips are my second favorite flower (followed by stargazer lilies). I was able to mow the lawn today without wearing any jacket. I mowed during Oliver's nap while Nadia and Ian played outside. I'm very thankful Oliver still takes a 2 hour nap almost every day.

8. Today is my 39th spiritual birthday. I am eternally grateful that Jesus was willing to pay the price for my sins so that I can spend eternity with Him some day!

9. Nadia has been assigned the part of Pepper for Annie! A few days ago she told me to just call her Pepper (instead of Nadia). Cracked me up!

10. Usually Nadia and Ian go to the worship service at 9:00 and go to Sunday School at 10:45. Every once in awhile their kids' choir had a rehearsal during the 10:45 service, and when that happened I usually sent them to Sunday School at 9:00. The last time that happened Nadia told me she would rather go to the worship service at 9:00. I was surprised, but I thought it was because that particular Sunday one of the children's ministry directors participated in a drama in the service. For seven weeks in a row (leading up to and including Easter Sunday) a different pastor did a dramatic monologue from the point of view of someone in the Easter story (ex. Barrabas, the owner of the colt used by Jesus for the Triumphal Entry, Joseph of Arimethea, etc.). The week after Easter two directors (not pastors) did one about the ascension. I thought that was the reason she wished she had been in the worship service that morning, but I was wrong. This past Sunday she chose the worship service over Sunday School. Paul wasn't at church so it meant she was sitting by herself (on a front row chair) for the first half of the service while I was on the platform with the choir. It was sweet to sit with her during the second half of the service. I don't think many six year olds would choose a worship service over a Sunday school class for grades 1-2. I was very proud of her. I remember in September of 2013 she kept begging me to let her attend Children's Church, but I wanted her to start coming to the worship service instead. I am glad that over time her desire to be in the worship service has grown. I pray she will always want to go to church!

11. Last week Nadia finished the Adventures in U.S. History curriculum, and I told her that I consider her to be officially done with first grade this week. In reality this week we already started our summer schedule for schooling, which means that on the days we're at home (which will be few and far between after this week), we'll do a little bit of schoolwork. Today that translated to only spelling because I had ladies Bible study this morning and mowed the lawn, and then we walked to the playground before dinner. I also finished reading Pinocchio to the kids at lunch today (it was about 200 pages long). Yesterday she read another chapter of Grandma's Attic to me, wrote a page in her journal, practiced the piano, and did spelling. The only textbook she did this year that was actually a first grade book was science. Everything else (math, history, reading, spelling, and handwriting) was somewhere between grades 2-4. She's half-way through the 3rd grade spelling textbook, for example.  Schools take snow days (which we didn't), but I'd much rather have off when the weather is nice! I have no idea exactly how many days of school we did this year because I don't have to start keeping track until Nadia is eight, but I am declaring first grade to be over for Nadia!