Grateful Friday

It's been far more than a week since I last wrote a "Thankful Thursday" post so here we go...

1. I am thankful that Paul's parents watched the kids during my third trip to Maryland and that Paul watched them during my fourth trip.

2. I am thankful for the extra time I was able to spend with my sisters and mother although I wish it were for another reason. It was especially nice to see Yvonne, Micah, Jenna, and Andrew, as I hadn't seen them in 13 months. They are en route back to Turkey as I type this post.

3. Nadia and Ian are enjoying their ice skating lessons. They had their fourth lesson yesterday.

4. Nadia and Ian have also been enjoying their 90 minute gym class on Friday mornings. This month they did basketball two weeks and field hockey the other two weeks. The next three weeks they will be doing hockey, glow in the dark dodgeball, and capture the flag.

5. I was glad that their basketball games were cancelled last Saturday because I really didn't want to miss Ian's very first game. I am grateful that Grandma and Pop Pop are planning to come up for their games tomorrow.

6. I am thankful that West Chester invited me to have a phone interview. I will find out in a couple of weeks if I will be invited to interview on their campus next month.

7. As usual, I am very thankful for the public library. We have moved on to our fourth continent (Africa). This week the kids and I enjoyed eating mandazi (Kenyan donuts). Oliver and I liked the Jollof rice. None of us were too keen on the chapati (flatbread), but we did finish eating it. We all (including Paul) loved the book Listening for Lions. We give it two thumbs up! The kids also really enjoyed the picture books about Owen and Mzee (a true story about a hippo and tortoise in Kenya). I also have recently downloaded some free books on my Kindle that I checked out at the library and read while I was in Maryland.

8. Nadia and Ian are doing better at eating peas. They definitely prefer green beans or carrots, but it's nice to know that they will not have a total meltdown over peas any more. Ian also discovered he likes clementines! Progress.

9. Nadia has been FLYING through the Ramona chapter books. They are each almost 200 pages long, and she only takes 1-2 days to read one of the books. I figured she would love them because she really enjoyed them when I read them aloud to them a couple of years ago, but previously she was intimidated by the length. I love to see her reading! Ian also is making great progress with reading. He is moving quickly through Level Four. He is motivated because he has to finish that level before he can see the movie Return of the Jedi.

10. Ian tried on his glasses yesterday (with demo lenses) to make sure it was the frame we wanted, and I think they look nice on him. Hoping he will take good care of his glasses once we pick them up. I told him Aunt Wendy's advice "if the glasses aren't on your face, they should be in your case."

11. My mom made it through the 3 hour surgery on one of her lungs on Wednesday (decortication). She is hoping to be discharged on February 1 (she has been hospitalized since January 20). I have appreciated all the prayer support on her behalf. I know my mom has received MANY cards from folks who love her and are praying for her. I received my second card today - this time from someone at our previous church, which was very thoughtful.