Thankful Thursday

So much has happened over the last month since my most recent gratitude post. There have been some very challenging moments along the way, but as always, much to be thankful for. 

1. We were on vacation from August 5-16. Everyone was healthy during the trip. Aside from us eliminating a few things from the itinerary, almost everything went as planned. In general, the weather didn't interfere with our activities. The kids' favorite parts of the trip were the tidal bore rapids/mud sliding, kayaking with seals, and the boat trip in Gros Morne National Park. Other highlights included a couple of the hikes on Newfoundland and seeing many puffins. Paul really enjoyed some of the historical aspects of the vacation. 

2. On August 7, Oliver turned 14 years old. We are very thankful that he's part of our family! He grew over four inches in the past year. He's almost 5'9" tall.

3. On August 11, Paul and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. A couple in our Sunday School class celebrated their 58th anniversary a few days ago. I don't think Paul and I will live long enough to celebrate that many anniversaries together, but maybe we can make it to our 40th or 45th anniversary. Time will tell. Grateful for the twenty-five we've been given so far.

4. A family had us over for dinner on August 17 so that their daughter could spend time with Nadia one more time before she left for college. Aside from my sisters, this family is the only one who ever invites us over for dinner, so we don't take it for granted. 

5. We were able to spend more time with the Towfighis from August 18-20. The boys spent three nights at their home. Nadia spent one night, and Paul and I spent two nights with them. 

6. On August 19, we were able to get Nadia moved into her dorm room, meet her roommate and her roommate's parents, and have dinner with my dad and Karen. Nadia seems to be making a lot of friends, and she got 9/10 on her first chemistry quiz. Woohoo! She's picked up a VERY part-time job of being one of six students who care for the mice in the biology laboratory. 

7. On August 21, we were able to stop at York Barbell to pick up some weights for Ian, and I was able to have lunch with my friend, Tab, to celebrate her birthday. 

8. I played the piano in the foyer at church on August 23, and Ian played hymns on the piano after both the first and second services on August 30. I would say hearing him play that morning was the highlight of my month. It was a priceless moment for me.

9. We attended a picnic for the Bible quizzing families on August 23 at a park. The kids had their meeting (John 1) yesterday. There were a LOT of new kids, and Faith came back! We shall see how many kids stick with it over the next nine months, but our church may have 4-5 teams competing. Ian has memorized chapters 1-3 of John so far. I'm trying to get him to memorize 3 verses a day so he can memorize the whole book. Oliver is doing a better job so far at memorizing the required memory verses from the book of John. 

10. Ian's classes at Cedarville began on August 24. So far the physical activity class has been very easy. Ian is really into exercising and eating more protein these days so it's easy for him to complete his exercise reports. The C+++ programming class has been a bit problematic in terms of how many hours a day that one (3-credit) class is taking. I think part of the problem is that it's easy for Ian to be distracted on a laptop. 

11. Ian picked a song, "Ride of the Valkyries" by Wagner, for his next piano recital. His teacher teased that the song is TOO hard, but he's really motivated to learn it. 

12. Our new homeschool year began on August 25. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to homeschool my boys this year. I had the boys draw their self-portraits and write goals for the year, as is our tradition.

13. It was a bit sad to have a family fun night with only four of us, but that's how it will need to be the majority of the time over the next two years. It was my turn to pick on August 29, and I chose the game Azul, which we hadn't played in quite a while. I think Paul will probably pick to watch The Mandalorian and Grogu movie on Disney+ this weekend. 

14.The boys have had two art classes (August 27 and today). Evidently, the school changed the plans and won't be doing Newsies in the spring. They haven't revealed what they will be doing instead yet. I'm thankful the boys can have art and therefore participate in the spring musical. Starting next Thursday, they'll also be in a chess club after art. 

15. It's been almost five years since we have had health insurance. It turns out we qualify to receive free health insurance. It will be effective October 1. The only downside is that now I probably should schedule my first dreaded colonoscopy, ha ha. We've been paying $800-900 a month for a Christian medical sharing program plus dental insurance, so I'm really looking forward to NOT paying those bills starting next month. 

16. Yesterday I took Oliver, Ian, and Xandir on a field trip to a state park. They were having a homeschool program for grades 6-12 on maps and compasses, and the boys are studying geography this year. Perfect! We were going to hike to the waterfalls after the program, but due to a thunderstorm, we didn't hike. 

17. My side of the family has decided to celebrate Christmas at an Airbnb in Virginia. My dad generously offered to pay for the reservation. My sisters and I will pay for the food for everyone. The drive won't be as far as going to Chicago, and it's much preferred over having 27 people stay at my house at one time. The Seiberts think that they will probably be able to watch Milo while we're at the Airbnb. 

18. Although they weren't as good as The Chosen, Paul and I enjoyed watching six episodes of The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls. 

19. I recently scheduled Ian’s voice lessons for the school year. She gives lessons at MCS and her home. We live closer to her home so I’m grateful the lessons will be taking place there on Mondays at 5:00 PM starting on September 14.