Thankful Thursday!

On this particular Thursday, I am quite thankful for Wednesday because we finally baked our Christmas cookies with the F.O.O.'s (family of origin)!  I know you're thinking it's the middle of March, but we had a blizzard on our first baking date way back in December, sick children on our second baking date in January and a lot of fun on our third baking date yesterday!  Check out these pictures:

Yes, even Allison and I frosted!

Micah made a family birthday cake . . .

Matt and Kingsley

Micah and Matt in back, Kennedy and Kingsley in front

@whats_zup_bakes (Micah's Instagram)

2000 . . .

Miles swam as of today!

I'm thirty-eight nautical miles from the Atlantic Ocean!

I may make it by Mother's Day.

Swim on!

To Barb . . .

. . . Who shared with me this morning that she turns seventy tomorrow.  Fifty years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  She said, "Had anyone asked me back then if I thought I would ever live this long, my answer would have been no.  The legs don't work as well as they used to, but my brain is fine."  To which I responded, "To God be the glory!"  Happy Birthday, Barb!

To Sam . . .

Thirty years today!

Thankful Thursday!

On this lovely, warming Thursday, I am thankful for Barbara, our assistant Aquatics Coordinator.  I could leave it at that, but I'm guessing you'd like a few more details so as I share my details, please don't get frustrated with me because these are my details based on my experiences.  

My last class of the day at the Y is a home school group.  I find home schoolers very difficult to teach with very few exceptions.  This particular class contains four students - one who far outshines the others, two who are about the same, and one who is no where near the abilities of the other three.  Yet because their parents said they were all the same level, I have the privilege of teaching them all together. 

Barbara understood the challenge I was up against and hung around with my class, helping me to challenge my best swimmer or helping me to encourage my other swimmers, allowing me to work one-on-one as needed.  It made the class so much easier because in reality, I am teaching three very different classes to three very different abilities.  

And the best part was?  She's hoping to "hang around" every Thursday and "help out"!  

I ABSOLUTELY Love . . .

. . . our pediatrician!  Micah had a check up on Monday and we had one very important question for him.  

She has been invited to her favorite cousin's wedding this coming weekend down in Iowa.  Unfortunately, the groom's family has a peanut cookie that they make for all occasions (or at least, that's the story I got) and these cookies were going to be on the dessert table at the wedding, much to our dismay because . . .  

Micah has severe peanut allergies.  In the past, when she has been touched by peanuts or peanut products, she has gone into an allergic reaction.  As we talked about it, we agreed to go with whatever our pediatrician said.  

So we told him the circumstances, and asked him our question.  His response?  You'll love it!

1. "You could always wear long white gloves.  You'd probably look very nice in gloves.  Just make sure you carry your epi pen and Benadryl with you."
2. "You could be antisocial and talk to no one - while carrying her epi pen and Benadryl.   No hugging, no touching, no problem!"
3. "You could just go to the wedding and leave before the food comes out.  How far away is it?"  or . . .
4. "You could just stay home." 

Sadly, we went with option four, definitely the safest, yet saddest, option.

FInd the Mailboxes

My girlfriend down in Texas was lamenting the fact that it was "so cold" down there - it had been in the 40's this past week and it might even get down to freezing next week!  I told her if it ever got up to freezing around here, we'd all be in shorts!  Then I shared with her our mailman's favorite game - "Find the Mailboxes" - assuring her she could play it with her family tonight on a warm Texas eve . . .  

 

Obviously, those white ones are a bit more challenging to find!