Thankful Thursday #147!

 "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

for His steadfast love endures forever!"

~Psalm 118:29

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  All the kids having a really good first day back to school yesterday!  And I'm thankful I got to be there in the morning to see them (and bring them chicken minis and Rach McDonalds Diet Coke). lol

2.  Getting to Facetime and catch up a bit with Sarah and Kate... how cute are the pigtails!?  I freaking love it!  (Steve and Sarah have post-cruise COVID, so pray for them to feel better soon!)

3.  The Miss K having a mostly fantastic 9th birthday... her last two birthdays were overshadowed and surrounded by some family drama and pain, so I'm verrry thankful that this one was lighter and fun and special for her!!  She got to go to San Antonio and then Great Wolf Lodge with her Dad, then she had her first girls night slumber party at her Mom's house -- a unicorn-themed, colorful extravaganza -- Rach also took them all to a movie, an escape room, and Cheddars for dinner!  And finally, Kyndal Faith chose Texas Roadhouse for her dinner with our fam, and she only resisted for a tiny minute before getting on the saddle and hamming it up when the waitstaff sang celebrated her birthday! lol  ❤

4.  This sweatshirt was in a Facebook ad on a day when I was feeling anxious about some things, and it just makes me happy when God sends little things like that to remind me to trust Him!

5.  Mom had this 20+-year-old oversized chair recovered in the same houndstooth fabric that's on her couch... and I LOVE it!!  It will match my living room decor better now when I move into my 3000 house... it feels brand new, but it's also filled with memories from 9121 + 522 + 8905, and it will remind me of my wonderful Mom - YAY! ❤  (before and after pics)

6.  Feeling more confident and comfortable in my own skin as life moves forward... I'm thankful for a growing sense of purpose and for being less concerned with everyone else's opinion and more concerned with building a life that honors God and makes me proud of who I'm becoming!

7.  This very unique season of life where I have daily time with my niece and nephews (and parents and sister)!  The family dinners, the conversations with the kids, the sassy-ness and the laughter, watching Jace transform any number of Transformer toys (I truly could not care less about those toys or cars in general, but I will pay close attention because it matters to him and he matters to me), Kyndal's drawings, driving with Tman, neighborhood walks, golf course walks, summer swims and lots of back dives and backflips, movie nights, watching them do math flashcards, CHA homework, and more!  Basically, I'm grateful for the influence God has given me in their lives, and I hope to use it well!

Jace showing us all how to transform Ratchet last night! lol

Jace being Spiderman on the mail box before their first day of school!

The Miss K's latest drawing of a monkey... loving the detail she put into his hair! lol

Rach fixed her hair for the first day - so cute!  Kyndal told me about it the night before:  "You know Jasmine... the princess!?  Well, I'm gonna wear my hair like that, only in two ponytails instead of just one!" ❤  Yas, queen! lol  ...Not sure I'll ever master doing hair like this, but fortunately Rachael will be nearby if I have a daughter who needs a fun hairstyle! 

Song of the Week = The Heart of the Father by Ryan Ellis

I'm loving this one lately! ❤

"May you run with endurance the race that is set before you!"