Month of Thankfulness: Day 13

I am thankful for pearly white teeth.
Up to this point we had not intentionally avoided taking the girls to the dentist, it was just one of those things that I didn't think about getting them started somewhere during times I could actually research where I wanted to take them and actually make a phone call to schedule an appointment.
But suddenly my girls had become interested in wanting to go to the dentist, and started asking me when they were gonna go. So I finally picked a place that was covered by their insurance and called. Of course, a waiting list. I received a call the beginning of November informing me of an opening and finally got their first dentist appointments scheduled.
To be completely honest, I was really nervous about what the report would be like. Feeling like the "bad mom" who had neglected getting my children into the dentist made me sure they were going to get a negative report.
I am happy to report that the results were quite to the contrary! The dentist was quite impressed with their teeth. He commented how it is very rare that he has two come in with such great looking teeth. He even made a point to tell the girls to thank Mommy for doing such a great job of helping them take care of their teeth. I must say, that was definitely one of those affirming moments as a mom - especially considering I was beating myself for procrastinating on making this first appointment.

I was also really nervous about how the girls (mostly Kathryn) would do in the dentist chair, but WOW they impressed me! Such big girls. Kathryn wanted to go first. She hopped up in the chair and opened her mouth perfectly. So proud of my girls.

Month of Thankfulness: Day 12

 On the 12th day of November, I am thankful for Social Media. I have family and friends spread all over the country (and globe), and with all of our busy schedules, it is hard to keep in touch with everyone. But with the Facebook, it has become a lot easier to keep up with everyone. Upon learning that Thing 3 is also Little Girl 3, we had the joy of sharing it with all of our friends and family via social media. In case you missed the big reveal, here is what we did!

We bought pink and purple balloons and filled some with helium. We tucked a few away in a box that had a sign: Boy or Girl?

 Then we had the girls open the box while Daddy took pictures.

 We posted the first few pictures one at a time to increase the suspense for all of those special people who were excited and anticipating the reveal. It was so neat to watch the "likes" and comments come in as I was working on uploading pictures.

 And out popped our purple and pink balloons ... announcing the big reveal.

And of course we couldn't help but take some fun pictures of these adorable little girls who are extremely excited about another pink bundle in our home.

 Not only did we use social media to announce the gender of our littlest princess, but we also used it to announce the name we chose specially for her.

We wrote her name on balloons and took cute pictures to share with the world.

 Introducing ...

Katelyn Rae Gunter

 And a gender reveal would not be complete without a couple shots of the baby being revealed.

Thank you to all our friends and family who shared in our joy. It truly meant a lot to see you all anticipate our big news and pour out your love and excitement on us. We are blessed.

Month of Thankfulness: Day 11

November 11th, 2013 we learned that our family is being blessed with another little girl

 - a third girl -  

Miss Katelyn Rae Gunter.

We are beyond excited and extremely thankful that God has blessed us with another girl.

I love all the pink, the dress up, the tea parties, the baby dolls, and princesses. I love having my little helpers in the kitchen or with the chores. And all the craft projects and snuggle times.

It is definitely a huge responsibility to raise godly women in a society that does not necessarily promote such living. It is also a huge honor to be given the responsibility of teaching three little girls how to be a mommy and a wife. There are many many times that I feel I fall short in my duties as a wife and mother, but maybe I am doing something right (or at least have good potential) if God feels I am capable of training up three to be godly wives and mothers.

I am thankful for this responsibility and for this honor.

I am excited to see how Katelyn fits into our family, and to see the bond of sisters grow. I look forward to seeing my three daughters grow as sisters who will one day travel their adult life together. It is my hope and prayer that they provide a deep friendship for one another and provide daily encouragement as they strive to be the women God has called them be.

My heart is filled with love for three little girls.

I absolutely could not ask for more.

God has blessed me beyond measure and for this I am very thankful!

Also, the timing of God blessing us with another girl was perfect. In May of this year, my Gramma  - Leah Rae - went home to be with Jesus. I was able to spend her last weeks in Kentucky with her. She will always have a special place in my heart. A little over a month later, God began creating a little girl inside my womb unknown to me. After learning we were going to have another baby, David and I talked about using the name "Rae" as a middle name if we were to have a girl in honor of my Gramma. Two days before we were to learn the gender, David told me a name he thought of to go with Rae ... it happened the be the exact name that popped in my head a few days earlier: Katelyn. It was perfect. The more I thought about the name, and the timing of being able to name a child after my grandmother - a child who was conceived a little over a month after Gramma went to heaven, the more I yearned for a girl. My prayers for the next two days were asking God for a little girl that we could name Katelyn Rae. Not only did God answer my prayers of those two days, but He knew my heart months before I ever spoke those prayers. I love seeing how God works and how His actions prove how much he knows our hearts and how much He loves us.

If it is not obvious, my heart is overflowing with thanksgiving to my God for blessing our family with another little girl.

Month of Thankfulness: Day 10

In a world filled with persecution and laws preventing freedom of religion, I am thankful to have the freedom to attend my church every week - multiple times a week - at my own free will. I don't have anyone saying I have to attend church, or I have to attend a specific church at specific times. And I don't have to fear for my life or be afraid of being imprisoned for going to church.
Sometimes it is so easy to think about everything that is wrong with our country, world, or life. But when we can stop and think about how much worse other people have it compared to us, we can find that we are actually very blessed and have a lot to be thankful for.

Month of Thankfulness: Day 9

I am thankful for Christmas Shopping!

I know that seems silly on the surface, but I am extremely excited to be able to shop for the ones I love. I get a huge thrill from imagining what will light up their faces when they unwrap that present and see a big surprise! To think about what these precious people desire and like is such fun, a test of "how well do I know my girls?" Or to see them have their eyes on something for a while that I just *know* will make them very happy to find that item under the tree on Christmas - and be able to fulfill that dream of theirs. Priceless.

I know Christmas is not all about receiving gifts, and we are very intentional to teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. But there is such joy in GIVING gifts. I imagine we get this joy of giving straight from the heart of God, as I am sure He finds complete joy in bestowing blessings and gifts upon us, His children. And I hope my children also learn the joy of giving.

This year has been the first year that we were able to set money aside throughout the year specifically for Christmas. We were able to create a list of things we wanted to get the girls and each other, and then we were able to do some shopping here and there along the way. It is not even December yet and we are mostly done with our shopping. I think this has been by far my most favorite holiday year and we haven't even gotten to Christmas yet. 

The only downside to having shopping done so early is that now we have a whole month to wait before we can give these gifts! 

It is a good thing they are oblivious to the bags/boxes hidden in the attic.

Month of Thankfulness: Day 8

I am thankful for sleepovers at Gigi and Papa's house. When we lived in North Carolina, our closest family was 3.5 hours away. Having little kids beginning to form attachment to family members made it even harder to not live near family.
Now that we live here, we have lots of family nearby. I love seeing the girls get excited to see those family members with whom they have formed lifelong attachments.
And not only do they get to spend weekly time with family, but Mommy and Daddy get some much needed "us" time. It is hard to intentionally plan and spend quality time together alone as a couple with small children. But after spending day in and day out with precious little ones, it is imperative that we have some grown up time. Having family nearby makes that a lot easier :) It used to be if we wanted a date, we had to budget for the date and the sitter. Now we just budget for a date, and the girls get to enjoy the spoilings of Gigi and Papa (and yes, they are spoiled). But I wouldn't have it any other way. I am glad our girls have family who loves on them, who makes them feel special, who spoils them.
It is also wonderful for the girls to be able to experience time away from Mommy and Daddy. Sometimes they get so used to always being with us that it makes it difficult for them to be away from us. Having trusted family to leave them with helps with that transition. It gives them a safe and comfortable place to build their confidence and independence away from us.
Thank you to my wonderful in-laws for loving me like their own and for loving on my children :)

Month of Thankfulness: Day 7

I am thankful for David's job. No matter what has come our way, he has worked hard (even crazy hours) to do what he could to provide for his family. I am blessed to have a working husband who does what is necessary to take care of his wife and children.

Sometimes I catch myself getting frustrated wanting more for him and for us. I think (and say) too often that this job was supposed to be just a stepping stone to gain experience and move up in his field. I get impatient wanting his career to grow, wanting to see him be recognized for his talents, and of course, wanting to see the paycheck increase that comes with promotions or new jobs that help him move up the career ladder.

But I cannot tell you how many times God has shown me over and over again that I need to be content with the season He has us in.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. 

“They are plans for good and not for disaster, 

to give you a future and a hope." 

Jeremiah 29:11

As much as my humanly impatience and selfishness likes to jump in and try to take control, God is always there quietly reminding me that He is in control. He knows our struggles. He knows our strengths. He has great plans for us. He simply requires us to trust Him and obey. 

When I stop trying to leave a season, stop trying to be in control, and start seeking out God first, that is when I am able to stand back and recognize all of His blessings. He always comes through for us in such a way that I have no doubt at all that it was God taking care of us or providing for our needs.

Even as a grown up, I have to constantly distinguish between my wants and my needs. And thankfully, my husband's job provides for the needs we have as a family right now in this season. Maybe down the road, this job won't be enough - but we are not "down the road" yet. And if I am stressing about "down the road," then I am not showing that I trust that God will continue to provide for us when we get down the road the same that He has been providing for us all along.

For now, my husband has a dependable job. We don't have to worry about him having hours cut.

His job allows for overtime opportunities that always seem to show up at times needed most. His shift is a wonderful Monday-Friday 7a-3p shift, which means we get to have Daddy home in the afternoons and evenings with plenty of time to enjoy playtime before dinner time. He has weekends off. I absolutely love his schedule, especially compared to the crazy shifts he has worked in the past. His pay is double what he was making working a full time retail shift. I am very thankful for this. I am very blessed. Without this job, there is no way I could stay home with our children and homeschool them. Sometimes I just need a little reminder to be thankful of what I do have, and to stop looking ahead at what I don't have yet, or at the things I don't need.