Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens . . . these are a few of my favorite things :)

Today was hard and I'm tired. But instead of dwelling on all the hard things about being a mom to many small children and living in a foreign country, I will choose to be thankful for this life God has given me and count my blessings, because there are many!

It is a good reminder for me on the hard days, so here we go . . . 


I am thankful for local friends that really, really love us. On Joel's birthday TWO different families surprised him and showed up on our doorstep WITH cake. Joel felt really special and I'm thankful for deep, meaningful relationships with Turks!

I'm thankful that even though Joel and I miss our families in America SO MUCH, I still get to live right next door to my sister! How crazy is that? I love how God works and how he led both of our families to this country TOGETHER!

Just realized that I don't have any recent pictures of just me and my sis - but here is one of us with our brother Jordan (who should just move on over here too since he's the only sibling left in the States!)

I am so thankful for my sweet baby Brooks. Even though he still wakes me up multiple times every night and I'm tired, he is an absolute delight and brings so much joy to our family!

I am thankful that these guys now live down the street from us and we get to see them pretty much everyday. It's crazy for me to think about how two years ago Megan was only my "blog friend" and now I know her in real life and she is so dear to me!

I am thankful for a balcony. And for lazy Sunday morning pancake breakfasts with my family.

I am thankful for moments like this. I LOVE that Isaiah is old enough to join in on our tradition of sleeping in the living room! It won't be long till all 5 kiddos will be sleeping together on the couch and floor. Even though they fight like crazy and make me want to pull my hair out at times, they really are the best of friends and love each other so much. I'm glad that they have each other and are creating such special memories together.

I'm thankful that I married my best friend and that even after almost 9 years of marriage we are STILL best friends.

I'm thankful for my favorite spot in the house - the window seat. Our kids love hanging out here and I love to get up early and watch the sunrise and have a quiet time in this spot (not that I've done that lately, mind you, but I do have high hopes of doing it again one day when I'm getting better sleep).