Thanksgivings...

I haven't been doing the daily gratitude thing during November, but I'm here and have been paying attention. ;) So. As we head into this final week of November, allow me to share some of the things I'm thankful for of late...

- Archery. Noah and Micah had another JOAD tournament mid-November. It's going to be hard to beat the standards they set in the first tournament of the year, but it was still a good tournament...the improvements they've made in dealing with a bad shot are awesome to see. We're so appreciative of the opportunities that JOAD has provided for teaching patience and perseverance and ownership for one's own actions...so glad to have found a team that fits us so well.

- Swim team. Noah had another swim meet last Thursday. This one was actually at another team's pool and involved a number of relays. Nathan and I agree that it's really just a pleasure to watch the boy swim. He's gotten so much stronger and able in his years on swim team. I'm thankful for the coaches who instruct and encourage...who *get* my introvert boy and his desire to simply swim and better his own times.

- Karate. (Are you sensing a theme? lol) Asher is in the process of testing for his next belt so attended class on Saturday to demonstrate his sparring skills. He was worn out the rest of the day, but he put in a solid morning. He and Micah both enjoyed having a different instructor (they don't normally attend the Saturday class) and I enjoyed watching them rise to the challenge. I'm constantly thankful for how our karate school is set up...for the flexibility, the emphasis on bettering one's self, the lack of aggressive tactics (as in, a good defense is the best offense), the provision of structure and goals, the support for each student...yup, basically just happy. ;)

- Homeschooling. Though we're definitely starting to see the need for some outside instruction in the future, right now, I'm just so glad for all that homeschooling allows us. We're in the middle of our "off" weeks (6 weeks on, 2 weeks off...year-round) and have been loving the down time. :) We've taken advantage of the hours we can keep to go to the movies (for less and when it was considerably less crowded)...we've finished the book we were reading as a family...we became a wee bit addicted to the new Clumsy Ninja app (yes, all of us, lol)...and we've been able to tackle miscellaneous projects that needed attention and get a good jump on our Christmas shopping. Just love down time!

- My bedroom. Last weekend, Nathan and I finally got around to purchasing a couple of pieces of furniture for our own bedroom...the first, I think, in about 9.5 years when we bought our mattress upon moving into this house. The furniture? A bed frame and a mirror. Not even a headboard or anything, just the frame to set the mattress on. ;) And, honestly, the only reason we got the frame (given that our mattress did actually come with a standard one that's been in storage all these years) was that I wanted a taller frame so that I could create some storage under the bed. :) The mirror is a full-length wall mirror so that I can actually see my outfit without having to trek from my closet (upstairs) to the basement (two flights of stairs down)...nothing fancy. The boys don't understand, lol. But, hey, I'm delighted. (Incidentally, Micah's been in numerous times already to check out his own outfits, lol!)

(Btw, I'm also thankful that we might finally get around to doing something to our bedroom this spring...new paint, drapes, bedding, etc. Our bedroom is the last in the house to receive any sort of treatment since moving here 9.5 years ago and still has that college-student-apartment-hand-me-downs sort of feel, lol. Gotta save up a bit after Christmas, but it's officially a plan now, lol.)

- Gamerewind. Since we discontinued our cable/satellite service about a year ago, one of the few things I miss is NFL football. To solve this, Nathan got me NFL Gamerewind so that I can still watch every game...I just have to exercise patience and wait a day before watching. (It costs less for the entire season than a single month of DirecTV was costing us.) I'm watching the Broncos game right now. I've been avoiding Facebook so I don't find out the results, lol. 

- The age my boys are currently. For all that I complain about how much and how fast they're growing, I'm really in love with the age that my boys are right now...old enough that I no longer have to worry about diapers or strollers or carting around all sorts of things "just in case"...old enough that they can make their own meals and entertain themselves (and each other) and be their own person...old enough that, for the most part, lol, they can be reasoned with and responsible for their own choices. Simultaneously, they're still young enough that they like spending time with us and with each other...young enough that they still believe in magic (okay, some more than others, lol) and engage in pretend play...young enough that I don't yet need to worry about teen drivers or high school drama and pressures...young enough to know that we actually do know more than them. ;)

Well, there's plenty more. But, the Broncos game just went into overtime. Must go. ;)