Soccer Is Kicking My Behind and Other Excuses for Not Reading or Writing Blog Posts, TToT Week 67

I look forward to these thankful lists every week.  It is such a positive exercise, and reading everyone's always makes me smile.  Plus, through everyone's big and small thankfuls, I get to know you all better.  That's why I felt terrible that I couldn't make the rounds last week.  Soccer season is one gigantic time-taker-upper.  Add to that all of the other, normal and abnormal things that our family has to do these days, and I didn't have one spare minute.  I'm so sorry.  This weekend should be marginally better.  Sunday isn't booked solid.  Once we're through the first week of October, life will calm down considerably.  I'd be grateful if you all stick with me!

All righty, on to my thankfuls for this week.

(Numbered just for Dyanne)

1.  The entire week was nothing but blue skies and temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees.  It couldn't have been better for all of the activities we had going on this week.

2.  There is a third grader in our school who has (most likely) terminal cancer.  It is one sad situation, to say the least, but the beauty of seeing the community come together to support him is awesome.  Last weekend, the entire third grade football team had a hair shaving event.  Every one of them shaved their heads bald in solidarity the day that they were being introduced at the high school football game.  This week, our entire school had it's annual walk-a-thon.  Normally the kids raise money for an organization close to someone in our school community, for example to support camps for kids with diabetes.  This year they walked for the third grader.  Everyone bought matching t-shirts and did what they could to raise funds to support Make-a-Wish Foundation and to help pay the family's medical bills.  The kids raised almost $9000.

3.  Remember last week when I told you about Phoenix's soccer success?  Well, Saturday morning during the varsity game, a defender was pulled out and they threw Phoenix into his place.  He played the entire half.  After that, the coaches decided he was no longer going to play JV, but would play varsity.  Since then, he has had another game and played all of one half and part of the other.  He's doing so well, and I couldn't be happier for him.

4.  Phoenix has also had a big week in another way.  He was finally officially diagnosed with ADD (We'd assumed it for a while and had been doing a variety of things with him to help, all with very little success.)  and was put on medication.  He's taken it for two days, and he said he actually feels a difference.  He took a really hard Algebra quiz one of those days, and he said he never would have finished it before.  Actually, Buttercup (who is in his class) didn't finish it, and she has the highest grade in the class.  I am so glad there are alternatives to help kids who are suffering.

5.  Buttercup is a peach.  We have had a chance to spend quite a bit of time talking this week, and I just love the way she thinks.  We also went shopping for some much needed church clothes and a homecoming dress.  We didn't argue once over her choices (except I suggested a bit more (some?!?!) sparkle, and she refused.), as she never looked twice at anything that wasn't modest or appropriate for a 14 year old girl.

6.  I got the nicest email from a fellow 7th grade parent.  She helps out with the music for the weekly school mass, and she emailed simply to let me know a story about Giant.  She said after mass, he and two other boys, unsolicited, went to ask her if she needed help packing everything up.  She was so happy to have some help, especially when she didn't even have to ask for it.

7.  The tooth fairy remembered to come the first night Turken's first lost tooth showed up under his pillow. Our fairy has been known to be a slacker, sometimes not getting here for a week or so after a tooth is lost.  Glad he was on it this time.

8.  I was able to have breakfast with a friend.  She is someone I've known for a few years, but we've never had the chance to see much of each other, much to our chagrin.  This year, her daughter and Turken are in the same class, and her son is on the cross country team with Giant and Star.  Plus, I have some extra time during the day with only one child.  All together, it's meant I've seen more of her in a month than I've seen her in the year before.  It's been so nice.

9.  Two pigs made it to the butcher.  There was a time when I didn't think we'd have any left by now.  Fortunately, they made it, and I will have pork in the freezer again this winter.  (If you want to read the mildly amusing post about the loading of the pigs, it was in Thursday's post.)

10.  Bryan's birthday is Saturday, and we were able to go out on a date Friday night.  It's the first time we were out alone together since we got back from England, and we really needed the time together away from everyone and their driving needs.  It was an extremely odd date, with loads of laughter, and I cannot wait to write a post about it.  It practically wrote itself, and Bryan knew it.  (Yes, I'll be making fun of him, and he's perfectly ok with it.)

What has made your heart sing this week?  Link a post or tell me in the comments!

Have a lovely day!

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