30 days of Thankful ~ day 11

I am thankful for my personal growth. I allowed life to get in the way and thus missed many days of posting my "thankfuls". In days past, this would have caused me to stop trying and just give up. I am thankful that God has stretched and grown me through this past year.

In my last thankful post, we were decluttering the house, especially the kids rooms. Believe it or not, we are still in this process five days later. I will admit that I have not been a pleasant mom through most of this. I am learning more about myself and even more about my children. We have been aware of each of their unique challenges for the last three years and I am amazed at how much I truly do not understand in how to best help them feel successful in life.

Backtracking because these are some of my greatest blessings and thankfuls:

~ day 7 ~
I am thankful for the helper God brought into my life 15 years ago. Don is an amazing husband and the perfect dad for the special kids of ours. I admire his devotion and dedication to our family. God put us together and blessed us with three beautiful children. We have both questioned the "why" of us being chosen by God to parent three special needs children, but are continually blessed by this opportunity to lean on God for His strength. we see over and over how God is equipping us each step of this parenting journey. I am thrilled to be walking this life with Don... facing each step together, hand in hand and heart to heart.

~ day 8 ~
I am thankful for our first-born son, Jordon. I am so in awe of Jordon and how he thinks and processes the information around him in his own way. He was diagnosed with Aspergers three years ago and now, at age 14, we are seeing more and more how the social aspects of life are so challenging for him. I am proud of how he embraces his Aspie-ness. I am excited to watch God at work in his life, shaping Jordon into a Godly young man. I love Jordon's sense of humor and how he can make me laugh with 'the look'. I pray that God will help Jordon know deep inside how very special he is and that God will use his life in a big way. I am blessed that God has entrusted Jordon to us and I pray for wisdom and guidance to help him develop a firm foundation.

~ day 9 ~
I am thankful for Jensyn, our one and only baby girl(11). She is the most tender-hearted person I know. Jensyn is caring, sweet-spirited, and always thinkng of others. God has allowed the challenges of Tourettes and bipolar in her life and I see Jensyn becoming more aware of how things affect her and admire how she is learning new ways to release the engery that builds inside her. I have spent too much time being sad and thinking how unfair it is for such a young girl to be faced with challenges such as these. I watch how God is using Jensyn to touch the lives of those around her and I am reassured that He has plans for her and that through Jensyn, He will be glorified. I pray that God will help me be sensitive to her needs and be the strong, Godly mom she needs. It is such a blessing to watch Jensyn bloom and grow in her love for the Lord and I am thankful to be trustged with her precious life.

~day 10 ~
Jaidon is our youngest boy (10)and he was God's perfect suprise blessing for our family. I am thankful that God gifted him to us. Jaidon was also diagnosed with Aspergers, just like his big brother. He is funny and creative and interprets the world around him in a very literal way. I pray that God help him get comfortable with his Aspie-ness. I see Jaidon's sensitive spirit and his desire to be a helper. He is an instrument of the Lord and God is using Jaidon to make a kingdom difference with his life. It is exciting to watch God at work in helping Jaidon develop more confidence and to become more comfortable in his own skin. I pray that God continues to shape me and equip me to be a helper to Jaidon as he learns to conquer the challenges he faces each day.