30 Days of Thankful

Another November has come and gone and the we listed out things we're thankful for. I really love this little tradition we started back in 2011. Its so sweet to make time to speak out the ways we've been blessed and notice all the good that surrounds us. Hearing things from Zachari and Jonathan's perspectives is really special too and often humbles me to remember to be grateful for all of the little things I so easily take for granted. Without further ado, our 2016 list (in no specific order):

Zachari
Jonathan 
pool
school
lunch
Liz, Annalise & Kathleen (Bonar)
Jonathan
Mama
fall
cats
Papa
anteaters
music
rocks
Jonah
ImmyLou
Ms. D.
food
hikes
church
love
friends
home
car
God
dogs
the sun
food (again!)
pork chops with bacon
gas for cars
Play-doh
Blinntoberfest
gnocci
and then this...

That's right! It says dirt, poop, water & pee...with diagrams.

Jonathan
Nathan (Cates)
superheroes
my tiny pumpkin (that he chose from his preschool field trip in October)
music
Heather, Josie & Paxy (Mohrman)
Papa
Zachari
Jonah
Zachari (again!)
fire
tortillas
strawberries
cucumbers
chicken
water
Mama

Matt
parents
Zachari
Jonathan
Wife
fall weather
pot roast!
Watershed
feeling healthy
playing games with Zachari
beer
hikes
a good job
woodworking 
stories
friends 
art 
music
bike rides

Kelli
twinkle lights
nights by the fire pit
hooded sweatshirts
warm slippers
Apple Music
Spotify
lunch dates with Matty
Fox in the Snow coffee
Hounddogs Pizza
fresh fruits and veggies
Aunt Flow
101 S. Westmoor Avenue
Raymond Matthew Blinn
creativity
wine!
Mrs. Distefano
Ms. Khristina
our car & ZB's repairs
the Obamas
my phone
the iPad
Bethel Music
Patty Griffin
wine (again!)
coffee
ProDoula
Columbus Birth & Parenting
Bekah
Matt's job
Reid family
Cates family
Bekah's natural cancer treatments... and success!
Westgate and our neighbors
all of the amazing food/drink options in Columbus
79˚ days in November!
Zachari Jane
Jonathan Francis
Hilltop YMCA
Advent dinners with Bekah
Zachari's love for J. She's caring, helpful, patient, encouraging and a great friend.
warm, cozy blankets
Andrew Hendrixson
Peter Stevens
the Psalms
God's grace, love, forgiveness and peace
Myca
Jan
Sara
Brooke
water with lemon

Summer Mondays

This is the eighth Monday of summer vacation and Mondays have turned into my favorite day in the last couple of months. With the exception of the 4th of July and last week, our Mondays have been days where we stay home all day long and don't get out of our jammies sometimes til after dinner. Zachari's in swimming lessons on Monday nights at 6:25 so we get dressed for the day in time to get her there and sometimes her "getting dressed" doesn't go any farther than her bathing suit and a coverup. 

This summer has been a gift. I was not looking forward to it as the school year came to a close and quite honestly, I think the word dread is what I used most often. Zachari wasn't looking forward to the break either, preferring to have year-round school with her beloved Miss Washam and all her friends... and P.E., her favorite class. I was nervous about the lack of schedule and routine, the spats that the kids would have alllll summer long, our first summer without naps or quiet time. Silly as it sounds, I was dreading the freedom that summer brings.

But. 

Its been great. I've loved being able to be more spontaneous with our outings because we're not tethered to a schedule or the need to get home for rest time. Yeah, I'd love it if there was a rest period some days, but we just power through and its been great. 

I'm thankful for these last few weeks and I'm looking forward to filling up the remainder of our free days with equal parts lazy and adventure. 

30 days of thankful

I really love the tradition we've started of intentionally listing out things we're thankful for in the month of November. Its made me more aware of all the little things in our days and I've found myself more easily giving thanks for even the mundane after practicing this so often. 

The Blinns have much to be thankful for and these are just some of the things that came to our mind last month. They're in no particular order, just how I weeded through the stack after all the tags were taken off the branches. 

Something fun about this year: Zachari hand wrote all of her thankful tags and Jonathan drew pictures and/or "wrote" out his things too. Its fun having kids sometimes. 


Zachari
Mom
Annabelle
Miss Washam
family
God
Mama
Katelyn
plants
Jonathan
food
Pax
vitamins
Peter
our old house
the year 2015
Nancy
Thanksgiving
Sara's turtle


Matt
101 S. Westmoor
friends
my parents
Zachari Jane
our kids' amazing spirits
Westgate
weekend without kids
bandsaw
CBP - Kelli's new job


Jonathan
Sara Kear
Bob the Builder
"Workers, Jonah & Lindsay, Elys & Zachari's friends. The end."
a bug... and more bugs
dinosaurs
Zachari, my friend
Jesus, Papa, Mama, Zachari
Jesus again!
Matthias and Mama getting to have coffee
boots and rain jackets
the ocean
ham & Cheerios & spicy cheese & raisins & hummus & cucumbers
Zachari, Mama, Papa
Jake
my candy
paper punchers
ABCs & Jesus
Mason, Baby Graham, Layne... & their mom & dad


Me
Jan & Carol Bell
Sara Martin
nail polish
48 hours kid free! - & the Moormans & Kuhns for babysitting
Columbus Birth & Parenting
changing seasons
beautiful, fall colors!
my in-laws
our health
Carla, Kim, Rick & Mike
music, coloring books, sewing
our years in Bowling Green
Mom teaching me to cook
the gift of encouragement
Matt's job
date nights courtesey of the Elys
God's G-R-A-C-E
Life Church & the Forsythes
my best friend & husband, Matt
Andrew Hendrixson
Patty.
beautiful, smart, sassy, creative, wonderful Zachari Jane
riesling
coffee
the beach!
MacCaughey framily
pink-purple-blue-orange-white sunsets
Matt's handiness & creativity
sunny, 70˚ days in November!
lazy weekends with family
Trader Joe's & Aldi
sense of smell & taste
coffee dates with Myca
handsome, charming, silly, curious, ornery, wonderful Jonathan Francis
Reid family
Jenni Stockberger & fam
our new house, great neighbors & a beautiful neighborhood

30 days of thankful

This is the fourth year in a row that, together as a family, we've taken time out in November to list things that we're thankful for. I'm so glad that we've started this tradition and a couple months ago, I realized that it meant something special to Zachari as well. She started asking if we were going to decorate the mantle with "our thankful things" again. This girl remembers everrrrrything, but this particular memory she had brought me joy. Maybe it'll be something we all cherish for years to come and who knows, maybe my children will pass it down to their children one day?

We often talked about what we were thankful for while we were eating a meal which is why several of Jonathan's have a food "theme".  This list doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg as far as the millions of things this family can give thanks for. It is, however, a good reflection of where our hearts are right now in this season and for that - well - I'm thankful!

Matt:
Kelli's cooking
small group
coffee in the mornings
Zachari Jane
my best friend Kelli
a good job
Saturday morning with the kiddos
Wednesday AM coffee with the guys
spell check
our church

Zachari:
dates with Mama or Papa
going to the pumpkin patch with my family
letters and packages in the mail!
my family and friends
Papa
COSI
Jonah
pumpkins
pesto pasta on Sunday nights!
Jonathan getting to have swim lessons with Mama
shows and movies
play dates with Maggie and Marion
friends at my school
snowy, sunny days
Halloween
my room
food
my dolls
Corry helping me swim
dinners
LOTS of fruits!
my best friends Marion, Annabelle, Matilda and Haley
brats!
peanut butter and jelly
my preschool teachers

Jonathan:
Mama
trucks
pumpkins
Zachari
Papa
grapes
blueberries
books
pasta 
bowls
bubbles
paper
sweet potatoes
markers
pool
sausage 
eyes
breakfast

Kelli:
spiritual direction from Deb and Mandy
Central Vineyard
small group
Zachari Jane
Jonathan Francis
the gift of song
the Reids
sex :)
MVNU friends
swimming lessons and our great instructors
Matty Boy!
Monica teaching me how to sew
Kelsie and Kyle Meyers
Sara Kear
Jake
Myca
morning coffee dates with friends
warm, sunny days in November
Zachari and Jonathan's creativity and love for books
Deb Woods and Mandy Shumaker
my Lactation Counselor certification
early, quiet mornings - seeing the sun rise
S-M-E-L-L!
days when the kids listen and play well on their own
Papa working so hard so that I can stay home with J and Z

Family photos

I just got these from Val today - yay! I have a feeling these might be sent out in Chrisamus cards this year! The photos were taken on August 11th and it was so muggy. These were taken just before a downpour too!

Pointless post

Yesterday someone in the house across the alley from us got a shed delivered...

It was some stand-up-on-the-gate-and-watch-for-half-an-hour kind of excitement over here, folks!

The All Horse Parade!

We had a great time at the All Horse Parade in Delaware this afternoon! 

I think my favorite part was watching Jonathan watch all the horses and people go by. There were some moments when he was obviously so excited, he just didn't have words to describe his feelings and then there were other moments where he was totally in awe and sat or stood motionless as he marveled at what was before him. So amazing to watch things through the lens of a child's eye. 

Zachari and Lincoln had tons of fun together and after the parade, we all enjoyed dinner at the Mosleys'. I'm thankful for this small-town tradition and I hope our family is able to add it to our list of things we do for many years to come.

I only had my phone with me as a camera so there aren't lots of pics to share, but enough to remember the day, for sure.

Jonathan: 19 months

Jonathan, You're changing so, so fast, my baby. Its lots of fun to live life with you and you're keeping all of us on your toes with your curiosity, cuteness and ornery nature. here's what you've been doing in the last month. 

• Words you can say: keys, pee-pee = penis, I know!, I can do it too!, juice, buoy-bewies= blueberries (this is probably my favorite thing you say right now), cookie, pen, buckle, ice cube, paper, boppy=coffee, dinner, snack, cheers!, drink, sister, oatmeal, I did it!, book, cook, outside, open, hot, color, draw, "Dat?!" = "What's that?!" just to name a few. You're becoming more articulate with your speech and its amazing to watch you develop in this way. I remember being in awe of the process with Zachari too, but here I am - amazed all over again!
• Somehow, you've learned what it is to tackle someone and you tackle your sister all the time. Crazy thing is, you both love it and Zachari even entices you to do it when you're busy doing other things. Whatever entertains you two!
• On August 8th Papa was out of town overnight and so with Zachari and I, you sat on the couch and watched Brave. Not every second of it, but lots of it. I'm not sure if I'm happy about this or if I should forgo posting about it, but there it is. Second child, you've watched most of a Disney-Pixar film before the age of two. So different from your sis, but we're gonna roll with it.
• You're a little monkey. You climb - all the time and now you enjoy climing on Papa's back to go places (and mine on occasion). Its pretty cute, I'm not gonna lie.
• And soeaking of riding on backs, the Kelty carrier that we're borrowing from Aunt Lisa is incredible! You get so psyched when Papa mentions the word "backpack" or if you see it and you try your hardest to get in on your own when Papa's not moving fast enough for you. You ride in style, Buddy and you catch many a person's eye while doing so. You're so cool. 
• Its summer and so we blow bubbles and man, are you into those!
• A few days ago you found my inhaler on the nightstand and did your own interpretation of what its like to use one. Makes me sad that you and your sister have imitated me doing this at such young ages in your lives. One day I hope that I don't have those damn things lying around.
• You've started going up the stairs standing vs. crawling. Its super fun to watch you work your way upwards, sometimes even struggling a bit, but you make it and you are so proud of yourself when you're done! I am too!
• You're getting better about manner usage, but as with anything, we still have a ways to go. For instance, when you want something now, you'll say "Peez!"... but that's all you say! You say it kindly at first and the longer you go without getting what you want, the louder you get and the more desperately your arms flap towards the object of your desire.
• You're saying thank you on your own once you get something or when we're leaving a friend's house and its so wonderful! Sometimes you even say it when you hand something to a person - okay!

Sweet Pea, you're a joy. Have you ever heard me say that about you? Your family loves you dearly and we're so thankful you're part of our day to day rhythm. Its been a great summer with you so mobile, curious and active!

August 2nd: Your first time in a bounce house at the Dekker boys' party.
You weren't convinced about its awesomeness like the bigger kids were.

August 11th. Z was away overnight and Papa and I showed you the cool walking bridge
at the new Hilton downtown. You were so impressed by all the busses and cars zooming
beneath our feet. Loved watching you light up.

Papa's birthday wish was a trip to Hocking Hills with the fam. Sis was sick that morning though,
so I stayed home with her and you got to hang with Papa all day long.

"A celery stick with my milky? Don't mind if I do!"

Tomato thief! You crawled up onto the table, helped yourself to the bowl with fruits and tomatoes
in it and ate one and a half tomatoes before we caught you!

Hand-holdin'

Lately these two have been spontaneously holding hands while we're in the car, sometimes for miles down the road! This picture was taken earlier today. They're adorable and my heart melts a little bit more each time I catch them in this act. I am so grateful that my babies have each other and are forming such a sweet bond together. Oh Jesus, may they always be so sweet and loving with each other. (I think J is frowny because he didn't like the idea of me taking a photo. He was fine right before and after I took it, but tough luck, dude! The moment was too precious not to capture with my phone!)

Jonathan: 18 months

One and a half. 
That feels like a big milestone to me. 
Just as I was in denial when you turned one, I'm not quite ready to start a new month yet and have you get older. What is it with mothers wanting their babies to stay babies at the same time that we want you to "Just grow up already!"Jekyyl and Hyde I suppose. (Another post for another time, perhaps...) 

• You've finally started saying please for things... only it sounds more like "cheeeee", but I'll take it!
• In the last month you've wanted to nurse lots  and you've development some sort of non-English word for it that no one understands, but I get it.
• Words that you're saying now: bike, water, cup, sister (I think), sticker, shoe, bus, tractor, truck, outside, hot dog, help (sounds like up-pi), high five, cracker (which is word you use for pretzels, crackers, Cheerios, anything crunchy basically).
• A lot of times when you're riding around town in your car seat you babble to yourself and in a sweet sing-song voice with distinct repetition. You know what you're saying and trust me, one day we'll all understand you too!
• Thankfully, you still play pretty well on your own. Keep that up, Bud!
• When Zachari is gone, you definitely miss her and your face lights up when she returns. Whether she's at VBS, out on an errand with me or Papa or gone overnight, your world doesn't quite seem right without your favorite companion nearby, does it?
• You're still pretty sweet on Papa and when he leaves you still get upset and big tears roll down your face as he walks out the door. This makes Papa feel so good and loved, but at the same time, it breaks his heart. It'll be interesting to see the father-son bond grow between you two in years to come. I already love what I'm seeing though!
• When you see a camera or an iPhone pointed in your general direction, you usually stop in your tracks, flash a grin and say "Cheeeese!". Oh Baby, its preciousness.
• I think this is the month you developed what peeps call "stranger danger" because when you're left in the nursery or with a babysitter, you almost always start bawling. It never lasts more than a minute or two, but you've picked up on cues of when you're about to be left behind and you like pulling on our heartstrings to persuade us to stay with you. Papa gets roped into the waterworks a little easier than I do, by the way.
• Hand-holding while riding in the car is a new thing for you and me and I adore it, Babe. You're still learning what it looks like to peacefully hold hands because it doesn't involve digging your nails into one's palm or wiggling your hand all about, but in due time, I know it'll click for ya. There have been a few times when you've just walked up to me at home and wanted to hold hands for a few secs too. Won. Der. Ful!
• On June 9th I took you in for another sick visit and this time we met with Ben, a nurse practitioner in the office. You had been coughing and your breathing just had an overall yucky sound to it. Ben put ya on five days of meds for what he thought was the beginning stages of pneumonia. I filled the prescription, I gave you all the medication, but I didn't like it. You've had too many antibiotics in your small tummy for my liking. I'm seriously thinking that you and Sis might need to be off of gluten. I've toyed with going gluten-free for a while now, but your health and that of your sister's is so important. More on this another day, perhaps...
• Shoes, shoes and more shoes for you, J-man! You LOVE shoes - your own, the shoes of others, it doesn't matter! You want to be wearing shoes at all times and often, the first thing you point to after a nap or in the mornings are your shoes! You get super giddy when we start putting them on and you often try doing it yourself. You prance around in Sister's dress-up heels, Papa's Keens, my wedges, you like em all. The $6 See Kai Run sandals I got for you at Once Upon a Child are your favorite, I think. What a funny little interest you've formed! Oh, and usually when putting shoes on you'll wave and say "Bye-bye!" - I guess you associate shoe-wearing with leaving the house!
• Your ears are impressive. You can decipher a train from a plane from an ambulance or fire truck from indoors with windows closed! If you hear a train, you say "choo choo". If you hear a plane, you say "Hi plane!" and wave. Your adoration of all things vehicular in nature just continues to grow!
• Its amazing how quickly you've taken to dirt and mud and all things outdoor messy. I'm learning to be alright with it. And as a result, I'm bathing you more than I used to. Whatev, this is how we roll, right?
• Hm-mm, as in "no!" is your reply to a lot of things. Ohhhh no, Mister. Don't you start talking back too! I think my head will explode when both you and Sis do that. Goooood gracious!
• At your well check today you weighed 23 pounds, 14 ounces and you measured 2 feet, 9 1/4 inches! You are our happy, healthy, curious little boy and I'm so thankful to have had another month of your life to document, J!

First time at the Scioto Mile fountains - no fear!

June 25th - A rare time when I woke you from a nap to get Sis from VBS

The first day of summer!

Yesterday was a beautiful first day of summer and we were all too excited to celebrate it and bask in the  light of the longest day of the year!

The day started off a little muggy and gray, but that didn't stop us! A new friend, Merilee, so graciously offered to babysit for us in the morning so Blinn and I got to enjoy hot-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls at Sassafras Bakery with fresh Cafe Brioso coffee. Fannntastic.

Later, we met back up with the kids and ran some errands which included a stop at Lowe's for some landscaping stuff and supplies for making a picnic table! While J napped, these two took less than an hour to build this!

We ate dinner outside - such a summery meal of BBQ ribs, fresh green beans and corn on the cob... at the new table outdoors, of course!

After dinner we headed to the airport where we got to enjoy the fabulous sunset and see a couple of planes land. There wasn't as much activity there as we had hoped for, but the kids didn't mind. It was a fun way to soak in some of the moments of the longest day of the year. 

I was in love with how the soft sun looked on Zachari's skin so I wanted to snap some more photos of her. She however, wasn't in the mood for any sort of serious poses so this is what we got. I'm alright with it. She still looks beautiful and it would be silly of me to expect that every time I want my kids to stand a certain way in just the right spot they'll do it! These are the real moments of life - the goofy, hands-over-the-mouth memories that make up Zachari Jane.

After the airport, one more stop before heading home! It was the longest day of the year, after all, so we justified letting the kids stay up later and giving them sugar right before bed. What?! Coldstone Creamery has never really been on my radar as a place to go because when I've been there in the past, I found it to be too rich, too large of a portion. I had a coupon that Matt and I used and we learned that they had a dairy-free sorbet for the kids so it was a nice break from the norm. As you can see, Z was thrilled to get to have a special dessert: strawberry mango sorbet! She had to share the cup with J, but he ate more than half of it, I'm pretty sure! These kids sure get their sweet tooth from their papa!

It was a simple day, but one I am glad we shared together. I'm thankful for the change of seasons in this state. Its like a chance to to hit the restart button every few months.

Cheap fun

Thank you, Dollar Tree, for the two squirt bottles that provide endless hours of fun for a measly $2.00.

Thank you, Freecycle for this wonderful water table.

And thank you, Aldi for the green kiddie pool for just $7.99. (pictured above, but hard to see.)

For less than $10.00 I've provided my kiddos with tons of outdoor summer fun which means that I've also provided myself with a slight reprieve from their toy-stealing, fighting, complaints of boredom and the general funk of being cooped up inside. Hallelujah!

Whetstone Park of Roses

Today we visited Whetstone Park of Roses. Beautiful, mildly warm evening, setting sun, gentle breeze. Lovely roses all over the place, lots of space for Z and J to run and explore. A simple evening outing that I'm glad we made happen. Matt and I were so, so tired today and all we wanted to do was sit around the house and feel sorry for ourselves, but out we went! I told him that it would be better to get out of the house for an hour or so and let the kids play, than to have them chattering and climbing all over us within these four walls. It worked! Not sure how sound my parenting method is, but whatev!

The setting sun and the crisp, blue and white clouds with all the rich green of the trees and the grass was all so gorgeous! These  pictures don't even touch how magnificently the sun seemed to gently kiss the tree tops and how vibrantly it lit up the green fields near the parking lot. I was distracted by all the beauty though and marveled over a god who loves us so much He creates breathtaking masterpieces such as these. 

Here's our family photo from this evening...

And here we are last year, June 10th. My, how the little ones have changed!

Free entertainment

To most people, having on-street parking reduced, hearing loud construction vehicles first thing in the morning and having part of the yard being dug up would all be inconveniences. For my truck-loving boy though, its a dream come true. This is what Jonathan woke up to right in front of our house around 7:15 this morning.

He - of course - wasn't satisfied with just seeing things from up on the porch, so once the excavator moved down the street, we moved down to the sidewalk.

It was impossible to get a good shot of his face because there was something far more interesting than me and my camera lens to look at!

Such an unexpected treat for the whole family this morning, but especially for my wee little man.  :)

Fun along the Scioto Mile

Last night after Blinn got home from work the fam headed downtown to enjoy the beautiful spring weather and see bits of the sunset. I was so thankful for the chance to get out of the house and do something a little different after Blinn got home. Many times he's so spent from the day and I am too so we stick around our block and while that's been fine, to explore something else for a change was nice. 

As photos show, it was really hard to get a picture of both kids at the fish fountains because they were so excited and rarely still. They were totally soaked when we walked back to the car, but they didn't mind and the giggles they both let out were totally worth it.