Favorites List - 2013

Well, Christmas came and went. We spent one week with the Penner side of the family and the second week of break was spent in Indiana with the Herman side of the family. It all seems to happen so fast. What I do know is it is always nice spending time with family, especially those we do not get to see often enough.

Now, we are getting the house back in order, doing laundry, putting Christmas decorations away, more laundry, getting rooms reorganized, and more laundry. :) There was no school today because of the frigid temperatures. There is already a 2 hour delay for the kids tomorrow. Not for me. I will be at work bright (well not so much bright) but early.

As the kids and I were putting away decorations, Aiden reminded me that I never wrote out our "Favorites List" on here. I had mentioned this to the kids on the way to Indiana so that they could be thinking of the past year and some of their favorite things from the year.  So here is our favorite lists from 2013:

We will start with little Lucy: (age 3) 1. Favorite Food: pasta, ice cream, and popcorn (especially with Grandpa Penner) 2. Favorite book: Word books (books with a picture and the word - I am smiling at this because it helps her so much with her speech). 3. Favorite activity: doing puzzles 4. Things learned this year: being in a classroom and more and more understandable words. 5. Lesson learned: being the center of attention is where it's at!!!!! Ha!

Isabelle: (age 5) 1. Favorite food: mac n' cheese, pizza 2. Favorite movie: Despicable Me 2 3. Favorite activity: Going to PreK 4. Things learned this year: riding a bus to school, writing her name, letters, and that losing 2 teeth really does not hurt

Aiden: (Age 9) 1.Favorite movie: The Hobbit - Part 2, 2. Favorite book: The Hobbit :) 3. Favorite food: Ice cream cake, donuts 4. Lesson learned: That God can use anyone for His rescue plan (you will have to ask him what he means by this. He told me he liked how God came to the shepherds to help spread the news of God's rescue plan.) 5. Highlight of the year: going to Valley Fair

Ian: (age 10) 1. Favorite movie: The Hobbit - Part 1 and 2, 2. Favorite book: Ashtown Burials series 3. Favorite food: Pickle roll ups and Mac n' cheese (yes, I make it from the box. GASP!) 4. Lesson learned: "to be careful of what we watch and read".

Me: (age 36) 1. Favorite movie: Hunger Games: Catching Fire 2. Favorite Book: I can't pick just one so here are 3: Gospel by J.D. Greear, Anything by Jennie Allen, and Nice Girls Don't Change the World by Lynne Hybels 3. Favorite food: A big juicy cheeseburger with all the fixins from Culvers, especially after running a half marathon. :) Specific enough for you? Ha! oh! and Pumpkin Crunch 4. Highlights of the year: Going to a women's conference with a dear friend and meeting Jen Hatmaker, also watching Ian perform in the Christmas program at church. 5. Lessons learned (or am constantly learning): God created each of us uniquely. We all have different personalities, different strengths, different weaknesses. We are different and need to give one another grace, and I need to accept God's grace when I think I have failed or when I compare my life to someone else, thinking they have it better than me.

Jason: (age 38) 1. Favorite movie: Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Father of Lights 2. Favorite Books: The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle both by C.S. Lewis 3. Favorite Food: Coffee and Donuts 4. Highlights of the year: corn harvest, skiing with the boys, seeing the Dutters and Teagardens this summer 5. Lesson learned this year:  Starting to see clearly and actually believe that I have become about as good a person as I can and it isn’t even close to good enough.  I’m broken and sinful through and through and Jesus is my only hope.

That's us. The Penners. Closing out another year! Happy 2014! We look forward to what God has planned for the coming year.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Thankful List - Day 26

Today I am thankful for.....

1. Paychecks and the way they provide for all our needs and then some.
2. A game of Life with my boys.
3. Surviving day 2 of Thanksgiving week experiment. Not nearly as much complaining as last night.
4. Ms. Sandy - the girl's sweet daycare lady.
5. The way Lucy lights up when she talks and talks to me from her carseat on the way home from daycare. Telling me about her day.
6. Family. Not everyone has a family. I am thankful I do.
7. Coffee
8. A great pie cutter thingy to make pretty pies given to me by a co-worker. She knows I need help making my pies look good. :)
9. Being at the right place at just the right time at work today. A situation could have been so much worse than it was. I will just say, I am thankful for my health and my family's health.

Thankful List - Day 25

Today I am thankful for......

1. Having just enough grocery cash for groceries this last week of the month.
2. My oldest embracing our family Thanksgiving experiment with no complaining, unlike the rest of us.
3. Seeing our favorite HyVee worker, Sam V.
4. a game of Uno with most of the family
5. the smell of freshly bathed children
6. my daughter's imagination and ideas.
7. laughter
8. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Reading it at just the perfect time of year. :)
9. Children who seem to be ready for bed at bedtime. Not much fuss about bedtime tonight.
10. Running water, electricity, heat, beds, clothes. All these things I take for granted. I am thankful that I have them.

Thankful List - Day 24

Today I am thankful for.....

1. Sunday afternoon rests
2. Our church family and the Celebration Dinner.
3. The testimonies of all those who were baptized this evening. Very proud of the young people in our church and their desire to follow Christ.
4. Giggling with a friend during the baptisms. The giggle like when you are in grade school and something makes you laugh during church but you have to keep it inside so you are thrusting inside and trying not to snort out loud. Yeah, that kind of giggling. Oh that was fun!
5. Playing with a wooden dominoes game that my Grandpa Herman made for me when I was little with my girls.
6. A husband who is present and active in parenting our children. I am not alone in this. The good and the bad.
7. Talking with the sweetest and dearest couple in our church. Bob and Arpa. I always feel special when I talk with them.

God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good.

Thankful List - Day 23

Today I am thankful for....

1. Tickling a very ticklish 3 year old and hear her giggle.

2. A sunny and calm afternoon so I could get a run/walk in. It has been a while and it felt good to run a distance worth calling a run. :)

3. Friends willing to help carpool for Saturday morning basketball.

4. A last minute, or close to last minute, plans with friends to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

5. A willing mom and dad-in-law to watch the kids so that we could go out with friends.

6. Small town theaters that only charge $5 for admission to a movie that opened this weekend. There are small town perks!

7. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and my kids that like them.

Thankful List - Day 22

Today I am thankful for......

1. a case at work that we thought was going to go bad, went just fine. No chest compressions needed. :) The life of a nurse.

2. Working with our old nurse anesthetist again. It was nice working with you again, Tim.

3. Frozen pizza.

4. Talking with patients and hearing their stories. There are so many hurting people out there. Sometimes they just want a listening ear.

5. MLC Thanksgiving/Christmas concert led by Aaron Petersen. The last song sung by the whole student body. All 60 some of them. :)  Excellent! Waiting. Longing hearts waiting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdmpHQnZsy0

6. This C.S. Lewis quote I saw among quite a few of his quotes on this, the 50th anniversary of his death: "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

7. My sweet and very tired 5-year-old's arm around my neck not wanting to let me go as she went to sleep. I relished this time instead of rushing away as I usually do.

Thankful List - Day 21

Yesterday I was thankful for.....

1. FINALLY!!! FINALLY!!! meeting up with my friends. My adoption support group. My I-can-totally-be-myself-and-they-still-like-me (at least I think) friends! One friend who has adopted two children from Ethiopia and one friend who has adopted domestically 3 beautiful children. How long have we been trying to meet up, Megan and Sharon? Months!

2. Celebrating a co-worker's career as a surgical tech for 23 years. Although we are sad her retirement came earlier than wanted, we celebrate her and all the hard work she put into St. James hospital. Pat, you will be missed along with all your stories.

3. Parenthood (the show) with my husband. I do like that show.

4. Chicken Tortilla Soup and crockpots

5. Warm coats and warm boots on these cold Minnesota days.