One by One

1251.  Watching him graduate from the eighth grade

1252.  Winning an award for volunteering at the school

1253.  Razzleberry pie a la mode

1254.  First day of summer vacation

1255.  That our cat (finally!) likes to spend time on our laps

1256.  Having coffee with my mom

1257.  Discovering a third baby bird in the nest!

1258.  Watching a baby bird try its wings for the first time

1259.  Finding important papers that were "missing" for about a month

1260.  Seeing her paint on the back patio

1261.  Taking him to his first football practice

1262.  Hearing him tell me all about practice

1263.  How hard they worked on a one-day job for a local tree farmer

1264.  Birdsong in the backyard

1265.  Fresh breezes through the screen door

1266.  Her eleventh birthday

1267.  Listening to her talk and laugh with her three best friends

1268.  When the cat burrows in wrapping paper

1269.  Successful dress rehearsals

1270.  Prayer circles before performances

1271.  Watching her dance beautifully while he plays the piano

1272.  When he smiled at her through the open lid of the piano

1273.  When she gets the giggles and can't stop

1274.  Teaching him how to solve a Sudoku puzzle

1275.  Doing a photo shoot in an old historic clock tower

One by One

1221.  All of the different kinds of palm trees

1222.  Hot tubbing under the stars

1223.  Watching him read Scripture to our children on a sunny bench

1224.  Date milkshakes  (a first!)

1225.  A day at the San Diego Zoo

1226.  Koala bears

1227.  "I love Pop" written in the sand

1228.  Father and daughter standing quietly, staring at the ocean

1229.  When you meet someone for the first time, and it feels like you've known them for years

1230.  Winning the table decoration contest at the Spring Tea fundraiser

1231.  Seeing the yearbook come together

1232.  Receiving "Mom, can you come get me?" texts

1233.  The grateful look on his face when I handed my cold, wet, muddy boy his favorite hot decaf mocha

1234.  Best Mother's Day ever!

1235.  The wise counsel my daughter's teacher gave her...

1236.  ...and that she prayed with her...

1237.  ...and spoke words of life and encouragement into her hurting heart

1238.  End of the school year ice cream parties

1239.  Celebrating 25 years of marriage!

1240.  Surprising my "summer birthday girl" with an early birthday party in her classroom

1241.  Balloon bouquets

1242.  How well she danced in the local talent show

1243.  Hay bales dotting the fields

1244.  Watching birds build a nest in the eaves

1245.  How quietly the mama bird sits each day

1246.  How alert and watchful she is over her nest

1247.  Seeing two tiny baby birds peek their heads over the edge!

1248.  Hungry beaks open wide

1249.  My mom, an expert at altering clothes and costumes!

1250.  Photo scavenger hunts

One by One

Hello to my readers, after a very long break!  It has been nearly nine months since my last post. This break in posting was not intentional, but just the result of being a busy mom and living life!  As Christmas approaches, it seems a fitting time to jump back in with counting His gifts, and naming them one by one.  I have quite a backlog to get through, as I continued to count, even though I wasn't blogging.  Won't you join me for a look back at how He has blessed me this year?

1196.  His first smile without braces!

1197.  Buying him a caramel candy bar because he could eat it!

1198.  Waking them up to watch the lunar eclipse

1199.  Bundled up in blankets on the back patio

1200.  That the sky was clear that night!  (not always a given in Oregon!)

1201.  Watching the moon slowly disappear

1202.  The stillness that night brings

1203.  When someone speaks His truth directly into your life...

1204.  ...and they don't even know it

1205.  Words of wisdom scribbled on scraps of paper so they won't be forgotten

1206.  Watching the children wander down the beach together

1207.  Watching them chase the waves...

1208.  ...and the waves chase them!

1209.  Finding a new favorite beach spot

1210.  The drive to Palm Springs

1211.  Hiking on San Jacquinto mountain

1212.  The smell of a Jeffrey pine tree

1213.  Family horse ride

1214.  The different perspective you get when horseback riding

1215.  Riding through the desert...

1216.  ...and into an oasis, complete with palm trees and a stream

1217.  The coolness of shade

1218.  The gurgle of water in a dry and dusty place

1219.  Gourmet milkshakes...

1220.  ...with a mini doughnut around the straw!