Thankful Thursday

Hi friends! It's Thankful Thursday time. I had a rough month with an ulcer and minor concussion (warm-up spiked volleyball to the side of the head unexpectedly...not an exciting story) but I am on the mend. Gary and I had been doing so well running in the morning but when I was sick we got up early and walked and talked–still a great start to the day. We just started running again yesterday.  

Here are some things that I am thankful for today:

1. Halloween fun. The kids love it! I'm not into all the chocolate in my home afterwards but it's fun to see them having a blast in our densely populated neighbourhood (aka so much candy).

2. Family photos. I love the fall leaves and although we didn't get to a great location (just walking distance for grumpy family members) I'm so glad they allowed me to get a few. The kids are growing so fast and I never regret taking them.

3. Sushi and Peace Tea. I am generally pretty un-fun in the eating out department ($$$). But, the two younger kids did a great job going to Kai's volleyball game last night and have another one tonight. It's not the games that are the hardest but driving for 30-45 minutes each way. Poor Koen had an episode of CVS last night so it was a rough one. Gary is gone so I'm also trying to keep everyone happy ;) Is it bribery? Why yes, it is.

4. Physio coverage. I cannot make the call on how Kai's foot is doing and whether playing on it before it's fully recovered is okay. He took one whole week off of volleyball (and three weeks off hockey) and physio said he was good to go. He's at about 70% better and that's enough. It was "just" a muscle strain next to his ankle but he couldn't even walk on it for 3 days. If you're looking for a great physio, we are loving Trifecta Rehab in Guildford. This has also made Kai interested in becoming a physiotherapist!

5. Netflix documentaries. This was an interesting one. One thing we are trying to do already is increase our vegetarian meals to lower our carbon footprint. This show also looks at the energy/nutrtion in plant-based diets which never hurts! 

6. Watching Koen play hockey. I love seeing him with the "big kids". He's so little out there but holds his own. His gift is that he will really go after the ball yet maintain his positioning. He's a hard worker. I also love that the Langley Hockey House is close to home and Nya is okay reading (and I could do some marking too).

7. I get to play hockey too! Our team is the perfect combo of working hard and competitive but still encouraging and having fun. The only hard part is if my game is at 9PM I don't get home until 10:30 and it takes a few hours to come down from it so I'm tired on Wednesdays at work.

8 Date night! Gary and I went to Cirque du Soleil! It was our fourth one. It wasn't our favourite but it's always well done. The contortionist was out of this world. This was our Christmas gift to each other :)

9. Koen. I'm so proud of him. He has a lot to deal with each and every day but his positivity and maturity have increased a lot over the past few months and it's appreciated. He is such a great big brother to Nya and I think he would be a fantastic PE teacher. He's currently teaching Nya playing "school"--they've done science (refraction), poetry, PE (volleyball) and are now doing art by tracing leaves from outside.

10. Bottle donations. Kai is going on two big trips this year (jazz band and 5-day sailing trip) which will cost $1000.  We have the money to pay for it but I want him to fundraise 25% of the cost in order to learn the value of a dollar and feel some gratitude. So far he has raised close to $150 so he's doing well! 

11. Grade 8 boys volleyball. I love it. Tonight they are playing for bronze in the South Fraser Valleys. Let's go, boys! Kai loves all sports and has asked to play club volleyball but I'm not sure how to fit that in with ball hockey and basketball. I wish we could do it all but need to be realistic. He's already missed hockey for volleyball.

All right, what is something that YOU are thankful for today?

Love,
Louise