Thankfulness {Day 4} My girls

I am so thankful for my girls.

They not only bring many smiles to my face because of the funny things they do and say, they warm my heart with each snuggle and "Mommy, I love you". I am amazed each and every day as I watch them grow and learn new things.

Side note: I blog about the girls from "their perspectives" (as I see and hear it) at Life According to the Siefker Girls.

It is not only the happy, heart-warming things that I am thankful for - but also for the hardships. There are many frustrations and struggles that come with having children (especially a 2 yo).

Nothing has grown my relationship with Christ more than being married and having children. These relationships show me how selfish and sinfully demanding I am. They show me how incapable I am of controlling other people (and even myself some days). They show me how I desperately need grace and forgiveness - daily and hourly. 

Taking care of my loved ones reminds me that life is not all about me - it is about God.

As their mother, I want to be the humble, loving servant they need. I want to be a picture of love and mercy, strength and weakness. I want to be transparent so they are able to see Christ at work in my life.

I am so thankful for the many lessons that being a mother (and wife) have taught me.

Thank you, Lord, for my beautiful daughters!

Thankfulness {Day 3} My Man

What am I thankful for today (and all the other 364.25 days of the year)? My man.

He is a gift from God and a blessing in my life. I don't know who I'd be or what I'd be like without him.

Now get ready - I'm gonna brag on my man for a minute.

I know he is not perfect, but he is perfect for me. We are united in Christ and will be together forever.

I am thankful for how I see Christ working in his life (he was not saved until after we were married).

He loves the Lord and it is evident in his life.

I love him more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.

When he is not with me, I long for the minute he walks through the door - even though he is all stinky and sweaty from his nearly daily commute on his bicycle.

My man can do anything. He is strong. He is smart. He is loving and tender.

He is my hero.

He is a loving father and our girls adore him. He will do nearly anything to bring a smile to their faces.

I thank God for him!

I thank my God

upon every remembrance of you (my man),

always in every prayer of mine

making request for you all with joy,

for your fellowship in the gospel

from the first day until now

{Philippians 1:3-5}

Thankful Calendar

I love this time of year! Ok, not the dark mornings and evenings and cooler temps, but I love the heart focused attention to being thankful.  I love to focus my attention and the attention of our girls from "I want, I want" to "Thank You, dear Lord."

One way we do this is by having a Thankful calendar. Below are the pictures of ours this year. Each day of the month has a pocket. Inside each pocket is a slip of paper where we will write down 30 things we are thankful for.

My 6 year old daughter talks about it the calendar all day long as she thinks and plans out what she'll write down tomorrow. She has down her family and sunrise/sunsets so far.

It is also lots of fun to write down things that our 2 year old is thankful for. Yesterday was ice cream and this morning was vitamins (the gummy kind).

I love it!

Follow along with the Days of Thankfulness -

click here to read  {Day 1}.