Welcome to the world...

Clara Brynn Taylor... "bright light on a hill"

 

Born March 23 at 10:35 am, 7 lbs 10 oz, 21 inches long

 

... our perfect little bundle of joy and love!

9 days old

Christmas Gifts

500. French toast

501. Divine patience in the midst of temper tantrums

502. Waking up to freshly fallen snow

503. Chilly evening walks

504. Parenthood marathons

505. A cozy Christmas Eve

506. A white Christmas

507 Finding the perfect gift

508.Unto us a Son is given

509. Overflowing stockings

510. Family around the table

Grateful

400. Baby GIRL!

401. Best buddies Ethan and Wesley

402. Shepherding a Child's Heart

403. Wesley 'big boy' room

404. Banana bread

405. Oh, how He loves us

406. Christmas music

407. New hats and mittens

408. Telling the truth in love

409. Wesley's first time watching "Frosty the Snowman"

410. Little pink clothes

The gifts keep on coming...

I shamefully have not been keeping up with Multitudes on Mondays... but I 've still been recording my One Thousand Gifts in my handy-dandy notebook...

Here are a few... (skipping forward a bit)...

350. Wesley's response to any question... "yep!"

351. Cuddling with friends' babies

352. Feeling little baby "flutters" 

353. Long overdue phone chats

354. Fuzzy socks

355. Maternity pants

356. Turning the fireplace on for the first time this year

357. Freshly laundered sheets

358. Massages

359. Homemade hummus and pita chips

360. The pumpkin patch

361. Sleepy cuddles after naptime

362. A night out with myself

363. Shopping trip with a wonderful  friend

364. Baby's heartbeat

Summer's Last Gifts...

210. Fresh tomatoes from the garden

211. Wrestling on the living room rug

212. Delicious Indian food enjoyed with friends

213. Living in the same city as Nana and Grandpa

214. Family reunions

215. Back rubs

216. Dinner that I didn't make

217. Leaves beginning to turn

218. A quiet car ride home

219. Picnics in the park

220. Free ferry rides

221. The antique cars on Centre Island

Two Hundred Gifts and Counting...

197. Wesley's stripped tie

198. Playdates at the zoo with good friends

199. Wesley's monkey sound

200. Family photos

201. A fresh coat of paint

202. Sweet cherries

203. Fun with bathtub paint (minus the clean up!)

204. Pizza!

205. Kisses through the crib slats

206. Warm, gooey cinnamon buns

207. Reading 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear...' for the 10 millionth time
208. Life-giving words
209. Organization

Cottage Life

We just got back from a beautiful week at the cottage with my family. My brother and sister-in-law are here from the UK for a month and it was sooo wonderful to have all of us together. It was close quarters in our little home-away-from-home, but I wouldn't have had it any other way!

I'm constantly mindful of how blessed I am to have this family that I do. We genuinely love spending time together and are the closest of friends.

Here are a few of the gifts I enjoyed this past week...

183. Canoeing with my dad

184. Napping in the hammock

185. Games' night and the Clark competitive streak

186. Heart's desires fulfilled

187. Reeling in a big catch

188. Chatting with my sister-in-law over tea

189. Kissing owies all better

190. Warm pita chips

191. Diving into a crystal clear lake

192. Sunscreen

193. Keeping a beautiful secret

194. Wesley and 'tickle bear'

195. A foot soak

196. Wesley and Nana snuggling in the hammock

Gifts Galore!

163. 'The true north strong and free'

164. Long weekends

165. Ice cream

166. Homemade iced tea

167. Backyard BBQs

168. Puppies and toddlers

169. Wild raspberries

170. Foot rubs

171. A hug for a sleep-deprived new mom

172. An encouraging word right when you need it most

173. A sudden sun shower

174. Impromptu date nights

175. Amazing babysitters

176. Fireworks (literal and figurative) with my sweetheart

177. Flowers for no reason

178. Little green tomato buds in the garden
179. Chatting over the fench with neighbours
180. Staying up way too late
181. Post-naptime cuddles
182. Bags bursting with fresh produce from the Farmer's Market

162 Glorious Gifts

148. Falling asleep to gentle rain

149. The splash pad on a scorching summer afternoon

150. Sweet potato fries

151. Hands stained red after strawberry picking

152. Wesley's devious grin as he pops yet another berry into his mouth

153. Fresh strawberries and whipped cream
154. After dinner family dance parties

155. A weeded garden

156. Art on the refrigerator

157. A weekend of glorious weather

158. A romantic weekend away, just the two of us

159. 5 years of wedded bliss

160. Kisses from mommy that miraculously make it all better

161. New insight

162. Gleaning wisdom from a well-lived friend

Babies & Bears & Blessings

137. Naked babies running through the sprinkler

138. A good cry

139. Putting your feet up after a long day

140. Backyard BBQs with friends

141. My hubby's french toast

142. Wesley learning to share

143. Renovation plans

144. 10 millionth reading of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"

145. Isaiah 40:29

146. Going to bed early

147. Hope for the future

Blessings Big & Small

122. Silence on the baby monitor

123. Rainy days spent inside with family

124. Wesley "swimming"

125. The rainbow of produce at the Farmer's Market

126. Giving and receiving life at Life Group

127. Counting down till our anniversary weekend away!

128. 4:45 pm - when Daddy walks in the door

129. Choosing new paint colours 

130. Not feeling guilty about a little bit of TV time

131. Kitchen floors scrubbed clean

132. Fresh home-grown cilantro

133. Bright pink toenails

134. Running in the rain with my sister

135. Wesley brushing his teeth

136. Blooming peonies in the garden

Gifts of Summer

108. A cool shower after a hot, sweaty run

109. Splashing in the kiddie pool on a sweltering afternoon

110. Watermelon

111. Anointed men and women of God

112. Counting down the days until the whole family is together again!

113. Picnics by the river

114. Dipping canoe paddles into still waters

115. Babies smelling of sun and sand

116. Cheesecake from Black Honey

117. Catching up over coffee 

118. 'Seeing Heaven's Realities'

119. Packing away the winter clothes

120. Wesley's animal sounds
121. Children worshipping the Lord

100 Gifts and Counting

92. Restored health after illness

93. Reading board books on a rainy day

94. Juicy mangoes

95. Colourful cloth diapers flapping on the clothesline

96. The first campfire of the season

97. S'mores

98. Picnics in the park

99. Hiccups from laughing too hard

100. Moms

101. An unexpected, but perfect, surprise

102. The Velveteen Rabit

103. The promise of summer

104. Blowing bubbles

105. His tangible presence

106. Freshly picked wild asparagus

107. Wesley's endless delight over pots and spoons

Counting...

76. Dark chocolate

77. Wisps of finest baby hair all over the kitchen floor after a haircut

78. Feeding the ducks out of our hands at the park

79. Guacamole at La Hacienda

80. Hearing the Lord's voice loud and clear in the middle of your day

81. Renewed purpose and fresh hope

82. Meeting new neighbours

83. Finding red sparkles in bizarre places months after Christmas

84. A message from a friend at just the right time

85. Making plans

86. When something is as good as everyone says

87. Calling mom for reassurance
88. Seeing things a little more clearly with a new pair of glasses
89. Warm laundry fresh out of the dryer
90. A parcel in the mailbox with my name on it
91. Chai tea latte... extra hot!

Gifts the weekend brought me...



Ta-da! An elephant!

 

66. A clear conscience

67. Sunday drives

68. Felt boards

69. Pancakes on a Saturday morning

70. Doing something you're afraid of

71. Oil pastels

72. Wesley seeing elephants for the first time

73. Giraffes... the ballerinas of the animal kingdom!

74. Answered prayer

75. The perfect pair of yellow ballet flats

Raindrops on roses...

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens; silver white winters that melt into springs; these are a few of my favourite things...

51. Tired, aching muscles after a good workout

52. Love notes

53. A hot shower

54. Wesley dancing

55. The faces of family on the computer screen from halfway around the world

56. Sisters

57. Late night phone calls with a husband far-away

58. Babies who can sleep through anything!

59. The park alive with humans and animals alike on a spring evening

60. A spick and span kitchen

61. Only an hour till Daddy is home!

62. A full fruit basket

63. Muffins cooling on the counter

64. Butterfly kisses

65. A new box of crayons



Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep

41. Sliding between fresh, clean sheets

42. A sock finding his long lost mate

43. Footed pajamas

44. The stillness of sleeping house

45. Laundry flapping in the breeze

46. The joy of creating

47. Husband making dinner

48. Afternoon date with the teapot (and ONE piece of chocolate!)

49. Chick flicks with girlfriends

50. Toddlers making friends

One of my favourite songs from one of my very favourite movies is "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" from White Christmas. Jotting down these gifts always makes me think of this song...

In the movie Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby sing this together; I couldn't find that version... but here's the lovely Rosemary Clooney. Enjoy!

Count them one by one...

31. New sounds and syllables from a baby's virgin lips

32. The perfect photo

33. The satisfaction of a job well-done

34. Checking things off the 'to-do' list

35. Grass under bare feet

36. Licked-clean plates

37. Sun kissed skin after a long winter

38. Treating yourself to that cupcake

39. Lazy Saturday mornings

40. A home-cooked meal made by someone else!

Monday Thanks...

18. Bedtime stories and cuddles
19. Inside jokes

20. Discovering a delicious new recipe

21. Spring buds bursting through the earth

22. Streaks of sunshine on the hardwood floor

23. Joyous orange tulips on my kitchen table

24. The happy clamour of children on the playground

25. Time spent in companionable silence

26. The fresh tip of a newly sharpened pencil

27. Connecting with a new 'old' friend

28. Chubby babies in swimsuits

29. The anticpation of a new day

30. The smell of springtime

Life in the Little Things

I blogged last week about the fabulous book One Thousand Gifts and how, based on a challenge from author Ann Voskamp, I was going to start recording - and more importantly, being thankful for - all the beautiful blessings that make my life full. Some of these things seem so small, but I tell you - after a long day, that hot water bottle really is a blessing to my aching back! Here are some of my not-so-small gifts...

8. Hot water bottles

9. Date night

10. A book that hooks you from the first page

11. A hot cup of tea

12. Potluck dinners

13. Duvets

14. A bundled up baby

15.  Homemade granola

16. A good conversation with a good friend

17. Afternoon naps

The height of my joy is found in the depth of my thanks. - Ann Voskamp