It's A New Day

(Image shamelessly stolen from Campus by the Sea, the camp where my family vacationed when I was growing up.)

Monday's post was such a depressing rant, I thought I should post an update of things to be thankful for, because, really, there are many ways God has granted us mercy in recent days. And no, I'm not writing this because Kimberlee Conway Ireton made me feel guilty for being such a whiner. Well, mostly not.

1. My Wednesday morning Bible study restarted this morning after the August break and it's always a joy to be together with these women who have supported and prayed me through some very difficult times for about the last 7 years of my life. Our study this Fall will be Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl: Living the Faith After Bible Class is Over by Lysa TerKeurst. I'm looking forward to it.
2. Had an impromptu lunch date with a good friend after Bible Study at Panera's.
3. Alex's new favorite book, Toy Story Storybook Collection, arrived via UPS this afternoon. This is both an earned prize for being good last week as well as a push towards getting him to read chapter books. He starts with the first two stories, which he already knows and then reads the whole rest of the book that contains new stories. Of course, with his brain, it will take him about 3 days to memorize all 308 pages. I'm not kidding. Some of the pages do have pictures, though. 
4. Am feeling fairly confident about taking both children back to the specialty dentist tomorrow at noon for their 6 month check-ups. My mother is coming for moral support. Hopefully, Alex won't have to have another tooth pulled, like his last 2 visits. 
5. Lots of Miralax has helped Miranda's pooh problems to move along. We haven't solved everything yet but regular movements are good. Now I just have to figure out how much to cut back. Every other day, perhaps?
6. Miranda's first dance class was last night and she really enjoyed herself, even though we forgot her tutu. Next week she'll move with her friend to a class an hour later with kids that are a little closer to her age. 
7. Marshall was able to attend Miranda's Back to School night last night and meet her teacher. This is one of his only opportunities during the year to visit the classroom and interact with Mrs. Greene and even though his office kept him late, he still arrived in plenty of time. We agree that Mrs. Greene is just perfect for Miranda, strong and cheerful and very organized. There are 11 students with 3 adults which sounds pretty ideal to us.
8. Tonight Marshall will attend Alex's Back to School night in hopes of meeting Mrs. Burton, Alex's mainstream third grade teacher and to touch base with his anchor teacher, Mrs. McClafferty. Alex's transition to the new year has been rough so far so we're praying for peace as well as planning to consult with Alex's doctor next week to see if we need to adjust the dosage of his anti-anxiety meds. I like to describe Alex as living without the top layer of skin--he is unable to cope with common anxieties, along with with usual "I hate change" that comes with ASD. Maybe an increase in meds would help his 3+ months of grumpiness.
9. My parents have been working hard on their new house and while my mother has been peeling wallpaper, my father was able to remove the massive hot tub the previous owners had installed in the master bedroom (makes you wonder, doesn't it?) and give it away, the whole package, to someone who found their listing on Craig's List. Everyone wins. The roofers should come next week, if it doesn't rain. (The need for a new roof was discovered by the Inspector early in the purchasing process and my parents are pleased with what they've chosen to replace the currently greatly damaged structure.)
10. The weather has cooled off beautifully which means Alex can wear his long pants and hoodies to school without dying but Miranda, whose bus comes before 8 am, needs a sweater first thing in the morning. Still, the house is open and it's very pleasant. Hopefully, I will be able to mow the back yard tomorrow.

Thanks Be To God.