Thankful Friday

• For those unfortunate readers who may have never ventured to Deep South, this is honeysuckle. I grew up pulling out the little stem and sucking the sweet juice from these blossoms. Like every mother, after giving birth I developed an over-active imagination by which I can almost visualize every germ that could possibly be resting on the stem of this honeysuckle blossom just waiting for the chance to hop into my beloved child's defenseless body. Somehow I have been able to overcome this and allow my kids to enjoy the same sweet nectar that I enjoyed as a child. So far, all they have is a cold.
• The wonderful time I had in Jacksonville with my great friends. (Yes, I realize my thankful entries are not parallel in structure today.)
• Making banana pudding with my kids. The boys cut the bananas for me, and Lauren layered the 'nilla wafers in the pan. (Of course, it went something like this: one cookie for the pudding, two cookies for Lauren, one cookie for the pudding . . .)
• A cartoon version of _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_. I have been dying to introduce the boys to Narnia, but the recent live-action movies are a little too intense for a 4 and 5 year old. I think they're just about old enough for the books to hold their attention, but in the meantime I discovered the very non-intense cartoon version, which they already love.
• Playing hide-and-seek with a 2 year old. I love how she can't find me even when I'm crouched under a giant blanket in the middle of the living room (a blanket that wasn't there 30 seconds before) even when my feet are sticking out. And, of course, how when it's her turn, she invariably hides in the spot that I hid during my last turn . . . and then gigles with glee when I find her.