Small (yet HUGE) Victories

Some days with Sam are tough.  Some days, I get weary.  Some days, he drains every bit of my energy and I find myself at the end of myself.  I have felt the same with each of my children.  Some days, it is Owen and other days (especially these new preteen years), it is Gabby.  However, my pastor once told me, anything that brings us to the end of ourselves and makes us turn to Jesus, is a good thing.  I find myself praying often, "God, I can't....but YOU can."  Lord, I need you to love through me.  I need you to be patient through me and Lord, would You be gracious enough to show me glimpses of progress and growth in my kids?  So tonight, after we have tackled multiple obstacles and situations today, I choose to show some of the small (yet HUGE) victories we have seen with Sam.

1.  Sam got angry last week while losing in a board game.  He had a meltdown that was ugly.  However, once he gained control, he came to me on his own accord and simply said, "Mommy, I think I need to say that I'm sorry."  It seems like a small step, but to me this was big!

2.  Sam has had a hard time sitting still in church.  With a tip from a teacher, we tried carrying a sensory bag and we were able to enjoy worshiping the whole service while he stayed engaged with his activities AND he was able to tell us what happened in church.  Small steps.

3.  I have had a fellow missionary and recently a short term volunteer work so hard on making weighted blankets for the classrooms.  He has slept through the night with one!  Also, he now comes and ASK me for one to use in the classroom.  It helps keep him in his seat a little longer and he can focus on work.  Small bean bags have helped with this also.

4.  He has learned a few Spanish words over the last couple of weeks.

5.  He has also taken off on his reading in English.

We think he is making huge progress and lots of steps in the right direction.  Thanks for praying!