Time

It's Thanksgiving week and so I am of course like many of you, reflecting on my blessings.  I am grateful for the obvious and most important:  a loving God, good health, a warm home, good family/friends, and security.  But I am especially grateful for time.

This morning I woke up to Ellie at 5:55 complaining of a bad dream.  After my futile attempt to get us both back to sleep, Kate woke up crying from a wet diaper.   I was so tired so I put both girls in my bed with me and tried desperately to sneak 10 more minutes of sleep before greeting my day.  The three of us girls lay there in the dark all snuggled up together.  Ellie and Kate were holding hands.  It was the sweetest moment and it made me think ahead to just a few short years from now when my girls will not be with me all the time, every moment of the day.  I want to have the appreciation now, not later.  So I just lay there very still and tried to absorb every second of that perfection before both girls were climbing on me, impatiently waiting and whining for one thing or another (although that too is also a blessing in it's own right).

A couple days ago, a cousin posted on Facebook:  My boys and hubby are home, dinner is cooking, and we are all playing a game together while watching football.  Life is good.
She then went on to lament how few and far between those days are for her and I could tell by her words that really was her great sadness. And then I was struck by something profound:  her happiness is the description of my every day.  I am SO blessed to spend my time cooking and sharing meals with my family, snuggling up in the family room, and just laughing and playing and being silly.  I don't have anywhere else to be.  My job is to love my family.  Are you kidding me?  I am so lucky and this is the time I have right now and I appreciate so fully.

My friends who are fighting for a few more hours/days with their families before they leave this earth... your picture makes me appreciate mine so completely.  This Thanksgiving, let us not be thankful for things, stuff, places to go, things to do.  Let's just be thankful for the day, the hour, the minute we have with those we love most. 


And here is a picture I took of Ellie tonight.  I still see her as my tiny little baby girl but I know she is growing up now at lighting speed.  This picture reminds me of a teenager in her room texting on her phone!  AHHH!

Have a wonderful and grateful week!  Happy Thanksgiving!

For 2012

Trick or Treat

A wonderful Halloween 2011!  We were all together, all healthy, and all smiling.  Can't ask for much better than that! Ellie rocked the trick-or-treating with the "big kids" until well past 9 o'clock.  Kate was asleep by 6pm which worked out best for all of us.  :)  We have such a fun neighborhood.  There were two hot chocolate stations, three haunted houses, and even a bonfire!  Hope everyone else had a great night!

Bad Day.

This is how we spent most of our day. I don't know what to do with Kate. I've tried to "fix" her behavior by ignoring it, dealing with it, changing the environment, sticking to routine, explaining why that's a "no-no" and not saying anything at all. I've done the whole "Just love her through it" method. Well, I'm done with all of that. I'm now trying the "Merlot" method...Kate is still a monster but Mommy is feeling MUCH better. :)

Daddy's Home

It's been a loooooong week without Dan!  The girls and I really missed him and we are so glad he is home!

Stop and Remember

Happy October! I can't believe it is already the 18th and we haven't made it to a pumpkin patch yet! I think our trip to Vegas distracted us but we are home now and back to all things fall. Tomorrow I am making pumpkin spice bread, going for a long morning walk, and starting a new book! Tonight, I stumbled upon some old pictures of Ellie. She was two years old and it surprised me how much I forgot about her at that age. Little things really but special to a Mommy. Her hair was much thinner than Kate's and she could fall asleep in a stroller. She was afraid of a lot of things and didn't mind wearing coats. I looked at the pictures for a long time and realized there were many things about Kate that I notice in a day but haven't put into words. I am so aware of them now but I know they too will fade in my memory. So I added these pictures from today. I want to remember that she has beautiful hair that never holds in a barrette. She has pudgy hands and feet and likes to wiggle her toes. She often looks out the top and sides of her eyes with purpose and attitude. She never smiles for the camera unless I trick her and HATES to wear anything bulky. She learns everything from her sister including how to care for baby dolls. She doesn't like when her hands are "icky" and will only eat apples when they are whole. She is beautiful and likes to be helpful. Her. Eyes. Are. Awesome. So that is Kate in October of 2011. Our tough, snuggly, smart, funny, independent little Mama's girl. <3

18 Months Old

(Kate watching and waiting for Ellie to come home from school)

Oh happy day! Our Kate bug is 18 months old. Wow. Seems like she has been with us forever. Kate- you get cuter, smarter, and more stubborn every day. :) We love you so much. Thank you for filling our lives with LOTS and LOTS of laughter and sweet snuggly moments. Love, Mommy, Daddy, Ellie and Jaxie