Thankful Thursday - Christmas 2011 edition

This Christmas season I have found myself thankful for...

... visits with lots of friends and family.

... my little family.

... sweet treats and wine.

... my new Keurig coffee maker - YUM!

... how excited Asher was over his new remote crane toy this year.

... my husband's amazing electrical engineering skills.  As we got afore-mentioned crane out of the box to set up on Christmas Eve, it wasn't working properly.  Since it was too late to return or exchange it, he set to work on rewiring the thing.  A few splices and soders and several hours later and we had a working crane!

... watching Asher and Greg play remote control cars together.

... a day off where Greg watched the boys all day and I went shopping with my Christmas money.

... boxing day sales and a new coat for $10!

... Christmas pj's.

... not having to cook Christmas dinner.

... Christmas brunch with my family.

... my favorite Indian restaurant for lunch.

... lots of laughs with my visiting friend.

... watching Asher and Greg play outside in the snow.

... Greg being on vacation.

... a really good workout after all the Christmas treats I've been eating.

... my high-fiving baby!

... the oodles of Christmas cards I've received - I love them!

... a date night with my husband.

... a break in our routine and a change in schedule.

... and especially the miracle of Jesus' birth.

... the many blessings He has given me.

... the hope of things made new.

Wordless Wedneday - Asher's favorite Christmas toy edition

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday I drove to Bangor with a friend to pick up another friend from the airport who flew home for the holidays.  It was a long day, and the road conditions were not great.  In spite of that, I find myself today reflecting on how thankful I am for...

... the great driving of my friend, who had the sense to take it slow when she needed to.

... studded winter tires.

... that people were praying for our safety, including my boys at home.

... that Greg took the day off so I could have a fun road trip.

... that things went good at home with Greg and the boys; everyone did what they were supposed to do, basically when they were supposed to do it with no major hiccups.

... girl time to chat and laugh, and have fun, and be serious, and catch up all at the same time.

... a bit of time for browsing in Bangor.

... a big hug from my friend Erin who is home for Christmas.

... Erin being home!  Yay!

... yummy snacks in the car.

... that inspite of only having 4 hours sleep, I still woke up excited to see my babies.

... Second Cup coffee :)

Wordless Wednesday - texting boys edition

Lately I have been...

... wrapping Christmas presents.

... encouraging a little boy to walk, and feeling encouraged by all his new moves and how close he is.

... putting the boys to bed a bit earlier in the evening.  Asher's been really tired and cranky in the evenings since he no longer naps, and the earlier bedtime has been working fabulously (thanks for the idea, Jenn!)

... creating.

... trying some new pinterest ideas for Christmas.

... feeling excited for a friend who is coming to visit for the holidays.

... planning yummy food for the holidays.

... needing to get groceries.

... cleaning.  Always cleaning up after these boys.

... bringing my magic bag to bed with me and having warm toes as I fall asleep.

... receiving a lot of Christmas cards, and trying to find creative ways to display said Christmas cards.

... sad about my neighbor passing away.

... thankful for my mom, who took the boys for a sleepover last weekend.

... having mixed feelings about having just weened Levi.  I'm thankful that he weened himself and it wasn't a struggle, but sad that this phase is over.

... having mixed feelings about how much Levi loves my step-father.  He has been choosing him over me repeatedly (reaches out for him as soon as he sees him and won't come back in my arms).  I'm happy he loves him and has a good grandpa, but don't like being second, especially when he was such a Mama's boy.

... seeing my chiropractor.

... having a glass of wine in the evenings.

... enjoying my Christmas tree.


How have you been?

Thankful Thursday

So thankful for the 2 little boys in my life...

Wordless Wednesday - decorating the Christmas tree 2011 edition

Thankful Thursday - Asher's split lip edition

Tuesday when we were at the library, Asher fell and cut his lip up pretty bad.  He was quite upset and it was a bit of a drama scene.  It was a very stressful evening for our family, especially because Asher wouldn't drink or eat anything for the rest of the day, and for some of the morning after.  In times like these - when things aren't going the way I'd like - I find it's super important for me to remember the blessings amidst the chaos.  I'm counting my blessings, because there are many.

... the librarians who were so helpful to me.  I had about 3 or 4 of them running around, getting first aid kids, napkins to catch blood, entertaining Levi, calling my husband; the situation was definitely aided by their help.  I'm so thankful for the support of complete strangers in times of need like this.

... the fact that my husband was only a floor away and came down running as soon as the librarian called him.

... the wonderful nurse and doctor at the ER who didn't mind Asher's drama and took us in right away to be seen.  Thankfully we were in and out in 10 minutes once the doctor saw Asher's lip and said didn't need a stitch.

... Word World, Asher's new favorite show.  It's super educational and also really helps to lift his spirits and distract him in moments of need.

... that Asher slept through the night despite not eating or drinking for the better part of that day (the "incident" happened at around 3:30 in the afternoon).

... that my mom still lets me whine and cry when I'm feeling overwhelmed, even when the situation is not really that bad.  Even though I'm a big girl, I still want to talk to my mom when I'm upset.

... straws.  It's the only way that I could get Asher to finally drink yesterday.

... Greg's perspective.  I was feeling really shaken up and overwhelmed and Greg was so gracious about reminding me that in the big picture, Asher's ok, and we are ok.  And it's true - a cut lip is nothing!

... the amazing ability our bodies have to heal our wounds.  Asher's lip yesterday morning was looking tons better than it had the night before, and it just continues to improve.

... that I have the flexibility to take all the time needed to nurse Asher's wound, and his spirit, and to help him develop some coping mechanisms.  So glad I am home with him.


Here are some pictures of Asher's lip from yesterday morning, about 18 hours after he split it.

 

My boy is healthy, and it could have been a lot worse.  What more could I ask for?

Wordless Wedneday - toddler brain truth edition

Yesterday...

... I had a bad day.

... I was woken up at 6:15 by my crying 15-month old.

... Levi only napped for a little over an hour for the whole day.

... I had a cranky baby on my hands most of the day.

... I went to Costco and spent over $100.

... Levi ate $7 worth of blueberries (he kept signing for more and then smiling so big when I would give him some, how could I refuse?)

... Asher had a poop accident at preschool.

... Asher had a pee accident while in his car seat, and his pee soaked the upholstery in my backseat.

... I learned how to fully disassemble all the parts of Asher's car seat, and put it back together again.

... my dear friend helped me a lot with said car seat, and with cleaning up aforementioned pee-soaked upholstery.

... Asher played really well with his friend during their play date.

... Asher had more time-out's than he has ever had in one day for not listening, yelling, and hurting his brother (repeatedly).

... Asher was sent to his room for the night after supper for the first time.

... our car wouldn't start in the afternoon and had to get towed to the garage.

... I missed a doctor's appointment as a result of the car troubles.

... my anticipated "night out" to do some shopping and errands I needed to do was not able to happen because of said car troubles.

... I stayed home, had a drink, and worked on our family's advent calendar instead.

... a lovely friend with a listening ear visited and let me vent away.

... I was not the mother I want to be, and I apologized to Asher for yelling and being so frustrated.

... we had bagel BLT's for supper (vegetarian bacon, of course) and they were good.

... was a bad day, but it's ok, and I'm ok.

... is over!

Thankful Thursday

so many things to be thankful for this week.

... for a girls night sleepover with girls from my old work.  So fun.  We did a favorite things party - basically everyone brings enough of one of their favorite things for everyone else at the party (there were 5 of us, and we put a $ limit on it).  At the end of the night you walk away with a few new fun items yourself.  It was great.

... pinot griggio, my favorite wine.

... my girlfriends, who call to check in on me after I've had a bad day.

... Levi taking like 10 steps in a row yesterday.  He's so close to walking.

... my financial institution whose system flagged an out-of-the-norm transaction on my credit card and stopped the fraudulent charges before they got out of control.  Yes my credit card number was stolen - scary!  Thankfully I am not responsible for the charges.

... a local Christmas craft fair where I scored some sweet gifts, and even had a friend to help me carry them :)

... my magic bag.  I've been taking it to bed with me at night and using it to warm my feet.  Joy!

... the boys sleeping through the night and until 7:45 AM one morning this week.

... that suppositories work.  It's no fun to give one to your screaming 3 year old who is in pain from not pooping for 4 days, but they definitely do what they are supposed to do, and usually pretty quick.

... the energy I have after Zumba class. 

... my new black winter boots.  They are sweet! 

... all of you for your lovely input on my winter jacket situation.  I decided to return them both and keep my eyes out for something that I'm 100% happy with.  Hopefully I can find that soon.

... until I do find that winter jacket, I am sooo thankful for this mild weather.  Plus 14 today - say what!