Wednesday Will-isms

As always, Will has been full of comments and questions this week:

"Mama, what do superheroes' bottoms look like?"

"I want to get a Christmas tree that goes all the way up to heaven."

When I complimented him on knowing to fold his hands and bow his head when saying the blessing or a prayer, he told me, "Yep. That's how God knows you're praying."

When I was playing a Christmas CD and a slow song came on: "Nope, not this one. That's a night-night song."

Proud

I was telling Zach the other day that lately I've found myself being very proud of things I should be doing anyway.

"I got her birthday present to her ON TIME. Go me!"

"I was able to take care of both kids by myself, with no melt downs from anyone (including me)." (Um, yes, you're their MOTHER. This is not an accomplishment. This is standard care.)

"I actually crossed things off my work to-do list." (Yep. That's what they pay you for.)

"I folded the laundry right when I got it out of the dryer. Then, I (gasp!) put it away!" (Again...this is what normal people do.)

My point is, on certain days, I have to take pride in the little things (some would say nonexistant things), because that's all I have to hold onto. Often, I'm just working to make it through each day and hoping that things don't fall through the cracks. So, if it makes me feel better to pat myself on the back for the fact that at least one child ate at least one bite of vegetables at dinner, then I'll do it. Sometimes, it really is all about the little things.

Girlie-Girl or Tomboy?

I'm not sure yet if Julia will be a girlie-girl or a tomboy. On one hand, she's very into the girlie, and can be a drama queen at times (like when she falls to the floor when something doesn't go her way).

Dressing Up:

Taking care of baby (not sure if you can tell, but she's giving the baby milk from her sippy cup):

But, on the other hand, she's not afraid to get rough and tumble with the boys. She is "miss independent" and takes care of herself. She's constantly falling down and bumping some body part, but she usually jumps right back up, without even a cry.

Wrestling with her brother:

With this combination of girlie and tough, I think she'll likely end up like Mary Poppins: "Practically perfect in every way." She already is in my eyes.

Thanksgiving

This weekend I saw how easy it was to get out of the habit of daily posting, and I missed two days. Oh well--onward and upward!

Part of the reason I missed posting was that we were briefly out of town for Thanksgiving. We went down to LA (lower Alabama) to see my grandparents et al from my mom's side of the family. We left Thursday morning and came back on Friday, so it was a quick trip, but well worth it. I treasure the time I get to spend with my grandparents, especially. Aside from Julia screaming for two hours straight on the ride down there, the kids were great. Two of my cousins have children about the same age, so we had six kids that were five and under (one five, two threes, one two, and two ones--it was crazy!)...and Julia was the only girl! Will had a blast playing with his cousins and seemed to take to them right away. We had been talking up the trip, so I guess he felt comfortable. On Friday, when I told Will that we were heading to the park with his cousins, Will replied excitedly, "I know them now!"

Julia definitely held her own and was possibly the busiest of the bunch. She didn't stop moving the whole day--I think my grandparents were worn out just from watching her. She's a little human tornado and is at a difficult age--someone has to basically follow her around at all times since she's mobile, but doesn't fully understand what's okay and what's not (or she understands, but chooses to ignore it).

Overall, we had a great time, but I was glad to be home on Friday and have the weekend here. I'll post some pictures when I get them uploaded. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Thankful

A top ten list of the things I'm thankful for:
10) Diet Dr. Pepper--I can't imagine my life without it.
9) Good white wine. Or red, in a pinch. Or really, anything with alcohol.
8) Super monkey and giraffe and bunny and all of the other creatures who keep my children company at night and help them sleep (sort of).
7) The portable DVD player. Maybe this should be #1, given the drive today.
6) A sleepy "Good night, see you in the morning bright. I love you." from my favorite boy.
5) Wittiness in general, but especially from a three-year-old.
4) Kisses from my husband, particularly when they are waking me up after he's dealt with the children and let me sleep in.
3) The times--once in a while--when my children play nicely with each other.
2) Baby laughs.
1) The hugs, smiles, and joy that I get from my family everyday.

In all seriousness, I am constantly overwhelmed with gratitude for the many, many blessings that I have in my life. I couldn't have imagined such a wonderful family: a fabulous husband and two beautiful, smart, healthy, happy children. I thank God every day--not just on this day of Thanksgiving--for all that He has given me and my family. On a basic level, I am thankful that we have plenty of food, clothes, and heat--things we take for granted. I can't imagine being a mother and not being able to provide for your children's basic needs. I'm thankful for our health and that our biggest worries health-wise are throw-up bugs and ear infections. I am thankful, especially this year, that Zach and I have good jobs that we enjoy and benefits to help provide for things we need. I'm thankful for our new house and our new neighborhood and for the new friendships that we are developing. I'm thankful for old friends who knew me way back when and STILL love me! I'm thankful for family--both near and far--and for the love and support that they constantly provide.

I'm thankful. And, I'm happy. I hope everyone has a wonderful day of giving thanks, many things to be thankful for, and lots of delicious food to enjoy.

Wednesday Will-isms: Thanksgiving Edition

Since it is almost Thanksgiving, I thought I would share Will's thoughts on what he is thankful for. I asked him this the other day while we were driving, and this is what I got:

"Trees! I am thankful for trees. (This was just because that's what he saw when he looked out the window.) And GOD!"

"That's good! Anything else?"

"Yes, I am thankful for you. And for my teachers. (Oh yes, I am VERY thankful for your teachers.) And for cousin Laura."

As you can see, we have a wide variety of things to be thankful for in our house. At Will's school, they were writing things that they were thankful for on paper feathers and then sticking the feathers on the "turkey". So, I asked Will what he wanted me to write for his feather. "Vegetables. I am thankful for vegetables." I resisted the urge to shout, "No you're not!" and just wrote it anyway. I think the problem is that Will keeps intermingling the ideas of "being thankful at Thanksgiving" and "what you eat at Thanksgiving"--two things they've been learning about recently at school.

Oh By Golly

Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas.

It's the best time of the year.

Oh by golly, have a Holly Jolly Christmas this year!

Yes, we already went to see Santa. And yes, the kids had as much fun as it seems from these pictures. We went to 'Sweets with Santa' at the Jr. League Market this past Saturday morning. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get the Santa visit out of the way without having to go to the mall. I'm all about the laziness. Will actually really enjoyed it (though you couldn't tell from his enthusiastic expression during the pictures)--they had crafts, snacks, and a guy playing guitar where you could dance. That's about all he needs for a good time. Julia absolutely HATED it (obviously...I mean, I might as well put things on this blog like, 'The sky is blue.') She's in a phase where she really doesn't want to be held by anyone she doesn't know, much less some old guy with a white beard. Once she figured out what was happening, she really freaked out. But don't worry--I didn't torture her too long. She was on his lap for less than a minute--just long enough for me to get the photos! She was really tired, as well, and took a three-hour nap as soon as we got home. So, she probably would have been unhappy even in the best of circumstances, but Santa really did her in.

Needless to say, we are done with Santa for the year.