Thankful #7

Today I am thankful for:

Pretending I'm 17 again.

Tomorrow I will be thankful for ANY form of a nap my children will allow me.

Thankful #6

Today I am thankful for:

Pre-School Art

Before I had kids I swore I would never clutter my refrigerator door with tacky construction paper creations. I don't know what I thought I was going to do with the constant paper trail they bring home, but I just didn't envision it taped up all over the place (this was also back when I thought it was a good idea to purchase butter yellow twill slip-covered couches. Lesson learned). But like everything else with kids, you do a lot of things you never thought you would.
Anyway, here's why I now proudly tape up most of what they bring home:
-No matter how bad their project is, your child still thinks it completely rocks. Self-doubt has not yet entered their mindset.
-I love holidays, and pre-school celebrates EVERY holiday, so you always feel festive. We currently have six different turkey renditions in our hallway so there's no forgetting about Thanksgiving around here (that was for you Danielle!).
-It's proof that they have an opportunity to do fun and messy projects, without me having to deal with glitter, finger paint, and melting crayons in my tiny condo.
-It's also proof that at some point they must have sat still for more than 10 seconds to create such projects.
-It provides a visual reminder of their progress. Scribbles become pictures which eventually become letters and numbers. It's fun to watch their handwriting improve.
-So many of their projects make me laugh, like when Luke drew a picture of himself including his very prominent "outie" belly button.
-Once it's been displayed for awhile I don't feel guilty about tossing it.

Thankful #5

Today I am thankful for:

A husband who put the kids to bed and put away the leftovers when I accidentally fell asleep on the couch after dinner.

I am grateful that he supports me as I try and get up early to exercise, even though it sometimes means I'm ready to check out by 9:00pm.

I appreciate gifts and flowers as much as the next girl, but when he does things like this after I've had a long afternoon with the kids it is so much more meaningful.

I'm also thankful for:

The opportunity to have lunch with my Mom, Grandma, & two Aunts who were in town. With Chloe there we had four generations of women in our family together. I love this. I hope she will come to appreciate how important the women who have come before her are and how much there is to learn from them.

Thankful #4

Today I am grateful for the Primary Program.

It's the best Sunday of the year.

Here's my kids in a rare photo shoot before church. Yes, that means we got ready early enough to have time for pictures of them dressed up.

These boys were great about practicing their parts this year. Even Luke, who has never gotten up to sing or participate with the Primary ever, happily went when they called the kids. Watching them say their lines was like a perfect study in their contrasting personalities. Ethan waved wildly at us with a smile as big as his face. He confidently gripped the microphone with two hands before starting his part. Luke stood sheepishly embarrassed when he saw us in the audience and then flushed bright red after saying his line. He also accidentally dropped the picture of himself that he was to hold up, but I think he was more amused than upset about that. Both boys were very cute to watch sing the songs. Luke, who was in the very front, rested his elbows on the stand and cupped his chin in his hands through every single number.
Practicing for the program also gave us a good opportunity to have a few chats about what their parts meant. I'm so glad they're building small & simple testimonies of the gospel. It's amazing how much is sinking in when they look like they're not paying attention at all (or completely wrestling each other) during family night.
I'm also grateful that I get to dress up a little girl for church. I've picked out quite a few sweater vests and ties in my time, but dresses, hairbows and church shoes are much more fun. Doesn't she look cute?

Thankful #3

This morning I'm thankful for:

Disneyland Passes

(okay, this picture is actually outside of California Adventure, but you get the idea).
I grew up with parents who (smartly) thought it was crazy to take kids to Disneyland during the most crowded time of the year. We lived locally, so why not wait until tourist season is over and have the park to yourself when you go? I agree with this logic, and therefore have never been to Disneyland outside of the months of October or March. However, thanks to some seriously aggressive advertising in the 80's & 90's (I can still hum the commercial's jingle in my head), Christmastime at Disneyland has always held a certain mystique to me. Was it really as cool as it looked on TV?

The answer is a big, huge YES. And even more so when you're an adult and can see your kids enjoy the magic with you. Armed with our new annual passes we picked Will up from work yesterday afternoon and went to the opening day of the Christmas festivities. All my Disneyland junkie friends are probably laughing at me by now, by I had no idea that they make it "snow" on Main Street, transform It's a Small World into a complete Christmas version, put snow on the Sleeping Beauty castle and coordinate the fireworks to Christmas carols. Not to mention all the decorations, lights and trees are beautiful. There were moments when I felt 10 years old again (although the Baby Bjorn strapped to me quickly jolted me back into my mother-of-three reality). Only Luke was a little concerned that Disney had completely overlooked Thanksgiving, but I think he'll get over it.

Hooray for the Holidays!

Thankful #2

While I have plenty of regrets and doubts in life, marrying Will is never one of them.

I am thankful for a husband that I respect and adore.

This picture is from my cousin Jamie's wedding this summer. I'm eight months pregnant and we still attempted to slow dance. When my Aunt sent it to me I thought of this candid shot from our wedding reception:
While our expressions look a bit more serious now, these two pictures remind me that we're still the just the same two people who fell in love almost nine years ago.

2 weeks till Turkey Day

My good friend Beth has inspired me with her month of "thankful posts" leading up to Thanksgiving. With a new baby it's a little difficult to keep the blog updated these days, but I think I could handle posting one quick note of gratitude a day during the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. So here it goes,

I am grateful that I get to kiss these cheeks:

And see this smile:

every single day.
I could not be any more in love with this little girl.