Just THANKFUL

Gosh, I'm so lazy.  I couldn't even keep up with my thankful posts!  Oh well, at least I'm getting one more in before the big day.  Today I am thankful for my health.  I was so sick Monday night and yesterday.  I can't remember ever being that sick.  It was awful.  Thankfully my mom was home and was able to step in and take care of my mom duties.  First time ever I haven't been able to take care of Liam, what a horrible feeling.  He had a fun day with Grandma though.

We went and got our Christmas tree last weekend!  It was our second year of going to the National Forest to get it and we had a great time.  It was a beautiful day, there was snow when we got there and we ended up with a gorgeous noble, probably about 11 feet tall, for $5.  Not a typo.  Five dollars.  Amazing.  I must admit I'm more in Christmas mode than Thanksgiving for the first time ever.  I blame it on Thanksgiving being so late this year.  Hopefully it's earlier next year.  Need more time to savor both holidays!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thankful Days 12 and 13

Thankful Day 13:  I am SO thankful how easily Liam has took on the task of potty training.  He is so stubborn, when I would ask or try, he would absolutely freak out and say he didn't want to, diapers are more comfortable, didn't want to be a big boy...you name it.  Then the day before Halloween we were at Carly's and he made a deal with me that he'd try to go on the "big boy potty" when we got home from Gavin's.  I thought he was just humoring me so I made him shake on it.  And then had to explain what shaking on it meant.  Anyway, sure enough, when we got home from Gavin's, he ran to the bathroom and went.  WHAT?!?!  Who is this kid!  And it's been smooth sailing since.  He's had a few accidents but I would say less than 10.  I haven't gotten brave enough to do the undies when we are out and about, but I think he would do fine as his diapers are usually dry when we get home.  YES.  I thought he'd be in diapers until college for sure!

Thankful Day 12:  Yesterday I was thankful for having the best day ever on Monday.  We took Joanna to a spa in Portland for her baby shower gift.  And we decided to all go with her and make it a girls day (thanks for agreeing to that, Jo)!  The weather was gorgeous, the spa treatment was heavenly and dinner and all 4 of our desserts were delicious.  My cup was full that night.  I absolutely love days like that!

Three days behind!

Thankful Day 9:  Thankful for my morning coffee.  It's what gets me out of the bed in the morning---and I go to bed at night looking forward to it.  Best enjoyed with a silent house, newspaper (yes, I still read a newspaper and it gets delivered daily!) and then phone or computer time.  Ahhhh.  Mornings are my favorite time of the day.

Thankful Day 10: Thankful that I had a boy.  When I found out I was having a boy, I couldn't imagine it.  I admit I even cried like a baby the next day to my mom.  I was worried he won't love me like I love my parents when he grows up (just because he's a boy), that he'd be crazy (I was right about that one) and I wouldn't know what to do with him.  Fast forward three years to now.  I really can't imagine having a girl.  And if we have another, although I'm not too hung-up on gender, I think I would prefer a boy.  They are so much easier.  And it's true, they sure do love their mamas---even if he does beat me daily. ;)

Thankful Day 11:  Thankful for a fun-filled weekend!  Saturday was my friend Joanna's baby shower.  It was a couples shower and it ended up being more like a bbq.  I left to help Mikie at around 10am and didn't get home that night until 8:30pm.  Exactly how I like my days to be!  We also got to enjoy a great adult-only dinner to celebrate Joanna's birthday.  It's so nice to have a meal in peace!  Yesterday was opposite at dinner.  Liam isn't the best restaurant goer.  I'm used to it, I've accepted it...we try not to eat out much anyway...but it's like taking a wild animal out of the zoo!  The place we went was packed so Joe, Liam and I had to squeeze in one side of the booth.  I was in the middle and got trampled on, fooded on, crayoned on, you name it.  I still managed to enjoy my dinner, it was SO good, but it's even better when I'm not getting clobbered on the entire time. THEN we went to PDX and rented a minivan!  We are seriously contemplating buying one so we decided to rent one for a few days.  So far I am in love.  It's the greatest thing ever.  I can't wait to go pick my parents up and give them a ride.  And then my sister and Sophie.  Liam didn't want to get out when we got home. :)

Thankful Day 8

This morning I am thankful for my discovery of these.  My favorite breakfast is two scrambled egg whites on an English muffin with Laughing Cow cheese.  These English muffins make the sandwich!  And I don't feel as guilty eating them as I did some of the others.

That's all.  Happy Friday!

Thankful Day 7

Today I am thankful for a husband who is super mechanical and can fix all of our car problems.  He has been working in Washougal this week and called and his way home last night and said he was pulled over at a gas station, the driver side windshield wiper stopped working.  He didn't know what to do, he didn't have tools (he usually ALWAYS carries a small tool set with him) and it was raining too hard to drive without them.  He told me he'd call me back, and the next time he called, he had figured it out--e borrowed a wrench from the gas station and got it fixed.  AND, a few weeks ago when our car blew a head gasket, he got it all fixed---it was a big project and he even had to pull the engine out---and saved us more than $3,000 (the price to fix at the shop).  Thanks, Joe.  You are so smart and I love that about you!

Thankful

It's that time of year again, a lot of people are posting what they are thankful for EVERY SINGLE DAY on Faceobok.  It actually seems like a lot less are doing it this year, maybe because so many people ridicule it?  Someone posted something yesterday that said, "It's that time of year again---when people who've complained non-stop for the past year are suddenly thankful for 30 days."  (Or something like that).  Lol.

I decided to try it on here, maybe it will motivate me to blog every day.  I have some catching up to do.  And keep in mind, these are no where close to being in order of thankfulness.

November 1:  SO thankful for Liam not asking a single question about his Halloween candy.  I thought for sure it would be a battle all day.  Also thankful for the best Halloween yet.  It was a blast!

November 2:  Thankful that Joe has every Saturday and (kind of) Sunday off.  He has a crazy work schedule, we value our weekends so much!

November 3:  Thankful for long-time friends.  I went to Dana's baby shower tonight, we've been friends for about 18 years.  Hard to believe, and happy these people are still in my life after all that time.  Fun to see everyone having babies, too!

November 4:  Thankful for my relationships with Joe's family. His aunt and uncle stopped by on their way home from the beach today, I love them.  They're like a second set of parents to me.  They listen to my complaints, give me advice...they are both important people in my life.

November 5:  Thankful for MOPS (Mothers-of-Preschoolers).  I started going last year but got more involved this year, I needed the accountability to force myself to go.  It was out of my comfort zone to leave Liam (and he really doesn't like it) so I knew getting involved would force me to keep trying rather than just skipping it.  I've met some great moms and it helps so much to know I'm not alone---we are all in this together!  I always leave feeling refreshed.

November 6:  Thankful that my immediate family lives in town.  Although I have a feeling my sister might not be here for long, it's so fun having Sophie and Liam grow up together.  I never had any cousins that were close in age and always envied those that did.  They love each other so much, even if they do fight like siblings at times!  And it's so nice to be able to have spontaneous lunch dates, playdates, etc.  And Liam loves being able to drop by my parents house to play.

Ok, bored out of your mind yet?  I'm making fun of myself for doing this.  We'll see if I actually keep it up.
Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

Halloween 2013

When we have another baby, I need to remember that things really start getting entertaining, exciting and super fun at around age three.  Not that previous years weren't fun, this year was just the best yet.  And I think a lot of it has to do with the age.  Liam absolutely LOVED Halloween this year.  I'm feeling sad I didn't get a video of him trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.  It was so cute to see a tiny Minion sprinting (not exaggerating) from house to house.  Then after the person opened their door he had to make small talk with them.  It was hilarious.  He kept asking one lady why she didn't have "sloppers."  That's Liam for Whoppers.  He's never even had them before!  He was running so fast, sometimes he'd run right by a house without even realizing it.  Then he would put on his brakes.  He started making this new braking sound last night.  He'd get to a driveway and make a loud braking sound and stop.

Kim and I took the kids to the Street of Screams at the fairgrounds.  Liam was terrified of that because there was a guy wearing a scary mask in front of us.  Speaking of masks, there was a dad wearing one in our neighborhood last night and Liam kept telling him to take it off.  He has no shame!  Thankfully the guy did, it was pretty terrifying---and our neighborhood is full of little kids.

When we got back to our house after trick-or-treating, the kids were equally excited to be the ones opening our door and handing out candy.  And Liam was quick with the questions again.  "Why are you wearing a mask?" (to a girl who wasn't...oh, liam). Then a huge truck drove by blaring, "What does the fox say?" And Liam went wild.  The sugar definitely had kicked in (more) at that point and we had to listen to the song a few times before he went to bed.

Liam is already talking about what he wants to be next year for Halloween.  So far he says an orange M&M.  ;)

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!  Happy November!