A Year of Gratitude: Day 195

Today I am grateful for how this morning started.  I woke up exhausted and had a tough time getting through my shower with any sort of speed, but when I got downstairs something magical happened: I actually got stuff done.  I put away a bunch of the kids' toys in effort to curb the crazy messes they've been making lately, I cleaned off most of the island, I got rid of toys that needed to be gotten rid of (Wendy's kid's meal toys, anyone?).

And not only was it wonderful because I was being productive, but because I had been productive (and had still managed to check my e-mail and scan facebook for any earth-shattering updates) I was able to feel ready and glad to see Mollie when she woke up.  (Baylor, too, but he woke up after her, and that second wake-up is typically less jarring for me.)

Here's hoping I can hold onto that feeling and start to make my mornings better!

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 194 (a day late)

Today I am grateful that Baylor was a no-cavity kid at his dentist appointment.  The hygienist and dentist both said his teeth and gums look fantastic, and he did an amazing job sitting still and doing what the hygienist asked of him.  All that was great for me to hear, very reassuring.

In addition to all that, though, the hygienist explained to Baylor what nearly all of the tools were and let him try a few of them out, pulled up my messed up x-rays so I could show them to Baylor, and answered just about every question he had.  Then he got to pick a prize out for being a good boy and they gave him a bottle of water for the ride home.  And for all that, I thank my lucky stars for the wonderful dentist office we go to; not only do they care for my kiddo, but they make his experience an incredibly positive one.

Have a wonderful day!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 193

As we were getting ready to leave for an evening out at the lake, I pointed to a bracelet Mollie had on her wrist and commented on how nice it looked.  She said, "Am I a mommy?"  I smiled in response, knowing she wondered that because I often have a hair tie about the same width around my wrist, always at the ready in case I need to toss my hair away from my face, and she likely thought that was a symbol of 'mommy'.  I said, "Well, if you want to be a mommy you need to have a baby.  Do you want to go grab one?"  And at that she took off, galloping through the kitchen to retrieve one of her baby dolls from the living room.

Today I'm grateful that my daughter, my beautiful girl, sees value in being a mommy.  Whether she grows up to be one or not, she sees value in what I do, value in being there for someone else, and value in caring for one's family.  In a job without real pay, without progress reports or performance reviews, it felt good to have a little validation.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 192 (a day late)

Well, our dishwasher finally died.  After about twenty years of diligent service, our Maytag conked out and refused to release any of the detergent we put in there.  And while I'm not at all thrilled it broke or that I'll be doing dishes by hand for the next few weeks (apparently our dishwasher opening is smaller than standard so we had to special order one), I will say this ...

I am so grateful that that's all it did.  I'm grateful that it didn't flood the kitchen as its last hurrah, as so many dishwashers do.

I'm also grateful that we have the means to get a new dishwasher.  Yes, I realize I am absolutely spoiled that we have a dishwasher, and I am grateful that we are able to have such a lovely, useful machine.  It makes my life a little easier, a fact I am realizing more and more as the days without one go on.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 191

Today I am grateful that Baylor told me, several times in fact, before he went to bed that he loves me.  It's not every night that this happens; quite often I will say "Sweet dreams!" and "I love you, love you, love you!" as I'm leaving his room and he won't/doesn't respond.  I know he loves me, and I'm sure part of it is that he's really tired, so I tend to just let it go.  But it is awesome to hear him say it and respond like he is supposed to.

Gotta love the small victories!

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 190 (a day late)

I know this might sound strange, but today I'm grateful that our dishwasher finally broke.  The racks have been rusting away, the utensil basket is broken and occasionally the forks and knives would poke through the bottom and make it difficult to pull out the bottom rack, and so on and so forth.  So when the detergent somehow didn't get used and all the dishes from the last two loads came out just as dirty as when they went in, that was it.  The very last straw.

Yes, it sucks that I had to wash two dishwashers full of dirty dishes all over again and that we are currently out of a dishwasher, but this means we get to start looking for a new one!

*sigh*

It's amazing what we get excited about as we start to get older.

Have a wonderful night!

Coordinating Outfits!

As the mom of a boy and a girl, this so rarely happens, but the kiddos are wearing coordinating outfits today and I just had to share!

It's not an exact match, of course, but they look so cute!


(Mollie is only wearing one pink sock because she got a scrape on the bottom of her foot yesterday, and I'm trying to deter her from taking the bandaid off.)

A Year of Gratitude: Day 189

Today I'm grateful for, well ...

Have a wonderful day!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 188

Today I am grateful for the little moment I had with Baylor after dinner, while Mollie was still trying to finish eating.  He wanted to show me the eleven planets (I know ... I didn't know about this either) and tell me all about them.  I felt awake and alert, something I've been struggling with a lot lately, and I got to snuggle a little with my wonderful son.  It was really nice.

I feel like I have to start soaking in all these moments and snuggles and smiles because in the fall he'll be going to school for all-day kindergarten, and I don't even know how that's going to work.  I will miss him so much, as will Mollie.  I know we'll find our new normal, but the thought boggles my mind right now.

So, I'm letting it go for now.  Letting it go and just enjoying our time together as much as I can.  That's all we can ever do, right?

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 187 (a day late)

Today I am grateful for the weather finally warming up.  My winter wardrobe was getting a bit tired, and I was really tired of being cold all the time.

So, yay for warm weather!

Have a wonderful day!