5.5 weeks!

1. I am grateful for the passage of time. 5.5 weeks until graduation!

2. I am grateful that we have health insurance. Even though I grumble to pay for office visits and the like, I am thankful that we are not weighing monumental costs and budget hits against getting the care we need and the peace of mind.

3. I am grateful for kids that love to be read to. They adore getting blankets and a stack of books and not moving for an hour. It feels so right.

Less Sleep

1. I am grateful for needing less sleep than some. I just got back from waiting in a line (with all manner of geeky/nerdy boys/men) before midnight to get a game (that he pre-ordered months ago) so he wouldn't have to try to squeeze it in tomorrow (he works from 6:30am to 7pm on Tuesdays). I can't wait to see his face...it is rare I get to surprise him like this.

2. I am grateful for my cooking skills and that I enjoy using them. That even when it feels like a task, I get lost in the process. I appreciate that cooking can be an expression of love, of service, of gratitude and appreciation to the family and friends I love.

3. I am grateful for long and short phone conversations with friends that buoy me up through the day. Simple as that.

Multi Task

1. I am grateful that multitasking comes easy to me. I was foot rocking Jameson's car seat to get him to sleep, telling Kaylee and Eleanor a story, and knitting a scarf for a friend all at the same time. And it felt so natural.

2. I am grateful for cell phone pics that catch a moment, blurry or not. This is my mom's sewing table and one of my girls favorite things is to play with this pin cushion. And wear my mom's reading glasses. I will be thankful in a couple years (or months!) to be able to look back at this picture.

3. I am grateful to live by family and share in celebrating birthdays. November-January is our birthday alley and so it feels like we all get together week after week. I love it.

Strength

1. I am grateful for friends that come into town and even if the time spent together is brief, it is meaningful and we make it happen. Grateful for restaurants that stay open late so the conversation with her doesn't have to end when the event does.

2. I am grateful for my mom's strength, even when she thinks she has run out of it. It makes me think of a fortune I got in a cookie once and how really, I have just been holding onto that thought for her. It was meant for her.

3. I am grateful for knitting. I am by no means an expert, but have had the opportunity to teach a few friends the basics and then watch them run away with it in different directions. I have two friends whose young daughters want to learn and I am so excited to teach them- I can hardly stand it. I have never taught a kid something like this- I hope they catch the fever!

Kickin Butt

1. I am grateful for kickboxing. That I took it years ago, that I taught years ago, that I am once again that teacher. Some Saturday mornings I loathe getting up to teach, but as soon as I unlock that door I get this vibe and can't wait to go go go and burn and be done in an hour and feel it all over.

2. I am grateful for soccer. It makes me feel young and fuels my competitive nature in a healthy way. I like the camaraderie I have with my team. I like the friends I have made. I like working together towards the win, cheering on peers and talking about awesome moments. I am grateful it is an active hobby that Linc and I both enjoy.

3. I am grateful that my Aunt Barb and her husband, my parents, Randy and my brother and his family come and cheer on our team most of the time. It makes me smile and feel like an awesome supported dweeb. I am so grateful that Jo Ann will come over to hang at our house during the night games and watch our girls during the early ones. We are spoiled.

Midnight Hour

1. I am grateful for good friends who will stay up late chatting. For me, there is a level of conversation that is reached that just doesn't happen before midnight. It can't be substituted.

2. I am grateful for the early light that daylight savings offers this time of year. I don't welcome daylight savings spring or fall, but I am willing to look for the good and that

3. I am grateful for old movies with music that transport me back. We are watching this version of Annie right now, and I still remember all the words to the songs. I remember loving to hate Carol Burnett and doing impressions of her. Acting out the song/video above in middle school with friends for some acting competition. I appreciate how some musicals are still magic for me and that I can pass that to my girls.

RAW

1. I am grateful for RAW nights. Once a month is never enough to see these girls, but the night is much anticipated and I always leave feeling full and supported and heard.

2. I am grateful for payday. Grateful that Linc has a great job, a job he enjoys and people he digs working with. I appreciate all the other jobs he has had to get to this new one that makes him happy.

3. I am grateful for Rebecca. We have been doing a kid trade off twice a week- I have the kids one day and she the other day so we each get a break to do as we please. I'm thankful that she likes my kids, trusts me with hers, and that we both get the delight of a few kid free hours even if neither of us has anything we have to do :)

Levels

1. I am grateful for the different level of friendships I have with people. The deep ones, the light hearted ones, the silly ones. I am a variety girl and I appreciate that my friendships with people and groups reflect that.

2. I am grateful for streaming NetFlix. Silly, but I really dig that I can watch shows like Little Britain (if you like British humor check it out- as well as The IT Crowd- genius!). I love that I can cue something up for the girls and I to watch while I fold laundry.

3. I am grateful for my sense of humor. Yesterday was a rough smootherhood day filled with things like this:

Where I need to go

1. I am grateful for a car that gets me where I want and need to go on a regular basis. (Not to mention my cute mechanic that keeps it running smoothly at a very low price...) I never really thought of how much more driving I would do once Mya started school, it feels good to not worry about getting where I need to go.

2. I am grateful for my washer and dryer. I have been rocking the laundry this year (for the most part) and need to remind myself how easy I have it. I mean I can do laundry once a week if I wanted to and just crank through it all day. I don't have to boil water or beat my families clothes against a rock. I don't have to hang it in the sun all day (or around a stove in the winter) to get it dry. That is something right there.

3. I am grateful for cozy blankets all over the house on those days where the chill is a little more than the heater took care of. Thankful for mornings spent under blankets with books and giggles and time passing slowly.

Heidi-ho

1. I am grateful for Heidi. Today she turns 26 (Happy Birthday Heidi!) and yet she still seems so much younger than me because her life is so different than mine was at 26. I am thankful that she visits often, talks openly, is undeniably herself, is supportive and makes us all laugh. I am grateful for the aunt that she is and that my girls know her. She gives and gives and is the most like my mom in that sense and inspires me to be selfless.

2. I am grateful for children who sleep through anything. We had a party last Friday night and knowing that the noise of our friends wouldn't disrupt their sleep made me not think twice to offer our house up as the location. Rock Band is loud, they didn't make a peep.

3. I am grateful for coffee and how it helps my tingly numb fingers and toes. That I can do something natural and don't have to take medication to ease the pain. It comes and goes and seems that with the season changes I have more episodes, but it gives me peace of mind that I don't have to call the doctor every time, or suffer through it as harshly like I did before. Peace of mind is priceless.

attitude of gratitude '09

Chloe has done this the last couple years and I dig it and am going to try to do the same this month:

1. I am grateful for rice. I love rice. White or brown, fried or steamed. Sweet, savory, sticky, wild. I could eat it every single day. I love that my kids love rice. I appreciate how easy it is to prepare and how well it goes with so many things.

2. I am grateful for hot water. Our pilot light when out yesterday at some point and it took some tinkering, but we are in hot shower land today. Going a day without hot water wasn't the end of the world, just one of those modern conveniences that I don't think about often but enjoy.

3. I am grateful for Hillary and Randy. They live close and invite us over for dinner (like tonight!) and distraction and are just plain fun to be around. I am grateful to call them our friends and laugh with them like we all do.

Picture Update of Sorts

Such a neglected space. Just been busy living, ya know? Plus any thoughts I wanna put down just seem so heavy for a place like this. Instead...tonight I was pulling pics off my cell phone mem card and they kinda do a good job of the randomness that is my life right now- in no real order and some blurry and a few random thoughts thrown in for good measure:

Heidi was here last week. Short trip, good visit, my girls miss her like crazy. I do too. She and Hillary and I went out to dinner one night and it made me long for the opportunity to have the two of them to myself more often.

Mya is getting to the age where her fingers are starting to split the olives when they eat them. This realization made me sigh and pause and feel sad for a moment. Little things like this that just tug at the reality that she really is growing and not stopping.

A couple weeks ago I got home late to roads blocked and tons of fire trucks. A neighbors house was on fire. It was surreal cause I could see the flames coming through the roof. My house smelled like smoke the entire next day. The whole roof was gone and it looks like not much was spared inside. Sad.

I am still digging on the black hair- this is right after getting it cut and trying on swoopy bangs again. I like them. I love Val...she does such a great job.

I am down 36.5 pounds at this point and think I am going to meet my size goal by my birthday like I hoped. I feel so in control it is crazy. I like feeling/knowing that this is who I am. It feels empowering and right. I feel like me again and like losing the remaining pounds is just a matter of time now, no will.

I kept my car clean for a whole week and rewarded myself with a car wash. It was odd to only have Kaylee in there with me enjoying the show. Has my car been clean on the inside since then? ...uhm. No.

And yes...Kaylee. I am LOVING all the one on one time. It is like Mya got it until she was 2.5 and Kaylee gets it for the next 2.5 years. She is a goofy kiddo and her personality is shining. She has this sense of humor that I didn't notice as much before.

When Mya is in school we chill at my moms. Rebecca and I have taken to kid swapping two days a week and I think we both love it. My mom is still on IV antibiotics and so very tired, but is loving seeing all these kiddos so much. This is a picture of when she was tired and wanted to lay down outside to rest. And wanted them all on there to hang out. Seriously this woman is amazing.

Loving the roll down the window weather when we have it. One day I looked out both sides and Mya's hand was out her window and Kaylee's out hers. They are SO my kids.

Today. Linc got out his big sleeping bag and they played in it for hours. I am so smitten with this little girl right now. I adore her. Completely and wholly. I just want to freeze her in this stage...even if she isn't potty trained yet. Changing diapers is a worthy trade of this perfect personality and degree of cuteness.

Linc has 9 weeks of school until he graduates. 9 WEEKS!!! I am so happy that the end of this chapter is coming for him. For now, eye on the prize and support is what I offer.

The first fieldtrip we went on was up Provo canyon. I had Mya and her one little friend in my 'group' (seriously- the parental involvement is amazing) and we had about an hour of free time so we went on a nature walk and ended up building this fairy/troll/ladybug/bunny house. I love that they collected fall leaves for the bedspread :)

Last night went to Ingrid Michaelson with these two girlies. I love em. It was such a fun and right night. It was what I needed after being couped up with a sick family all week.

Last week Mya's school did their jog-a-thon fundraiser. Of course it was cold and rainy. Of course I was one of the organizers so was there for the whole stretch of it. Of course it stopped raining with 5 minutes left. I ran a lot of it with her and her friend and carried them while running at one point. I am sure I looked like the biggest dork but damn it was fun. She was pretty proud of her finisher medal :) She is really loving school. Is just thriving and seems SO grown up.

I made 14 loaves of banana bread this weekend, and two batches of banana chocolate chip muffins. We had left over bananas from the jog-a-thon and I offered to take them home over the weekend and banana bread them up. I did not think about the number of batches it would make. Silly me. I don't want to see an overripe banana for a loooong time.

I don't remember taking this, but I love it. Just happy colors on a field trip I went on with Mya's class. Made the camera strap at Michelle's when Jess was visiting. That feels like so long ago...

So just busy...random...stressful...sad and happy days mixed in for good measure.

Snapshot

She stopped by today and insisted that I take a shot of this view from my front door. It is very much my life right now; couldn't be happier.

First School Picture

She looks so much like Linc to me. Sooo much.

I know she is my kid and all, so I have to think that she is beautiful by default...but something about this picture makes me realize how much trouble we are going to be in when she hits those boy crazy teen years.

And that she is going to curse her genes for those eyebrows one day...