Cozy. Fluffy. Comfy. Warm. Home.

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 119

     I love rainy days. I could live in Seattle. I seriously, LOVE them. They are just so comfy, and cozy, and warm. Today was no exception. And because I have two babies, and a very lazy pup to spend my days with...the comfy, cozy, warm and fluffy is bumped up to the highest measurable level of snug.

     We took our time in the morning. We kind of just lazed around in bed for a bit. Cuddling. Laughing. Playing. Talking. Around 9:30, we went down for breakfast. In our pajamas. Pajamas are the official uniform of rainy days. After breakfast, I left the dishes in the sink to do later, and we played some more. Did some arts and crafts. Adelyn is into necklace making. It's great fun. We watched some shows. We had lunch, then napped. We got up, and played some more. Danced a bit. Listened to Raffi. We colored. We had chicken soup for dinner. I keep a bunch of homemade stock in the freezer, so cooking up a big pot of homemade soup takes no time at all. The kids had nice, long, warm baths. We read books. And they are now tucked in their beds, sleeping away.

     It was the most productive unproductive day I've ever had. So little was accomplished, and yet, so much was accomplished. It was the most comfy, the most cozy, the most fluffy, the most warm day I've spent inside with my loves in a long while. And we savored every moment. I'm thankful for rain. I'm thankful for the feeling of cozy, and warm, and fluffy, and comfy. I'm thankful for the feeling of home. It's the best feeling in the world.

She was getting annoyed with my picture taking. Ha! What a face!

These faces...

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 118

   

     These faces make it all worth it. Today was a hard day. Yet, even on hard days, I am thankful. Thankful for the beautiful children I have been blessed with. They are the most amazing beings, the most precious treasures. I'm blessed to be a part of something so magnificent. The miracle of life. Tonight, as my sister and I left Wegman's together, we remembered a time, not too long ago, when we sat in the parking lot there, late at night. As I sat there smoking, and crying, and asking questions like, "why," I never thought then, that on this night, I would be leaving to go home to Adelyn, and Tobin. I never thought then, that sometime in my near future, I would be shopping for sweet potatoes, and pears, and apples, and peas to make his baby food. I never thought then, that I would leaving Wegman's to come home and peek at him sleeping in his crib.

     Thankful for my children. They make my life worth living. They make each day like Christmas morning. Truly. The best part of my morning is their smiling, sweet faces. And their hugs and cuddles. Thankful. 

Two days of celebrating Patricia.

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 117

     I love my sister. And that's an understatement. Love isn't a big enough word. Sister isn't a big enough word. Tomorrow is her birthday, so we had our big family party today. And it was, as it is always, and probably will be for the next few decades or so, extremely loud and busy. But that's okay. Because if there is ever a time to have things be loud and busy and messy and just a little bit stressful because there are four little ones making noise, isn't it with family? Isn't it with the people you love most?

     Thankful we get to celebrate two days of Patricia. Today, and tomorrow. The "leftovers" day. Thankful for party hats. Especially on babies. They are oh so cute. Thankful for big family dinners. Thankful for the noise. It means we have precious little ones around. Thankful for the quiet when they go to bed. Thankful for my sister. She is by far, the most amazing person I know. There isn't a person who meets her, and knows her, that doesn't love her. And she's ours. Our family is blessed with Patty. In my opinion, everybody needs a Patty.


 

My poor Dad is getting over a nasty case of poison ivy!

Rapunzel has returned. And Casey boy loves pushing that stroller. He's going to make a fine Daddy one day!

:)

Could NOT capture a clear picture of Adelyn today :(

Opa and Casey.

A cool thing happened today...

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 116

     It was a beautiful day. So, we spent most of it outside. We went to the playground a couple of times today. And while we were on our first playground trip of the day, a cool thing happened. We drove to a playground in another neighborhood. Just to switch things up a bit. And at this playground, there is this little see-saw type toy. It's a police motorcycle with a side car attachment. Adelyn ran up to it, and asked to get on. At that time, there was another girl, much older than Addy, riding on the motorcycle part of the see-saw. We asked if Addy could ride along with her in the side car, and the girl said, "sure!" As I was helping Addy get into the car, the little girl then said, "she's so little, you have to help her up, huh...she can't do it by herself, huh?" To which, I replied, "well, it's pretty hard to get into the seat by yourself." I could see Addy's slight embarrassment and confusion. I could see her puzzling. So, I tried to answer wisely. The girl didn't mean any harm, she was just noting that Addy was little. And that she needed my help.

     Addy got down after a while, and played on some other things. The slides. The swings. Crawled into a cave. Made "lunch" on a table. And all the sudden, the playground cleared. Everyone kind of up and left all at the same time. It was then that she made a beeline for the see-saw. And I could see it in her face. She did not want my help. First, she climbed into the side car by herself. She was quite pleased about that. Then she looked at the much higher, and much harder to climb onto, police motorcycle. She got down out of the side car, and went around to the motorcycle. Looked up for a second, then she started climbing. Got down, and tried again a few times. Finally, she made it. And as soon as she did, she looked at me, with a big smile of satisfaction and accomplishment, and said, "I can do it."

     I thought this was so cool and awesome, because Adelyn didn't feel the need to prove herself to anyone else. Even the girl who said she couldn't do it. She didn't make a big fuss over being talked about. She just sat there, thinking. She waited until the playground cleared to try it herself. And when she decided to try and climb up there herself, she didn't stop until she had done just that.

     Adelyn is a very strong willed child. I think she's even more so than I was. Which is insanely scary. Because I know I was very hard to deal with at times. I was difficult. And she can be, too. There have been times when Matt and I just don't know what to do. We've sat outside her door while she rages and tantrums, quietly asking each other, "what do we do?" "How can we help her?" But, there is a special beauty and strength in the strong willed child that makes up for all those difficult times. Determination. When Addy makes up her mind to do something, she's going to do it.

     I've always known that Addy is a special girl. That she has some special thing to do on this earth. The day after she was born, my doctor came in and talked with us. She said this: "She shouldn't be alive. The guy upstairs must really have been looking out for her. Because honestly, I don't know how she's alive. She's a miracle." I'm honored to be a part of someone so special.

     Thankful for Adelyn. Her life is a miracle. I'm thankful that she is so strong willed. I'm thankful that she is difficult. Because it means one thing. That she is strong. And determined. She refuses to be limited. She refuses to let what someone else speaks about her, be her truth. I'm thankful to be a part of her life. She is amazing. Truly. And I know she will do amazing things.

Watching his big sister play. Wishing he could run, too.

This girl LOVES the playground.

Still watching.

Casey spent the afternoon with us.

Teeth. :)

Must. Reach. Bowl. And then dump it on the floor.

Two things...

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 115

     Two things that made me so happy today were,

     One, a lunch date with my sister and our little babies. We met at Cafe Bonjour, which is my new favorite place. The food is amazing. And the coffee. More amazing. I had the best latte. I miss the flavor of espresso from a real espresso machine. And they have a real machine. And my latte was so good. Tobin and Sophia were a hit as well. Everyone in the shop was oooing and ahhing over them. And they were eating it up. Giving everyone big smiles and coos. It was a lovely lunch date.

     Two, a walk with my family. I am so proud to walk down the street with my sweet family. Just, so proud. So in love with my children and my husband. So in love with this life of mine. I am seriously way more blessed than I ever thought I would be.

     Thankful for lunch dates. Thankful for Patty. Thankful for Tobin and sweet Sophia, who were as sweet as pie today. Thankful for Cafe Bonjour. Thankful for good lattes. A good latte is hard to come by these days. Thankful for walks with my family. Thankful for this awesome life.

Doing some light reading.

First time on the swing. Ahhh, stop growing up so fast!

Cookie crumb mouth. 

When Matt proposed...

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 114

     The other day, I came across a post on Buzzfeed of the best marriage proposals ever. Loved it. I love a good wedding proposal. Most of the proposals consisted of songs and elaborate dances. Flash mobs. That sort of thing. They were awesome proposals. But the way Matt proposed to me was way better. Here's why:

     He took me to Miami. He arranged everything. Talked to my boss, and got me a week off of work. Told me to pack about an hour before we had to leave. I packed the most ridiculous bag of stuff ever. I couldn't concentrate. I was so excited. His Mom was living in Ft. Lauderdale at the time, so we stayed with her before we went down to Miami. The first night there was hellish. I caught this terrible cold, or strep throat, or something...can't remember what it was, but I remember asking Matt to take me to the emergency room in the middle of the night. That's how terrible I felt. We found a doctor the next day, and after a couple of doses of antibiotics, I was feeling so much better.

     The night Matt proposed, he took me out to this amazing Italian restaurant. The food was incredible. Our table was outside the restaurant in this little alley way. It was a gorgeous night, and our table was lit by lights strung across the whole top of the alley. After dinner, he took me to the beach. There was no light. Just the stars and the moon. There were no other people. Just us. We walked for a bit. Then, he stopped, and started telling me how much he loved me. How much I meant to him. He told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life being my husband. And he got down on one knee, and presented me with the most beautiful ring. When I said yes, he picked me up and spun me around. Kissing me. It was one of the most magical moments of my life.

     I think the spinning part was my favorite. There aren't many reasons to pick someone up and spin them around. Unless that someone is a child. I would venture to say that not many adults get picked up and spun around by their significant other too often, if at all. So, being picked up, and spun around because Matt was just so happy I said yes...that's why. That's why the way Matt proposed to me was better. There was no audience. There was no flash mob. There was no song or elaborate dance. But, there was spinning. And there were many happy tears. And that moment was the start of the most amazing journey of my life.

     Thankful for my husband. Thankful for the way he spun me around when I said yes. Thankful for our love.