Friday, February 28, 2014

It was a movie and music kind of day.

Project 365 * 4
Day 424

     Not going to lie. We did a lot of movie watching today. But, in my defense, we needed a down day. It was a rough night last night for everyone. Bad dreams. Teeth coming in. And we were up for the day at five in the morning. So, today was a cuddle and watch movies kind of day. We worked in the art corner as well. And we had a dance party. Addy and Tobin love to dance. And every day they come up with new moves. I love to dance with them. They are, literally, the life of the party.

     Thankful for a down day with my babes. Thankful for long naps. Thankful for movies. Thankful for dance parties in the kitchen. Thankful that tomorrow we get to celebrate Shane's birthday and Casey's birthday. Can't wait!


Thursday, February 27, 2014

I'm going to bed. And I don't feel the least bit guilty about it.

Project 365 * 4
Day 423

     There are more piles of laundry in this house than I care to mention right now. Thank you, stomach bug! And there are lots of chores to do. But honestly, I don't care. Which is rare for me, so I'm thinking I'd better run with this. Usually, I can't go to bed until I complete my checklist. That list includes chores. I don't know if it's the weather, or multiple mountains of laundry to wash, fold, and put away, but for some reason...there is just nothing more appealing right now than climbing into bed, and watching my shows until I fall asleep. And that's what I'm going to do.

     Thankful for a great day. Thankful for how blue the sky was today. Thankful for the wind whipping around out there right now. It makes me feel that much more cozy inside my warm home. Thankful that I can forget the piles of laundry tonight and just relax. Thankful that even when Matt's gone, I don't have to sleep alone. Roxy loves having Matt's side all to herself when he's working. Thankful for sleep. Glorious, glorious sleep. I never thought I'd fantasize about it so much.




Wednesday, February 26, 2014

I made today a SNOW DAY!

Project 365 * 4
Day 422

     It snowed today. And because the schools didn't close or delay opening, and people drive all crazy in the snow around here, I made it a snow day. And it was a good one. We started off with a leisurely breakfast. Then some art corner stuff. We played in the sand table, and we played with gluten-free dough. Courtesy of my mom. We painted. We colored. We watched, The Lion King, cuddled under a warm blanket. It was a very good snow day. And even though we've had a ton of them this year, I really needed one.

     Thankful for an awesome snow day with my sweet little loves. When I woke up and looked out the window this morning, I got that really excited feeling I used to get as a kid when I saw snow. The feeling of pure joy. And I love that just being around Adelyn and Tobin gives me that same feeling. The same feeling of seeing fresh snowfall. The same feeling as Christmas morning. Thankful for that.

Playing with sand. 


Dough



Watching a little show before dinner. 
   

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

There is a bottle of Chardonnay with my name on it.

Project 365 * 4
Day 421



















     It has been a long couple of days. It hasn't all been bad or stressful, only long. We've been dealing with this stomach bug for going on a week now. Matt came home sick last night with it. And the kids were especially fussy and hard to get out the door this morning. They both cried for like an hour straight. So, when I went shopping this morning with Tobin, and spied one of Trader Joe's greatest items, the $3 dollar bottle of wine, I couldn't resist. It's sitting in my kitchen. And when I put the kids to bed, I'm going to pour myself a big glass, or two, or three.

     Thankful that Matt is feeling better this afternoon. Thankful for all the beautiful snow this morning. What a lovely treat. Thankful for time with Shane this morning. Thankful for time alone with Tobin. Thankful for a lovely nature walk with Addy. Thankful for the bottle of wine with my name on it. I deserve it. And I don't feel the least bit bad saying so.

Monday, February 24, 2014

I found my missing leg. Copycat.

Project 365 * 4
Day 420

     Because my kids have been sick with this damn stomach bug, we haven't been able to hang out with Patty, Casey, and Sophia. And because being separated from Patty feels like someone has chopped my leg off and thrown it into the ocean, it was a relief to hang out with her today. Honestly, a relief.

     Tobin, Adelyn, and I played a fun game during bath time tonight. Copycat. I would say, "point to your nose!" And all three of us would do it. Me first. Then Addy. And after he had watched Addy and I point to our noses, Tobin would point to his. With a great sense of pride and accomplishment. It was so fun to watch him copy us, and then be so proud that he could do what we were doing.

     Thankful for Patty. Thankful for my day with her. I missed her so. Thankful for Casey and Sophia and Adelyn and Tobin. They make everyday loud and messy. Also, exciting and sweet and fun and amazing. Thankful for our game of copy cat during bath time. It was one of those times that everything else kind of quiets down around you. And there is nothing else you're thinking about except what's going on right then and there. All I could see was two beautiful faces with piercing blue eyes, white hair, and rosy cheeks. All I could hear was laughter. All we were doing was playing a game. But maybe it's in those moments that feel ordinary that our greatest memories are born. Just an ordinary bath time on a Monday night. A bazillion things to do. But none of it mattered. What mattered was us. And our game. And the smiles and laughter it brought us. Thankful for moments like that.



Sunday, February 23, 2014

Here is the reason I don't get out much...

Project 365 * 4
Day 419

     So, Matt's mom comes over today, and we go out for a cup of coffee...I get a call halfway through from Matt. He tells me that Adelyn has stuck silly putty on our brown couch and it won't come off. We come home, and get the whole story:

     Matt went out to the car for a second, and when he came back in, he discovered that Adelyn had put her brand new silly putty on the couch in our living room. Matt tried to remove it with ice and WD-40...among other things. While he was cleaning our couch with WD-40, Tobin climbed up our stairs halfway, and found a rawhide bone in Roxy's basket. And because Tobin puts everything he can find in his mouth, the dirty, bloody, disgusting, halfway chewed rawhide bone was no exception. While he was dealing with the rawhide bone incident, Addy had pulled a chair from her art corner into the living room. And for some reason, fell face first onto the floor while she was sitting in it. That resulted in lots of crying. Paired with Tobin who was already crying from having the bone taken away from him. I think that's when Matt turned on a show.

     Thankful that I got at least 20 or 30 minutes out of the house today. Thankful for my cup of coffee, and time with Sue. Thankful that I am SO very needed here at home. Things seem to fall apart without me. And while it can sometimes be frustrating that I can't get out for more than 30 minutes, I wouldn't trade my life for anything.

52 People I Love:

     This week, I am so very thankful for Sue. The thing I love most about her, is her kind and giving heart. She is incredibly generous and thoughtful. She is constantly giving gifts. She loves to give gifts. And her gifts are always so sweet. I've gone shopping with her. She looks through stores meticulously. She says things like, "oooo, Addy would love this!" "Do you think Tobin would like this?" "I should get this for Matt for Valentine's Day!" Stuff like that. She has to touch every single stuffed animal she comes across. She loves the candy aisle. If anyone is ever in need of a chocolate fix, just find Sue. She's got ya covered. She loves her family. For her, family is first. And she loves to cuddle on the couch. Whenever Grandma comes to visit, Addy and Tobin get lots of cuddles. She's an incredible woman who has gone through so much in her life. And through it all, she keeps laughing. She keeps smiling. She keeps on being who she is. Even when people talk about her. Even when she knows that there are people out there who think badly of her, or how she acts, or where she comes from, or what she does...she remains unchanged. She is who she is. And that's that. I love that about her. Such confidence.

     I'm thankful for Sue. I think she's an incredible lady. And she doesn't get enough credit for how incredible she is. She is constantly thinking of others. She is constantly giving. She works incredibly hard. Too hard, actually. And she has a huge heart for people. Especially her family. I'm thankful that she's a part of our lives. I'm thankful to call her family.

52 Kind Things

     So, there are lots of little kind things that I did at home this week. But, I felt like I needed to do just a little something more. So, I turned to the internet, and my favorite website on kindness. I narrowed my kindness search to something free, and something fast, and one of the things that came up was to send emails or messages to people. So, I decided to write just a couple of people a short message on their Facebook walls. It wasn't any big deal at all. Just tiny little messages to say hello. Or that I missed the person I was messaging. And maybe I'm a big dork, but I love getting notifications on Facebook that aren't, "so and so also commented on so and so's picture." It was small. And all the things I did at home were small, too. But small kind things are still kind things.

So, Grandma bought these cool papers for Addy. All kinds of different faces with lots of stickers. We had fun making some faces this afternoon. This one is Grandma. 

This is Aunt Stephie. 

This is Uncle Mario. Done completely by Addy. 

This is me. Done completely by Matt. 

This is Tobin. Roses for cheeks because his cheeks are always so rosy!

This is Adelyn. 

This is Tobin. Done completely by Addy. 

This is Casey. Done completely by Addy. 

This is Uncle. (Uncle AJ) Done completely by Addy. 






Saturday, February 22, 2014

Art on the sidewalk.

Project 365 * 4
Day 418

Plane Gazing













     Thankful for a sweet afternoon spent outside. Thankful for sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Thankful for art on the sidewalk. Thankful for birds chirping and the sun shining. Thankful for a cool breeze blowing and fresh air to breathe. Thankful for time spent with my loves. Thankful for a day done well.