When the husbands are away... & Surprise Visit from Grandma

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 42

     Patty and I love when our husbands are home and not working. Let me just say that first. However, we have both noted that on days when our husbands are working, we don't worry much about making a huge dinner. Patty and I can eat weird stuff for dinner. We can eat dinners that don't make sense. Things that don't go together. And it doesn't matter. For example, the other night we went to Patty's house for dinner. Both Matt and AJ were working. We had spaghetti, fruit, and chicken soup with tons of celery, celery leaves, and carrots. It was such good soup. Celery leaf soup. Seriously. Make it. It's awesome! Tonight, Patty, Casey, and Sophia came to our house for dinner. I made roasted carrots, roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted red potatoes. We had that with some red grapes. It was lovely. Roasted carrots are my favorite food right now. I crave them!

     Thankful that Patty and I live so close. I would be lost without her. It's the little things...like the invention of celery leaf soup...that make me so thankful for her, and it makes me love her even more.


     I was surprised to hear a knock at the door tonight after dinner. Grandma came to visit. I would have known she was coming to visit had my phone been working. (Seriously, does Verizon send viruses to phones over 2 years old? It seems like as soon as you can get your upgrade, your phone starts acting strange!) Anyways, she came with sweet Valentines for Adelyn and Tobin. Addy B was super happy to see her Grandma. She immediately took her by the hand and said, "wanna come see my room?" She made Grandma read for about 30 minutes. Then Addy and Grandma had a picnic in the basement. It's always a fun day when Grandma comes to visit.

     Thankful that Sue lives 30 minutes away now, instead of 12 hours away. It makes surprise visits much more possible. :)


     Also thankful for amazing sunsets. Is there anything more beautiful and colorful than a gorgeous sunset? I love amazing sunsets.

    

Sunday

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 41

     Sunday means one thing to me. Family day. I so look forward to Sundays. Tonight, my parents brought homemade Minestrone soup for dinner. As well as all the fixings for making the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever. And tater tots. My Dad made the grilled cheese. When he makes grilled cheese, it's not just a lone piece of cheese sandwiched between two pieces of bread. Oh, no. It is three different kinds of cheeses. Smoked gouda, munster, and swiss. Also, some black forest ham. And some prosciutto. They were so tasty. And the soup was amazing. My Mom made the soup. Swiss chard, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, celery, tomato, beans. With lots of parmesan mixed in, and on top.

     After dinner, I made popcorn in the air popper (makes the best popcorn). And we all watched, The Lorax. Patty, Sophia, Tobin, and I only watched about ten minutes. Then it was cousin bath time. One of my two favorite moments this evening was seeing my entire family cuddled up watching a movie together. The other was watching my Dad, Casey, and Adelyn have dessert at the pink table. They had some ice cream. It reminded me of Florida, and my Grandparents, and how much fun we had eating dessert at the pink table when we were kids. Made me smile to see the next generation of kids having fun eating dessert there.

     I am so thankful for family. I'm thankful for all the laughter and love they bring.

2:52 am

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 40

     It is 2:52am. And I just got in. It has been a long time since I've stayed out past my curfew! :) Tonight I had the pleasure of reconnecting with a good friend. It was awesome. And I think she said it best when she described our night: "it was good for my soul." Yes, it was. It was good for my soul as well. It is good for the soul to stay out late with a good friend. Sitting in a parking lot nowhere special because every other place to sit and talk has closed. I definitely know our time talking was good for the soul, and I didn't want it to end based on this fact alone: My son will be up to nurse in 3 hours, and then, about an hour or two after that, he will be up for the day. As will Adelyn. But I didn't care. Staying up until past 3am to spend time with my friend was well worth it.

     Thankful for Jacynda. Thankful for long talks in empty parking lots. Thankful for time spent that is good for the soul.

Adelyn telling Tobin that he is a, "cute little boy."

Kisses for her brother.

Fresh Air

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 39

     So, there has been many a tantrum in the Sanderson house as of late. Honestly, I think it's because we have been stuck inside for days on end. We have fun inside. We do. We work in Addy's art corner. Yesterday, we made caterpillars out of an old egg carton. Addy jumps in her moon bounce. We read. We play in her room. Tobin's room. In the living room. The basement. She helps me "cook" things.

     But there comes a time when a kid just can't take being inside anymore. And that time came today after nap. I think we had all just had enough. I bundled the kids up, got Roxy on her leash, and we went out for a walk on this cold, blustery day. It was cold, but it was awesome. Sometimes, a bit of fresh air, a beautiful sky, and some glorious trees are all one needs.

     Thankful for our windy walk today. We all felt like a million bucks afterwards.

Adelyn all bundled up for our walk.

My little bundle.

Swinging at Patty's house.

Playing in the fort at Patty's.

Tobin and Sophia. I missed taking a picture of Casey again today! He was too busy going potty most of the day! Haha! Ugh...I'll get a bunch of pics of him next time!

Thankful doesn't even begin to describe it.

Project 365 * 2 --Day 38

     I went to Trader Joe's tonight after I put the kids to bed. As I was driving there, I started thinking about Adelyn's birth for some reason. The thing that stands out the most to me when I think about her birth is the words of my Doctor: "You don't know how close you came...both of you." My God. Makes me sick to think about those words.

     Today was sort of hard day with Addy. And Tobin. They cried a bunch. They needed me a bunch. They just were...babies. Needy babies. On days like today, it's easy to start thinking, "I need a break," or "If I could just have one minute to myself."

     But while I was driving, those words, "you don't know how close you came," echoed in my head. I started thinking about what it would mean to not have my precious Adelyn. What my life would look like. And you know what? I would have lots of minutes to myself. It would be much more quiet. And dull. And ordinary. And maybe even a bit...meaningless. Monotonous.

     Thankful doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about my children. And when I think about the fact that Adelyn might not have existed...that her life, and everything she means to me might not have happened...thankful begins to take on a whole new meaning.

Picnic

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 37

     Today, Adelyn set up a picnic on the floor in our basement. She set up plates, food, cups, pots, pans, ice cream, appliances, utensils. It looked like such a grand picnic in spite of the fact that everything was fake. Seriously, it was actually appealing. Or, maybe it's just that I'm yearning for some warmer weather so we can have a real picnic. Or maybe it's because Tobin literally won't let me set him down long enough for me to pee. (I really wish those pesky teeth would just poke through!) I was coming down the stairs from changing Tobin's diaper when I started thinking that this whole teething thing is no picnic. When I turned the corner and saw a literal picnic. Love my girl.

     Thankful for indoor picnics. Thankful for Adelyn, and my fussy boy who won't let me have one minute to myself.