Four things to be thankful about.

Project 365 * 4
Day 478

1. These two. So thankful for my children. I love to watch them while they sleep. So beautiful. So peaceful.

2. Late night shopping trips with my sister. It's not the shopping I care about, it's the driving down dark roads, and the talking, and the laughter.

3. Matt. When I think about him, I think about this line from my favorite Dave Matthews Band song, "sweet like candy to my soul."

4. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman in my DVD player. Don't judge. It's awesome, and I love it. It was the show we watched as a family when I was a kid, and as an adult, I've found I somehow love it even more.



     Thankful for Adelyn, Tobin, Patty, Matt, and Dr. Quinn. :)

   

Dinosaur vs. Elephant vs. Olaf

Project 365 * 4
Day 477

     I love watching Adelyn and Tobin play with Matt. I love watching Matt play with them. When they play together, you can tell two things. How much they love each other. And how much they miss each other. As if it wasn't evident enough from Tobin's shrieks as soon as Matt walks in the door. "DADA!" And Addy is just straight up in love with Matt. As soon as he gets home, I get kicked to the curb. But, I don't mind. Tonight's fun game was, Dinosaur vs. Elephant vs. Olaf. Tobin held the elephant, and Addy held Olaf. Matt held the dinosaur and would make him do bad things like knock the elephant and Olaf to the ground. It was great fun to watch.

     Thankful my kids love their Dad so much. Thankful my husband loves our babies so much. Thankful I get to see them have fun together. Thankful for time spent as a family. Thankful for evenings that Matt and I get to spend playing with our children.

The beauty of now. The possibilities of tomorrow.

Project 365 * 4
Day 476

     The beauty of now. That thought came to me twice today. Once while I was outside walking. And again when I was looking at baby pictures of Addy and Tobin. When I was out walking, it came to me while I was looking up at the cherry blossoms. They are so beautiful. I love the way they blow in the wind. I love the way they look against the brilliant blue sky. And with the sun shining behind them.

     I've been stressed about summer coming for many reasons. The first and foremost is that I really detest the heat. It makes me feel ill and lethargic. It means I will have to face thunderstorms again. It means there will be tornado warnings. Black clouds and lighting to contend with. The heat and the thunderstorms alone are enough to stress me out about summer. But this summer, there is a new stressor. This is my last summer as a stay at home mom. Next fall, I will be a teacher at a small private school here in Haymarket. I'm excited and nervous and sad. Excited because I really wanted a job at the school I will be working at. Addy and Casey are going there next year as well. And the year after that, Tobin will be attending. I'm nervous because I haven't worked in a long while, and because I have to leave my Tobin boy at home with Patty while I work. I'm not nervous about leaving him with Patty. I know that he will be well cared for, and I know that Patty loves my babies just as she loves her own. It's just hard knowing I won't be there for every minute of the day like I am now. And I'm sad because it will be the end of a season in my life. The end of my, "stay at home mom," season. And oh how I have loved every minute of it. Even the hard days. I've loved them. These have been the absolute best years of my life so far.

     As I was walking this morning, secretly stressing about how my life will be drastically different next year, the thought came to me. The beauty of now. I looked up at the blue sky and the pink blossoms. I felt the wind blowing against my face. I looked over the beautiful loves of my life, Adelyn, Tobin, Casey, Sophia, Patty...and I felt thankful. I felt overjoyed. I felt blessed. Just at the beauty of the moment. I kept my mind focused on the beauty and love and joy I was experiencing as I walked with my family. And doing that made me realize, I had been missing all the beauty in the now worrying about the months to come.

     It came again as my mind wandered away from me while I was playing with Tobin. We were playing when my eyes fell upon his baby picture. The one they take in the hospital. We have his and Addy's sitting on an end table in our living room. I saw those baby pictures, and it made my heart ache. It made me wish just for a short moment that I could go back in time and live those days again. Hold my babies for the first time again. Rock them to sleep again. And the thought came to me. The beauty of now. I looked back at Tobin. He was holding four pacifiers, and was leaning up against me. I looked at his amazing blue eyes, and smiled and hugged and kissed him. He kissed me back and hugged me for a long time. And I realized I had been missing the beauty of that moment.

     Okay. So next year, I have to leave my boy. I have to start working again. I won't be a stay at home mom anymore. Yes. All that. But there is the now. And there is the possibilities of tomorrow. All that I have done in my life has led me to the point where I am today. The happiest I've ever been. Where will the next set of roads lead me? What are the amazing possibilities of tomorrow? I don't know. But while I'm getting there, I'm going to relish in all the beauty of the now. I'm going to live each minute. Each day. Fully. Not wishing for the past. Not fearing for the future.

     Thankful for now.

 

Gifts. Uncle Todd. Easter Sunday.

Project 365 * 4
Day 475

52 Kind Things

     We were invited to a birthday party today, but we weren't able to make it because we had plans with family for Easter. But even when we aren't able to go to a birthday party, I still like to get a little something to give to the birthday girl or boy. It made me really happy today that Addy and I could walk up to her friend's house, knock on the door, and hand off a birthday present. I love giving gifts. Addy does too. Glad we could give a gift to someone today. I also did some more trash pick-up this week. It's actually insane and sick how much trash I pick up around my neighborhood. Patty helped me, and we actually decided this week that whenever we go walking, we should just bring a plastic bag and some gloves to pick up any trash that we might find along the way.

52 People I Love

     This week, I was struggling to pick who I would write about. But just like the opportunity for me to be kind every week comes, there is always something that happens, or some memory that pops up, that shows me who I'm to write about each week when it comes to the people that I love. This week, I'm writing about my uncle. Uncle Todd. My mom's brother. He's actually my Godfather. He and his wife, Sue, were supposed to join us for Easter dinner today. But something came up, and they weren't able to come. Everyone had something they were to bring to dinner. Uncle Todd and Sue were going to bring rolls. And even though they couldn't make it, he still went out, purchased rolls for us, and sent them along with my grandparents for our dinner. I just thought that was the nicest thing. Very thoughtful and kind. Those rolls were the thing that showed me who I was to write about tonight. My uncle is a really fun person. He loves to dance. And at every family get together, he can always be seen dancing at one point or another. He works really hard for his family. He always has. He is a devoted dad, and a loving and sweet grandpa. He has a great laugh. And whenever I think about him, I think about his specialty: chinese chicken wings. Whenever we had big family dinners, that's what he always made. And everyone in the family would go crazy over them. I feel like he made them by the hundreds. Above all, I love him because he is a good man, he loves his family, and he has a very kind and giving heart. So thankful to have such a good man to call my uncle.

     Thankful for a very fine day. We had brunch in the morning with Sue, Steph, and Mario. Brunch is the best. There is nothing better than the smell of bacon and sausage and eggs and hash browns and bagels cooking in the late morning. And coffee and orange juice. We also had lots of sweets thanks to Sue. She loves to bring candy to everyone. We should just start calling her Willy Wonka! Then my parents, my grandparents, Shane, and Patty, AJ, and the kids came over for dinner. It was awesome. Brisket, ham, mac and cheese, toasted quinoa, salad, deviled eggs, pickled eggs...oh and cake, cookie bars, and ice cream for dessert. We spent lots of time outside. Walking. Picking flowers. Talking. It was such a lovely Sunday. It was loud and crazy, but it was good. Thankful for a wonderful day spent with family. Thankful for a great Easter.

A list of the lovely things about my day.

Project 365 * 4
Day 474

Here is a list of all the good and lovely things about my day:

1. We spent the day at my parent's house. It was so good to spend time with them today.

2. We spent the entire day outside. It was perfect. A little cool breeze in the air...

3. We had an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. The kids loved it. It was so fun to watch them.

4. The kids had a blast playing in my parent's backyard today. And it was so good to just let them run and not worry that they might run out into the street.

5. My Dad put up a little swing for the kids on a tree in the backyard. They absolutely loved it.

6. We had BBQ chicken for dinner. And it was amazing. BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad. Perfect dinner to end a perfect day.

7. There was an amazing sunset tonight.

     Thankful for a very lovely day at my parent's house. Thankful for days spent entirely outside. Thankful for the way my kids smelled like "outside" when I hugged and kissed them today. Thankful for a fun egg hunt. Thankful for swings hung from trees. Thankful for an awesome dinner. Thankful for beautiful sunsets. Thankful for days well spent with those I love.