Grand, indeed.

January 7, 2020
Day 1,197

     Thankful for an early dismissal from school. Thankful for a snow day. Thankful for time to play in the snow with my children and my dog. Thankful for time to cook. Thankful for time to clean the kitchen. Thankful for time to sit and watch a movie. Thankful for an entire day off tomorrow. Thankful for the moon. For pink skies. For snowy streets and trees. For cold, cold air. For this lovely, wonderful gift of a day. It was grand, indeed.

Home. The place, the feeling, and the people.

January 6, 2020
Day 1,196

     Today was the first day back to school after two weeks off. It was a good day, but oh...how I missed home and the comfort of sleeping in, and cooking, and being still and quiet with all my loves. It felt foreign to be rushing about and attending meetings again. I love being home. I will always be thankful for the times I get to be home. I love the word home. It means my house. It means Matt. It means Adelyn, and Tobin, and Higbee. It means peace and quiet and fun and comfort. Thankful for a place called home. Thankful for the feeling of home. Thankful for the people I call home.

Pledge Rock

January 5, 2020
Day 1,195

     Today was the best day! Matt had to work, so it was just the kids and I by ourselves all day long. We didn't go anywhere and no one came to visit, but it was a great Sunday just the same. We had breakfast late because we all woke up late at 10:30. After breakfast, we played Nintendo. After Nintendo, we played hide and seek. Tobin is the master of hide and seek. After hide and seek, we went outside to play. I walked Higbee while they kids played on the net swing. Then, we took the wagon and went out into the woods and collected big rocks. It was so fun! It was a lot like collecting shells at the beach except that with collecting rocks, you need a wagon because rocks are a good deal heavier than shells. We piled them all up in a big pile in the front yard for now. Addy and I took about 30 minutes trying to get one huge rock into the wagon. That particular rock was named: Pledge Rock. The kids named it that as it was a part of their secret club. They agreed to let me move Pledge Rock from the woods to our front yard. Pledge Rock must have weighed 150 pounds. That thing was massive, and it was super hard to get into the wagon. We were so proud when we finally got it! After we collected rocks for a few hours, we all came in to get showers. After our showers, we had a late lunch. After lunch, it was more Nintendo. Followed by playtime for the kids and school prep for me. It's sad. I keep trying to spin it in a positive directions, but it's just sad that Christmas break is over. There is just no getting around that.

     I'm thankful for such a fun day with my babies. I'm thankful for the two weeks I had at home with my loves. I'm thankful for Higbee. I'm thankful for tea and apples. I'm thankful for a new, fresh start tomorrow. I'm going to make it a good day.

Strawberry Waterloo

January 4, 2020
Day 1,194

Thankful for:

birthday cakes with pink roses
birthday plates and napkins
sleepovers
video games
burrata cheese and pesto
deli meat sandwiches
strawberry waterloo
olives
messages from friends
medicine for when we're sick
vitamins
time with family
cuddling in bed with Matt
a glorious yellow sunset
the way it looks when the sky suddenly breaks from rain and bursts open with color
I have one more day off with my babies
not having to set my alarm for tomorrow

Muddy shoes and messy rooms.

January 3, 2020
Day 1,193

     This day was lovely. Patty and her kids came over. We had lunch. We napped. We watched TV. We talked. We had big mugs of tea paired with blister peanuts. We laughed. There were muddy shoes, messy rooms, and happy faces. It was good.

     I have the boys with me for the night and Addy is over spending the night at Phia's house for her birthday. I really miss kissing my girl goodnight.

     Thankful for a good day with my family. Thankful for two more days to be home with my loves. Thankful that I have a sleepy Tobin in bed with me for the night. Casey is in Tobin's bed. They just couldn't settle down to sleep. Thankful for Higbee. He loves me so sweetly. Thankful for texts from my husband. Thankful for new days every morning. Thankful for good things to eat for lunch tomorrow: chicken pesto soup and sandwiches. Thankful for my home. I want to be here all the time.

     Muddy shoes and messy rooms. That's where I want to live. In a world where mud and mess is not only okay, it's preferable to the stuffy staleness of a sterile like clean house. I don't envy those Pinterest and Instagram moms with their cleverly placed message boards amongst perfect arrangements of flowers sitting on weathered tables of pretty food. I would love for my house to look like that. But it can't. Because it's not me. Me is muddy shoes and messy rooms. And I'm okay with that.

Big list when I'm feeling down.

January 2, 2020
Day 1,192

Quiet days spent at home.
Time to sit on the couch and watch TV.
Time to read.
Time to crochet.
Time to make my children breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Time to play outside with my children.
Time to cuddle with Higbee.
Big rocks in the woods.
Big pots of soup with lots of garlic.
A large mug of coffee.
A large mug of tea.
Blister peanuts.
Higbee's eyes and ears.
Texts from my huband. Even when we're fighting, he'll send a text that says, "I love you."
The news that my nieces are feeling better from being sick for almost two weeks.
Sophia's birthday.
The fact that we still get to celebrate Christmas with my family.
Chocolate.
Ice cream.
Burrata cheese.
Olives.
Arrested Development.
Socks and sweaters.
Blankets.
Net swings.
Muddy hands.
Bowls of soup for dinner.
Reading books to my babies before bed.
Prayers before bed.
The tired look in Tobin and Addy's eyes at bedtime.
The way they smile when I kiss them goodnight.
Time to write.
The feel of our wood floors under my feet.
The smell of our home.
The feel of the carpet in my room under my feet.
Listening to music while I take a shower.
Three more days at home with my loves.
Foamy smiles when my kids brush their teeth.
Hearing my kids tell me they love me.
My husband snoring in bed next to me.
A quiet house.
The way the trees look at night.
The wildlife camera just waiting to take pictures of animals in the woods.
Nintendo competitions.
The kids trying to teach me how to play Playstation games.
The blue of the sky today.
The crunch of the gravel driveway under my feet.

Even when I'm feeling down, even when the day isn't perfect, there is always way more to be thankful for than there is to be down about.

Thankful.

Goose bump.

January 1, 2010
Day 1,191

     Today was lovely. Matt, the kids, and I went out to lunch at Sweetwater. We stopped by his mom and sister's house on the way home. We looked at old pictures. We ate some chocolate. We came home and set up Matt's new wildlife camera. We're excited to see what kind of pictures we get with it. We're hoping to see some bears and some coyotes and foxes. I know we'll see a ton of deer. I'm glad it was cold out again today. We had pot roast for dinner, and the whole family cuddled in bed to read a book before bed. I read a Bearenstain Bear book, and I did all the voices. My kids love when I do all the voices. Tobin said he wasn't feeling well after we all said bedtime prayers. He asked if I could lay with him. I'm always happy to cuddle my babies a bit extra. While we were laying in bed, he asked me about the goose egg on his forehead. He said, "How does a goose bump happen anyway?" I love him. I want him to stay young forever.

     Thankful for a good day with my family. Thankful that I have four more days off with them. Thankful for one more day with the Christmas decorations up. Thankful for the quiet of right now. Thankful for Higbee. Thankful for quiet nights and lazy days. Thankful for a great start to the new year.