Monthly Archives: November 2012

To Miracles

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Tonight, the last night of November, I am ready to spill out all my thankful thoughts from the past month.  Overflow with gratitude.  Explode in appreciation.  Acknowlegde how many miracles exist all around.  Today was full of some that I took note of in particular.

Somehow, by some miracle {see!}, Ollie finally took a nap in his bed with the door closed, Emmy slept at the same time in her crib, and Lily was content to play a game on the tap-tap for EXACTLY the amount of time I needed to do one short Ashtanga yoga video.  28 minutes to be exact.  That’s a pretty long time for a miracle to continue…

I got to set up plans with not one but FOUR friends to meet up when I am back in Birdsboro next week.  It seems that with the group of three I will see we can hardly ever find a night that works for all of us.  We have years of lengthy email threads going back and forth, desperately trying to line all our schedules up.  This happened even before the children came along.  By some MIRACLE, our schedules ALL allowed us to get together after school on Thursday.  Who’s grateful?  I am, I am!

Another miracle is I came downstairs after we all got ready this morning and I had 3 different texts waiting from 3 different favorite people in my life.  I felt so popular!

Miracle here:  just when I was looking for a little bit of extra time to pack for the drive, Lissa’s schedule allowed for a quick day trip to play on Monday!

I made yummy peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread, a delicious dinner, decorated snowflakes, cleaned a bathroom all before 3 in the afternoon.

Everyone here is safe, snug, and silent {mostly} by 8:30…miraculous!

Snug As A Bug

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Oliver, sleeper in Big Boy Bed, is not sleeping well these days. Naps consist mostly of playing with Legos, stripping off clothes and yelling down to me to come get him. Today was the third fourth day in a row of no nap so we played at home and then, because he needed new sneaks, took a trip to Target. Since we had time, I thought it would be fun to stop at the playground to try out those shoes to see of they are fast.
Wouldn’t you know, the little guy is sound asleep in the backseat. I’m thankful he is catching up on his rest…would it be weird to catch a catnap here in the car, too??

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Merry Christmas!

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I don’t know why Lily has always used the name Melinda or Melindy for play names.  But our Nutcracker soldiers are a little bit different.  She has named them Salindy and Salinder.  She has performed “on stage” {up on the fireplace} with them.  She even moves them around when its necessary to move the song or play along.  Tody she moved them close together as they are now friends.   And then she took a photo:

But today I am most thankful for the unexpected.  It is 8 now.  Ollie has been working on sleeping in his big boy bed and not getting much sleep.  No one really has been getting much sleep.  Tonight Sam laid with him and I did, too.  And I told Lily she could sleep in our bed which will keep her from going into his room to talk to him.  But I came downstairs to nurse Emmy and as I was walking from the kitchen to the playroom,  I noticed that our neighbors have a brightly lit little Christmas tree in the backyard.  It was so unexpected.  And it made me smile.  I’m so glad I noticed it.  This place feel like home to me. Unexpectedly.

Honestly, these aren’t even the very best ones…

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Oh, our Lily, she is such a character.  And a non-stop conversationalist.  I am so grateful for a kiddo with such ideas.  I love when she shares her insight with us:

“Stretching is the nighttime yoga.”

“What are vampires? Are they like sea witches?”

“When I’m under a blanket sometimes I get all sweaty. Just like you, right?” {to Sam} 🙂

“Look at my hair. There’s a curved pipe in it. I was just designing it. It’s a cute pigtail.”

“We have two choices, Momma: We could play with the spaceship or make up true stories about the unicorns ”

Day 24 of Thankful Thoughts

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Today {I mean, YESTERDAY, but I am catching up!} I am so thankful for WONDER and DISCOVERY.  Lily appeared at the top of the steps while it was turning light and she asked me why it was so white outside.  Then it dawned on her.  Snow!  She couldn’t wait to get out there!  A cold front came in yesterday afternoon {two days ago…WHATEVER!} and with it, a little coating of the white stuff.  She was so excited to check it out that she went immediately to the closet and put her winter coat and boots on-over her Tink PJ’s.  While she was outside, Ollie joined in the awake time and she brought in various things with a little bit of snow on them so he could see.  A rock.  A sprig of pine tree.  Another, bigger rock.  

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Later in the day we all got bundled, Emmy included, and went outside to play.  No dice.  Ollie couldn’t hack the cold.  This may take some getting used to!

Carnegie Museum of Natural History

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Gramma Lissa treated the kids to the museum today.  We only got (partially) through one gallery {but it was DINOSAURS, so, its like we hit the jackpot!} and had to get back home for a desperately needed nap but it was quite a lot of fun.  It is a pretty fabulous museum and we all can’t wait to go back.  Lily says that her favorite part was digging for fossils; very well done hands-on exhibit. I am so thankful Lissa suggested it; perfect for a dreary day here in the ‘Burgh!

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No Poop, Just Gas

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This is what Ollie says if you ask him if he needs a new diap. And as we played at the playground today, passing gas was on my mind again. A bigger boy showed my little kids how to make farting noises with their hands two weeks ago. Every time we go back and they get on the bouncy see-saw thingy where the introduction took place, my kids try to make the noises. They have awhile to go until mastery. Lucky me. It was no different today. Why are those noises so funny? It may be biological. I have never seen my dad laugh harder than when he pulls out his iPhone and uses his fart app. It holds no appeal for me but I am so thankful that I get to be surrounded and related to people with great senses of humor. I love to laugh. My kids make me laugh all the time. I am grateful, too, for laughing til you cry. I’m thankful for those people who inspire those moments: my brothers, my husband, my parents and Jen and Marn and Lynnie have especially made me laugh that way. It’s the best, best, best.