So Thankful

These are my people, and I love them so!

Being November, the month of Thanksgiving, I am going to try to reinstate Thankful Thursdays. There are oh, so many things to be thankful for. Sometimes this is hard to remember when your days are filled with much of the same, day in and day out; but at this time in my life, I am slowly realizing that it is all about the little things. Hopefully there will be time for "bigger" things in the future, but right now, I need to practice being present and marveling at all the things that happen. So here goes::

:: thankful for chocolate. My mother in law made some awesome chocolate truffles while she was here last week, and I have been eating like five a day. At least!

:: the weather! I can't believe I am saying that, but I am so thankful that it is at least feasible to get the kids in their sweaters and socks (and other paraphernalia) and go out for a walk!

:: husbands. Well, mine in particular! Without him, I would be a mess. Truly, a mess.

:: good friends with good ideas. Enough said.

:: baby carriers. Like this one and this one. My favorite. I have so many carriers, it is not even funny! One of these days, I will do a blog post about carriers and the good, the bad and the ugly! And two of them I have made, and those are pretty awesome too.

:: Coca-Cola from Mexico. You know, the kind with real sugar in it? The best! And in a bottle.

:: Timers. The kids are really loving the new timers from Ikea... and so do I.

:: Dinner in the afternoon, or Linner as we call it. Tyler is on swings right now, so he heads to work at 230pm, and doesn't get to come home for dinner. So instead of making dinner nightly for me and the rugrats, we decided to have dinner mid-day. Today was the first day, and I think I like it.

:: family. I truly love my family. The six of us are pretty awesome together. I can't wait to see what comes next for us.

:: my extended family. They are pretty awesome too. Such a great support from afar. My parents have been with us for the birth of each of our babes... that is pretty cool. And the other parents come soon after!

:: vacations! I am pretty excited for our Florida vacation coming up in December! Even with the plane ride with four kids and lugging four carseats... I think it will be awesome!

So what are you thankful for? There really are so many things to just give credit to... I will try to keep this up!

Ten things

Ten things I am thankful for:

:: fresh raspberries picked from a friend's yard:: birthday presents for special people; mostly done early, one done late :):: finding the picture frame my mom painted for Kellen (which I love!), and adding one of my favorite pics by Alicia:: melons for breakfast:: kids eating healthy snacks, and not complaining about it:: a long awaited box arriving with two specially ordered toys (a mini laptop and a kid camera) just for Colton (he chose to order these with his birthday money).

:: hearing a kid conversation that made me laugh so hard! Colton to Ayla: You can only use my computer if you don't like pink.

:: learning about our next camping destination (Yellowstone and Grand Tetons)

:: books! I am reading The Help (awesome); also reading People of the Book (for book club, also really good!); also reading Our Babies, Ourselves (excellent); and flipping through The Knitted Odd-bod Bunch (so cute! and inspiring!); also just finished The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss (very informative, and inspiring... I have lost a couple pounds following some of this!).

:: An absolutely fabulous dinner cooked by husband (salmon, potatoes and carrots and green beans!)

Hope you all had a wonderful Thursday! Remember tomorrow is a giveaway from Seaworthy!

Ten things

I know, I know... I am a little late. But here is my ten things for today::

:: Thankful for Tyler to be home after a night away.

:: for Lonepine State Park right out our front door (even though the trip today was filled with drama!)

:: nice days (the weather here has been a little rainy FOREVER!!)

:: kids innocence and glee in almost anything they do!:: our CSA (community supported agriculture) aka farmshare! Love the greens I am bring home every week and looking forward to what is to come.

:: wacky kiddoes that love to show there stuff! Seriously biking in the nude while going through the sprinkler? Hmmm....:: cookies made last week, but frozen in balls and fresh baked every day for snack ( I have to do this because otherwise I will eat the WHOLE batch of cookies in 2 days!):: fresh organic strawberries... these things are delicious!

:: still thankful for mason jars as cups... love them!

::of course for my silly goofy girl who like to wear all of her new outfits at once (that is 3 outfits):: I am going to add an eleventh thing too! Hawthorne Threads fabric shop for just being awesome and having great fabrics and great service!

back tomorrow with {moment}

also, thinking of adding another day of internet finds... Maybe Mondays?

Ten Things

Once again, I was inspired by Amanda at Soulemama to do this again:: Ten Things I love Right Now Thursdays. I have been having a hard time blogging lately ( not because of un-useful material... just busy!) so I have decided to have certain days devoted to a certain thing::

Tuesdays:: Truthful Tuesdays (inspired by Nicole, who was inspired by Suzy
Wednesdays:: WIP (works in progress)
Thursday:: Ten things
Fridays:: Moment (also inspired by Soulemama)

So here goes::

1. This 16 lb pudg-ster! Look at those cheeks!
2. These flowers we planted last fall. Love the flower in a flower.3. What cute grassheads! They are on the kitchen sink, and make me smile when I do dishes.4. Long talks with a one of two great mother-in-laws.
5. Knitting with a certain rascal on my lap. Makes it a little more difficult, but fun memories! (More on this project next Wednesday)6. Anticipation of change. Really just finding out our next duty station; it has been on my mind lately, but we won't know until maybe September!
7. Drinking out of mason jars. Can't really explain it. Oh, and using breast pads that didn't work for coasters!8. These two and their constant play/fight or love/hate routine.9. This dress I just finished for Ayla! I love Oliver + S patterns... always turn out so cute!10. Baking with the kids.Ah! I live such a great life!

Friday loves

1. The new book I am reading called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Really good read.
2. The way Ayla dances around when she is happy
3. COLTON BEING POTTY TRAINED!!!!!
4. The mosses growing in the backyard.
5. Cuddling with the kids on the couch to rest (with the cat too!)
6. Roses picked from the front yard.
7. The beautiful purple lavender in our front (Ayla LOVES the purple)
8. Our farm share that is getting more plentiful every week! (broccoli, peas, salad stuff, garlic things, some herbs, and some cabbage!)

9. Sitting on the deck in the peaceful mornings.
10. Knowing secrets!!!!!

Close ups

The two sweetest kids EVER!!

Sometimes it seems during the winter, especially in February, it is hard to think of what is to come. Most of the time we are focused on the snow and the cold and the dreariness of it all. But I look at these two cuties and remember that the future is bright with lots of color and full of fun... I am so excited to see what the future brings. But for now, I am trying ti focus on the today, so here is my list of things I am grateful for today...
1. Great family... we had such a great visit with Roxanne, Danielle and Aiden. Can;t wait to do it again hopefully sooner than later!
2. My mom! She is such a fighter... she just received results from her CT and MRI scans, and it shows practically no changes from when she was first diagnosed! Yeah! She is amazing to have gone more than four years with this cancer thing, and NOT letting it grow!!!
3. Snotty kisses... cause that is all I'm getting (well, Tyler is not snotty, but the kids are!)
4. Icy roads today, cause Tyler doesn't have to work until later!
5. Knitting... I did a lot of knitting this past weekend, just visiting and knitting, and I got pretty far on a sweater for Ayla (poor Colton never gets anything cause girl stuff is just so cute!)
6. A wonderful husband who does such a great job putting up with my craziness and cleaning so much better than I do!
7. The way my kids say "beep beep" when they are backing up or riding their bikes backwards... it is so darn cute!
8. Leftovers; it makes it so easy to make a good dinner and not have too much stuff to clean up.
9. Soulemama's website for reminding me to enjoy winter for all IT'S glory.
10. Almost being finished with the licensing process for foster care... we are excited and nervous all at the same time!

What are your top ten things to be grateful for?

10 things I love today

Where do I start? There are so many things to be loving and appreciating right now... let me see.

1. The meatballs that I made the other night, and then had again last night! They were so yummy and pretty healthy, actually!


2. JuJu Bee's, this great indoor playhouse (the only one in the Flathead) that the kids love and actually ask to go to! My friend Jill and I bought a monthly pass and have been frequenting quite regularly.
3. Coffee! How on earth have I become so addicted to coffee? I blame it all on Tyler, due to his inability to wake up in the morning without it!
4. The fact that the kids let us sleep in until 9am this morning! Of course Ayla was in bed with us since 7:30, but who cares!
5. The clear roads that allow for a quick walk during the day, when it isn't too cold or windy
6. The prospect of acupuncture actually helping my back!
7. Ayla learning new words everyday! She is so amazing and seems to be smarter than me already!
8. How Colton is learning problem solving, example: He asked for juice the other morning, and I said "you always have milk for breakfast. After you drink your milk, you can have some juice" so Tyler got out the milk and started to pour and Colton told him very politely "only little bit, Daddy. Only little bit." Then he drank his little bit of milk, holds the cup out to me and says, "Juice, Mommy, Please." What a stinker!


9. My back's weird way of telling me to slow down and enjoy the little things... funny how that works!
10. The new leg warmers that I am half way done with for Ayla! They are so tiny!