things I’m thankful for | laborofwonder

Nativity on Safari

by motherofwonder

I debated writing a post at all today…I’m tired, yes. But that’s basically normal. I don’t know why I threw in the basically, it is normal. But I’m feeling determined and motivated (that is basically unnormal*) and wanting to finish up some things. And then I remembered how important it is to stay thankful in life. That can be a big attitude changer. Maybe you wonder why I always post a few blurbs (sometimes more) of things I’m thankful for every week. The answer is really very simple. I need to. I have a tendency towards melancholy and can so easily get lost in the life of a stay at home mom, with 3 still little ones. The very act of typing out even just three things I am thankful for, even when -maybe especially when- I’m feeling unthankful, can change my attitude, or at least my focus. It can take a morning where every toy in the house has been dumped out, yet again, and switch my focus back on to things to be thankful for: my little mess makers, and the fact that we are in a place where we can provide for them, and that they have family that loves them so much they’re always bestowing new and messier toys for them. These are real things to be thankful for. And I am. Sometimes I just need the reminder. Thankfulness shouldn’t just occur on Thanksgiving. It really should be a way of life.

*Yes, I know it should have read ABnormal… but as you can see, an italicized ab doesn’t have the same je ne sais quoi as the UN. 😉

And here they are-

health. We all had some virus or cold last week and it was sooo annoying. In the scheme of things, I am thankful that colds are the extent of our health worries.
Sometimes I get frustrated with all that comes with protecting my little Miss and her gluten allergy/Celiac disease. I am thankful that we discovered it when she was young so that these things are a way of life for her, and normal. And that we figured it out before it did permanent damage. I am also thankful this is our greatest health concern for her! As there are families with far bigger health concerns for their children.
I am thankful for girlfriends to unwind with, bitc…..um, complain to, and laugh with!
I am thankful for a husband who respects this time. And that he does things on his “honey do” list while I”m gone!
I am thankful for our families.
I am thankful for my monkeys. Who are currently behaving like children. I love them and the sound of their sweet laughter.
I cannot believe I’m saying this, but… I’m thankful for Christmas time. I am thankful for get togethers, and decorating (minimally), and seeing the magic in my children’s faces. And the fun crafts and baking you get to do!

Chocolate covered strawberries that are decorated so they look like Christmas lights! Except for the ones with roasted coconut- those are just because they're delicious!

The 2ft tree the kids got to decorate- complete with small stuffed animals and keychain toys.

No nativity is complete without a footless goose, a puppy bigger than the people, and a panther. Yesterday the nativity had gone on safari with a plethora of giraffes, hippos, and a rhino.

Happy Friday!!

Family Life According To Me Marriage Thankful Fridays Things Kids Say

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Is Today Over Yet?

by motherofwonder

So this morning has been a little chaotic…and it’s not quite 9am. I rolled over in the nighttime to find that Big E had climbed into bed with us, which normally I actually don’t mind, but it was the 3rd night in a row. Once a month I’m totally ok with, once a week I could probably ignore, but three nights in a row is it for this mommy. Which, unfortunately for his daddy, means the next few nights if he gets up, his daddy is taking him back to bed. I should mention, Littlest E was already in there with us. So now there were 2 wiggley boys…one who likes the blankets on, and one who likes them off, and two that don’t sleep if anyone else is touching them. At least they got some sleep. So now you know how I slept, would you like to know how I woke up? No? Too bad, I’m telling you anyways! I woke up to Littlest E pulling my laptop down off the ledge (right above my bed) and onto my face. I still have the headache to prove it.

And I only had enough of my coffee to make one cup… which pretty much ensures that this will be a day where I ~~want~~ need more than one cup. I thought of mixing it with hubbyman’s dark french roast…but decided that would be wasting the one perfectly good cup. So I went ahead and made what I had. Only to have Littlest E pick up my freshly-poured cup and dump it. I was able to whisk the laptop out from under his wrath, but his sister did not fare so well. And was much more vocal. In frustration, and defeat, I bargained for some quiet by offering to turn on Strawberry Shortcake for her. Which is perhaps the best bargaining tool for my little girl. Only to not be able to get the wii going (to play netflix on). Next I moved onto our new logitech revue (basically a fancy-schmancy remote within a keyboard that turns your tv into a “smart tv”… which doesn’t seem to have any of the actual features I’d been duped with in order to purchase it). I’d beg to differ about the “smart” part because for the life of me I could not figure out how to get the remote to actually work to run. After trying to figure it out for over 30 minutes. I gave up. There goes my bargaining tool. The next 30 minutes were spent trying to convince my little red-head that Cat in The Hat was just as good as Strawberry Shortcake. She finally relented, or moved on to silent loathing, you can never be too sure which. Just in time for Big E to wake up, and request watching a certain show, that of course is also through Netflix. He was fairly certain that it would work and that I just didn’t want to stop cleaning the coffee out of the carpet. Now, I’m not big on cartoons, but I’m pretty sure that even I would rather watch his kids’ animation than to clean my one-cup-of-good-coffee stain out of the carpet.

And then I sat down, decided to write a brilliant, funny post and wouldn’t you know, as I wrote the last sentence. All but the first two sentences deleted. And while it normally saves every couple of minutes or however often it does that… this time, it of course saved after the deletion. Ok, I can’t promise that it was brilliant, or that there were more than a few moments of laughter-inducing words…but the rest of it is true. Good thing it’s Friday! I’m going to focus on the fact that we have a rather plan-free weekend ahead of us, instead of panicking over the plan-filled-holicraze that begins next week.

And in light of me trying to change my outlook on this day, here are some things that I actually am thankful for:

children. As crazy as they can make me feel, never a day goes by where I’m not struck by how blessed I am to have each one of them.
hubbyman cleaned out the dryer vent and it not dries waaaaay more efficiently. Like half the time, at least! It’s amazing.
That it’s boot season. I know that’s not life-changing, but I love my boots. And if that’s what gets me through how long winters here are, I’m ok with that.
That my children play so well with one another for so much of the day.
That I have not let the house get out of hand this week (it happens so fast sometimes!).
That this weeks meals were met with rave reviews (Big E requested that we have my meatloaf and “smashed ‘tatoes” every night.)
That we may have measurable snow this weekend! (Yes, I just complained about the length of winter, only to say I’m thankful for snow. I get the irony. Color me Minnesotan.)

Littlest through a blue vase

Family Life According To Me Thankful Fridays Things Kids Say

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Anniversary Bliss

by motherofwonder

This weekend the unimaginable happened- ~~Littlest E~~ I survived an overnight away. And hubbyman only had to tell me once that I couldn’t talk about how I missed him. I think I faired pretty well. With the exception of being restless the first half of the night, he had a marvelous time, as did his grandparents who had him in their care. They got to witness the hilarity that we see on a daily basis. (I got text messages of his funniness. They are discovering what we’ve known for a while- he tries to be funny.) He did shriek when he saw me and has been showering me with kisses. But he also reacts that way when I return from a trip to the grocery store. The Big 2 got to stay at home with The Uncles. (They also sent me text messages of the funny things they’d say. And said they plan to record their answers to questions from hereon out. I’m thinking humor is in the genes.) They all had a fabulous time. They got boxed macaroni, lots and lots of movies, and the Uncles even brought over a huuuuge bowl of fruit that they basically consumed on their own. (by they, I mean Big E and Miss E. Hopefully no tummy issues play out today!) Ok, so we’ve established that I survived, they survived, and we’re all a big, funny family…

But the point of it all is, hubbyman and I had an amazing time in honor of our 7th wedding anniversary! Now we always enjoy our time together, and we always have fun…. but this time just seemed a little above & beyond. Hubbyman even kept repeating, I’m having such a good time! We always stay at the same hotel (it’s our tradition- to stay at the hotel we stayed on our wedding night.), which while you might think it could get monotonous, it doesn’t. In fact, this trip reaffirmed why we always continue to stay there.

We got there and snuggled into a booth, ate a mediocre dinner (we’ve never had any complaints about their food before, which is maybe why we were so nonplussed at the fact that it was just kind of…okay.) and headed to our room. We were just unloading and regrouping before heading down to the courtyard for their “manager’s reception” (read: open bar) when there was a knock at the door. Someone from the wait staff was at our door with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries! Compliments of the hotel in celebration of our anniversary! (When I made the reservation, I noted that a) it was our anniversary and b) we stay here every year for our anniversary. A good hotel with take note!)

Photo from phone. Camera was forgotten.

We were pretty excited about that! At the “reception” the bartender remembered us! And was such a sweetheart! We talked about how it was things like that, that makes us continue returning year after year! So we had an evening of laughter, games, chatter…and just an overall good time! Our only complaint was that the room was a little chilly. And no matter how high we cranked the thermostat, the room didn’t change temperature. By the end of the night we had it cranked to 90. And it was definitely not 90 degrees. Maybe 65ish. But anyways, the next morning we ate our way through their huge, made-to-order breakfast, went back to our room to shower and head out. Hubbyman basically jumped in and out of the shower, because you could hardly even call it warm. I stuck it out long enough to wash and condition my hair, and by the very end (after maybe 20 minutes of water running) it was warm. I had it cranked all the way and it never moved past warm (muchlike the heat!). Now maybe these sound like big issues, and if we’d of been there as a family, it probably would have felt like a bigger deal. But we were just enjoying each other and our time away, and having such a good time that we didn’t really think much of it.

So we go down to check out and Hubbyman just mentions that they might want to send someone up to look at the thermostat because we couldn’t get it to change the heat, no matter how high we put it. And I piped up with, and the shower had no hot water either. I was afraid she would think we were just complainers… so I quickly added, we stay here every year and have never had complaints, so this is a first. Well, to make up for it, she comped our room. We were surprised, excited, and thankful. And made us even more sure of the fact that we will definitely be going back next year. Since Littlest E will be over 2 next year, maybe we can even turn it into a whole weekend get away! You know, if I can stand to be away from the the little ones for that long! As much as I miss them, these quick little escapes are so vital to our marriage!

Since I forgot to on Friday, I will add my thankful list here and now:

*For a husband who has stood beside me all these years (kissing partner of 14 years, husband of 7)

*That my husband still enjoys spending time with me- and I with him!

*For 3 beautiful, healthy children who bless me more than i could’ve ever imagined!

*For wonderful, willing, helpful family members! (Whether it’s a quick visit at a craft fair, to babysitting 2 wiggley monkeys, to enduring a little ones first overnight away from his parents)

Family Life According To Me Marriage

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TGFG

by motherofwonder

And here we are again. Amazing how this happens week after week, Friday comes around and we heave out a sigh of relief- Finally, it’s Friday! Almost as if we were half afraid that it would decide not to come this week, or somehow get skipped over. Alas, the worry was needless, because it IS Friday! And even though I was woken by a little person pulling my laptop off the window ledge, and onto my head, I have been in a relatively good mood. I attribute this to the fact that we are leaving for vacation this afternoon. Ok, so not really a vacation, but we are traveling the 2 1/2 hrs to my in-laws. My mother-in-law is much like me, in the sense that she enjoys cooking and planning all the fun meals we could try while visiting. I also enjoy that there is always an abundance of coffee. That is if you’re quick. They make my coffee addiction look mediocre. I love that about them. TGFG!(Thank God For Grandparents!)

Anyhow, hubbyman found out there was a political thing going on near his parents and he gets priority seating, tickets, something due to his being a veteran. So our 2nd “date” in the last year will be to a political rally. I must really love my husband. I told Big E this morning that we’d be going out on Saturday morning and he’d stay at Grandma’s. He was thrilled. Seriously, when we go there, he gets MAD when he finds out that his parents are staying too. He would like to enjoy all the benefits of grandma’s without having to worry about the rules of his parents. I can respect that. Or at least understand and be amused by that. At any rate, I am glad that they are always excited about going to grandma’s and I never have to convince them to stay with their grandparents while we go out. I also happen to love that whenever they’re asked, they’re EXCITED about the prospect of babysitting! It’s heartwarming. And appreciated!

So today I am thankful for my in-laws, and their enthusiasm for their grandchildren! I am thankful that Littlest E thinks the potty is so exciting- and he likes to use it! (Did I mention he’s not quite 16 months!) While I know this doesn’t mean he’ll be potty trained any day soon, it is a start, and a good one at that! I’ve been struggling with my biggest boy this week, but I really am thankful that he feels safe and comfortable enough to talk to me about his feelings and share his emotions so easily with me. I know this will not always be the case. I am also thankful that when he gets into one of those moods, he just needs some time alone and then he’ll come back to me as my sweet boy. (Today’s meltdown was because he was so proud of himself when he told me he’d packed himself for the trip to Grandma’s….and so brokenhearted when I suggested maybe he’d need something to wear other than the 8 shirts and 10 pairs of socks. He did remember jammie pants at least.) My MissE has been sweet and cuddly this morning, and I don’t think I’ve heard any whining out of her this morning- and for that I am extremely thankful! I am also thankful for some time with my honey… even if it will be politic-filled.

Life According To Me Thankful Fridays

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I Really Am

by motherofwonder

We’ve had so much going on, for what feels like forever. While I always have things to be thankful for, sometimes by the time Friday night rolls around, I’m not all that thankful it’s the weekend. Because it means projects or running, or both, or me going places with the kids so that hubbyman can complete the projects! Last weekend was a wonderful weekend with the pumpkin patch and a somewhat decent football game. This weekend should be terrific as well! I actually don’t know our plans beyond tonight, but I love that!! After a much needed girls’ night in to watch some of our favorite shows, tonight we are having one of our favorite couples over! The hubbies were military men together, so we’ve been friends for a while! It’s so nice to have friends like them! We have our anniversary coming up, so instead of wearing our babysitters thin, (and because our friends don’t mind- they like our kids, and our kids like them) we are having another night in. I’m very excited about the food! They’re bringing burgers, and I’m making those delicious onion rings, trying out the mozzarella sticks, and hubbyman requested some form of potato. He said we could do them on the grill, which is relieving to me! (Because it means they won’t be my responsibility!) I’m in a great mood today… especially when you consider the fact that Littlest E woke up continuously from around 4 and didn’t go back to sleep until 6ish, just in time for daddy’s alarm to wake him up. Thankfully, he did go back to sleep after all three rounds of the snooze button. Miss E was up in the night too, but since I was occupied with a little person already (and really hubbyman usually assists in “the big 2” during the night, which thankfully- isn’t very often), hubby went to get her. I don’t know what the deal was, but I know he came back to our bed with her. As long as it means we get sleep, I am ok with whatever sleeping arrangement is necessary! And she’s actually still sleeping and it’s almost 10:30. This never happens with her. Like ever. I’m hoping that she just was up for a while in the night. She’s easy to put down the first time, but hard to get back to sleep if she’s woken up. Anyways… I’m chatty this morning, I guess. So back to being in a good mood in spite of it… oooh, did I mention the reason Littlest E was up? He’d taken his diaper off. And peed… all over me. That was fun. Anyhow, I washed us off, changed us (was very thankful that it didn’t get all over the bed) and there you go…. I think my adrenaline is just now starting to wear off, or maybe it’s just that this is the first I’ve sat down. The boys were playing quietly together and so I did the dishes, polished the sink, scrubbed the high chair, did a quick re-pick-up of the upstairs, made the boys breakfast, and then had my coffee. That’s right, even after that night, I did all of those household chores before having my coffee… maybe I’m sick? Speaking of whining, I hear my little girl… I’d better wrap this up.

So today, on this ever so thankful Friday, I am thankful:

for good friends! To go out with, to stay in with, to share our lives with!
For good food! (I’m hungry for the mozzarella sticks already!)
For good coffee (I bought hubbyman some French Roast because I could have sworn that he liked it. Turns out he likes it but its not his favorite, and I hate it. Can hardly swallow it, hate it. Can’t drown it with enough creamer hate it. Thankfully, I remembered to buy some coffee of my own since hubs is the weekend coffee maker.)
for a Saturday and Sunday of no plans (well, I have been working on a “honey do list” so there are some things I plan to get done!)

Honey Dew

for the wonderful weather we’ve had this week! And that we’ve gotten to enjoy it!
for how funny Littlest is. I know I’ve said this before, but seriously, he’s hilarious!
for how honest MissE is. I asked who wanted to share their snack with Littlest E, to which she replied, Um, not me very much.
for the way Biggest E will share and play with Littlest E.
for the way Littlest adores Biggest, it’s so sweet

OK, and now the tiredness is setting in, which means I’ve been sitting too long, so I’d better get up, pour another cup of coffee, and get movin’! Enjoy your weekend and remember to think about all the things you have to be thankful for!

Family Life According To Me Thankful Fridays Things Kids Say

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Tech-NO-Friday

by motherofwonder

When I get overwhelmed or am facing feelings of depressing, I kind of shut down. I don’t follow my routine and I have a hard time convincing myself that it is worthwhile to do the things I normally do. I have been in one of those funks the last few months. The house is in constant remodel, my mother is suffering from some scary health issues (aren’t any health issues of someone you want to be around forever scary?), and we have 3, young, crazy children. It takes me forever to get things done, because I just don’t feel like doing them, And when I pull my late nights to get things done, it’s only out of necessity vs. an actual desire to get things done. Which I’m pretty sure has lead to the spiral effect on my computer time.

It’s come to my attention that I’m having a hard time finding a good balance between time I spend on the computer and time I spend off. So much of the time it’s just on and you look up and see, ooh a new notification, a new e-mail, another blog-able thought… so I want to spend more time with it off. It’s hard to find a balance between everything in your life, right? I know I can’t possibly be the only one. So, I’m self-imposing a No Tech day (or Tech-NO-Friday), at least during the day time. (Don’t worry it’s a half hour before midnight and therefore this is not being written on Friday- God bless timed postings!) Usually I turn the computer off when Erik comes home (I have it on with music a lot of the time and am guilty of thinking, well, it can’t hurt to just leave facebook up while I’m busy and listening to music…) and don’t go back on until kids are in bed, if at all. And I don’t spend much time, if any, on it over the weekend. It’s the daytime during the week. And really, I want the focus of my day to be on my children and our life. Soo… one day to hopefully really get some things done around here, and hopefully the days that will follow will be more balanced. More time off, and the time on being focused on why I’m being on-line (like to write a hilarious blog post, or post a yummy new recipe) and less time of just being on-line for the sake of being on-line with no focus or intent. My kids deserve 100% of my focus, and let’s face it, they’re probably not getting it if one eye is on the computer.

Anyone else have any good ideas for how they delegate their time? Anyone who has to spend time on the computer for their job, for their blog, for necessity- how do you make sure you make the most of the time you’re on the computer, so that you can make the most of your time off? What things have helped you to relegate some anti-device time?

And, since it is Thankful Friday, and I am thankful it’s Friday, here are the things I’m thankful for today:

Big E (and how helpful he is!)
Miss E (and the way her imagination is growing and developing!)
Little E (and the humor he brings to this household! He’s only 15 months old, but he WANTS and TRIES to make you laugh!)
That guy I married
my wonderful friends (both old and new)
that I have a place to put some of my thoughts (and people who listen to them- or read them!!)
that I’m going to be an Auntie (for the 2nd time, but the first time on my side) in about 6ish months!

Family Life According To Me Thankful Fridays

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I’m Thankful

by motherofwonder

So if you’re wondering why week after week (when I don’t forget!) I continue to post a list of things I’m thankful for? Because I believe thankfulness is a very important thing to maintain thankfulness in your life. And I find when I am focusing on the things I am thankful for, I’m focusing less on things that bug me, and therefore, I’m happier. Because we all know the adage of “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy,” and the fact that there’s a whole lot of truth in that statement! So, mama’s trying to maintain a happy household!

*I am thankful for creative, innovative people like Steve Jobs. People who challenge the status-quo and challenge us to think for ourselves.

*I am thankful for a husband who is handy and has a very task-oriented mindset.

*I am thankful for children who love me unconditionally (at least so far!)

*I am thankful for friends to unwind with (and stay with to get out of the paint smell!!)

Thankful Fridays

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Ugh.

by motherofwonder

Since I missed it this week (and maybe the week before too! Yikes!), I’m going to start with a couple things I’m REALLY thankful for!

Family!
My lovely children!
My hardworking hubby!
My project oriented hubby!
My willing and able brother! (he was hubbyman’s painting partner)
My in-laws! We love to go to their house and it’s so wonderful to spend time with them.
My sister-in-law got her medical assistance approved (my brother and his wife are missionaries)
A hubby who can anticipate my needs- there was creamer in the fridge when I woke up!

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming (ha!):

I want to blog. I like to write. I love to talk. The problem is, I’m having a difficult time actually doing it. Somewhere in between the 3 children, the husband, the laundry, the cooking, the painting (we have vaulted ceilings that were in dire need of painting… not fun. Poor hubbyman.)… and we have someone coming to the house TOMORROW and I was gone all weekend. So the house is covered in paint, tools, and toys.

I spend lots of time thinking about the things I want to say… but when it comes to taking “time out” to do it… I’m not so disciplined. I’m needing to work on a better schedule I think, or better time management at least. I took the kids to my in-laws this weekend for some Grandma & Papa time (an added bonus was then I didn’t have to keep the kids out of the way during painting, or have smell the paint fumes!) and it was nice to “get away.” We did some shopping (for necessary winter gear as we could have snow this month), lots of playtime, and Big E even helped me make super, super yummy Fallen Souffle Cupcakes! It was so fun to have the time and space to do some of these fun things with my little ones that sometimes I miss out on because I’m too busy with the daily grind.

My hope it work super hard this week getting things done (and cleaned!) and organized!!! And the final painting will hopefully be finished next weekend… and then I can get a much better schedule implemented where I’m doing fun things like baking with the kids and making you laugh… those are important things, you know! (*smile*)

In the meantime, anyone have a place they go for really great redecorating or (re)arranging furniture?

Family Life According To Me Marriage Thankful Fridays

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Gotta Get Down On Friday

by motherofwonder

Today I’m thankful that I always have things to be thankful for! A roof over my head, shoes on my feet, love in my heart… these are all pretty major things that not everyone in our world can claim. I am thankful for creative and crafty friends who are willing to help me… see, I am creative. I have really great ideas. Unfortunately, in order for them to turn out the way I see them in my head- my artist husband has to do it for me. Thankfully he can see my visions and they turn out beautifully!

I am thankful to live within walking distance to our local grocery store, pharmacy, farmer’s market, and health food store. Along with multiple playgrounds and even a swimming beach. (If it’s a mile or less, I consider this walking distance.)

I am thankful for FOOTBALL!! That’s right, I said it! While lots of women seem to see this as a betrayal to our kind… I find that utterly ridiculous! Completely and utterly ridiculous! In fact, I may like football more than my husband does. While my hubbyman loves his (our) team; I love football. Don’t get me wrong, I love our team… but I like other teams too. I really just love football and while I was disappointed with the results of the opening game I am looking forward to the season opener (for us) this weekend! I have been going over recipes and blogs picking out the perfect game day foods! (Another reason I love football- the foods!)

And I’m also thankful that I got MOST of the house cleaned yesterday, as it means I should be able to get the REST of it done today!

Before I forget- I’m also thankful it’s: Friday, Friday! Gotta get down on Friday! (You’re welcome- not get that out of your head!) While I don’t think it counts as “getting down” I am getting ready for some diaper making (wahoo! I truly am excited about this!) and I have a batch of Wine Slushies in the freezer in preparation (and obviously I’m thankful for that!)!

Life According To Me Thankful Fridays

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Today Is Friday

by motherofwonder

I spent the whole week looking forward to Friday, waking up every morning thinking surely today has to be Friday (and it never was). And now it’s here and I feel a bit indifferent about it. But it is Friday, and there are things to be thankful for…

Like my oldest not plummeting off his bunkbed to his death. Ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but thankfully I went running down the stairs at the first shriek of Mommy! And found him hanging by his feet from the railing. Needless to say, we were both a little shaken, and a lot thankful.

I am thankful for a little girl who until recently would never have left my side willingly. This morning she quickly finished breakfast and begged her brother to go downstairs and play with her. Hugely thankful for her growing independance.

And I am thankful for the hilarity my littlest man brings to my life. The fact that he’s listening and understanding more and more every day! And the fact that he can almost always be distracted with the words, Where is the puppy?!? And he’ll almost always go off in search of beloved friend (who is in fact, a real animal)…and promptly attempt to climb on top of him.

Oh, I am also thankful for a puppy who will let Littlest E (really all of them) climb all over him with not so much as a nip or a bite. And the fact that he saves his “kisses” for the children and not for me, I’m totally thankful for that.

Family Life According To Me Thankful Fridays

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