Gratitude Mondays..

Here's what I'm loving today...

~A baby who babbles...

(oh baby talk, how I love thee)

~A little girl who sings along to a wide variety of music...

(just like me!  Now I have a singing partner in the car!)

~A little boy who yells in excitement, and is proud of it..

("I'm shouting baseball, I'm just so happy!")

~A partner who puts lotion on my feet and legs at the end of the day...

(I'd marry him just for that)

~A trip to a baseball game...

(more on that later)

~The food at the baseball game!

(for me that's pizza, frozen yogurt, and kettle corn)

~sunrise

(even if I only usually see them when a baby is sick, or I'm camping)

~Over the top ridiculously silly knock knock jokes.

Gratitude Monday...

What I am loving today...


~Making a large donation to Locks of Love
(around a foot and half worth)

~Being able to spend the whole day resting, and healing in bed...
(I am so done with talking about illness.  After today, no more.  Promise)

~Breakfast foods...
(there are so many, and most of them are so comforting)

~Getting caught up on movies...
(and House Hunters International)

~A boy who grew up with a new hair cut
(more on that later)

~A girl who has decorated our refrigerator with works of art...
(I love the details in her newest work, its like a Spring collection)

~A partner who steps up when I need to step down...
(cleaning the kids bedroom, and play room.  A trip to the park so I can sleep, and late night to the store so I can have some Emergen-C)

~A baby who just found his ears and his necklace...
(all with his fat little tongue sticking out)



Here's to a new week.  Full of promise.  I really really really want to be able to put all this rotating sickness behind us this week!!!

Gratitude Monday...

What I am loving today...

~The Happiness Project
(some really great ideas, and an inspiring read)

~Patchouli Black Strap handmade soap
(my new favorite smell in the world)

~Guilty Pleasures
(its cool to spend 7 hours watching the Golden Globe coverage, right?)

~A little baby who is crawling...almost...
(its more of a crawling hop, but its super cute, and it gets the job done!)

~A partner who surprises me with flowers...
(a bouquet of "winter whites" for January, does that guy know me, or what?)

~A boy who makes intricate villages with his blocks..
(his newest favorite building material)


~A girl who knows what she wants, and then figures out how to make it herself...
(she has an amazing imagination)


~Setting up the curriculum for 1st grade
(Yes its early, but I'm a planner)

~Blogs of other mothers!
(I love all the great ideas, and inspiration I get from this large community of women)


My house is a mess, but my heart is so full of gratitude. 
Here's to another great week!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today...

~Christmas is finally packed away until next year...

~Matt's pizzas....
(the sauce, and the dough are so perfect, and I'm pretty picky about my pizza)

~planning for our move...
(we may not know when, and we may not know where, but we know its coming)

~A baby who LOVES to bounce...
(I wish my arms loved it half as much)

~A girl who misses the good morning kisses that babies get....
(something to work into our lives.  
All loved ones should be greeted with the same enthusiasm that babies receive.
Maybe not the same voice though)

~A boy who just wants to be heard...
(its so simple, and so profoundly important)

~A partner who still makes me feel like a love sick school girl some days...
(In 2011 Matt and I will have been friends for 17 years, together for 16 years, and married for 8.
Damn.)

~Interviewing my children
(I loved this so much, that I think I'm going to dedicate a whole week to it.)


Here's to a new week... I'm ready!

Gratitude Monday....

What I love today...

~A very happy New  Years!

~A baby who can take showers with me while sitting up on his own!!!
(this small developmental leap changes everything)

~A boy who wakes up with the sunshine...
(and if left to his own devices would to to sleep with the sun also)

~A girl who is always ready to help me with her baby brother...
(every mother should have a six year old assistant)

~A partner who dedicated a day to helping me clean for the New Year....
(most of our home is now ready to face a shiny new year)

~Starting our 'second trimester' of school today...
(Thank you Wee Folk Art!)

~Playing with my newest essential oils...

~Dreaming about all the adventures, surprises, and traditions that 2011 will hold for my little family.


Much love to all of you this year!!!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I am Loving today...

~Forgetting it's Monday!

(with Matt home, this blog post almost didn't happen)

~A little (big) baby who now eats bananas....

(I can not wait to show you the pictures.  Oh my sweet baby goodness.)

~A boy who bravely held a sparkler...

(But he does prefer them not to be lit)

~A girl who sings lullabies...

(and now I have her on video to permanently capture her sweet six year old voice)

~A partner who watches the silliest movies with me...

(I love being able to giggle with him at the end of the day)

~I love wrapping up this amazing holiday season, and I am so excited about the New Year coming up...

I have had such a fun month, that I think I'm going to spend the whole week sharing, then I can say goodbye to December and welcome January fresh!

Gratitude Monday...

What I love today...

~A partner who lets me open my Christmas present early....
(now I have time to learn to use it proper before Christmas day.  In theory.)

~My new Christmas present!!!!
(eek!  I am so excited to lean how to use this!!!)

~Cheese and crackers...
(the cheese, and the crackers, have changed a bit, but its a life long favorite)

~Rainy winter days
(In Phoenix, they are welcome.  Trust me.)

~Hot Cocoa and Marshmallows...
(cocoa from scratch... maybe next year the marshmallows too)

~A baby who is definitely on his way to crawling...
(one little inchworm movement at a time)

~A boy who's curls turn to ringlets in the rain..
(He is SO Pretty!!!)

~A girl who teaches me how to be a better momma...
(sometimes its painfully beautiful, sometimes its just painful.)


~There are 4 days 'till Christmas!!!!!
(5 crafting nights, counting tonight)

May your week be filled with holiday magic, whatever the flavor!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today....

~A little baby who wont tell me what color his eyes are!!!!
(Seriously.  I am certain that they are either Blue, Gray, Green, or Brown.)

~A little boy who loves drumming...
(he's made his own drum kit out of found items around the house)

~A girl who made ornament sewing kits for her brother and me...
(I love all the creative crafting she comes up with)

~A partner who is silly.  And he giggles.
(he also bounces when he walks)

~Enormous christmas trees...
(our biggest tree yet!  More on that later...)

~Hayrides, and Cowboy cookouts...
(more on that soon...)

~Sugar cookies...
(and decorating them with my babies)

~My babies making sand angles in the park...
(when you don't have any snow)

~Jig Zone 
(strangely addictive)

~Indian food lunch buffet with my beautiful friend, and wonderful family...



Here's to a beautiful 3rd week in December...
Do you think I'll get all my gifts in the mail by Wednesday?
Do you think I'll get all my gifts made by Wednesday?
Yikes!!!!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today....

~A baby who can sit on his own...
(for a brief moment, if put in position)

~A little boy who sings in the shower....
(made up songs in the shower are THE best)

~A little girl who wants to sit a bit and watch the Mariachis dance....
(she loves how pretty they are, I love how pretty she is.)

~A partner who lets me take naps...
(don't ever underestimate that power of sleeping)

~Trips to see Santa
(more on that later)

~Snoring...
(I really do love it.  Each of them have their own separate sleep sound)

~Clementines ...

~Trees turning red....

~Trader Joes cinnamon broom....
(Trader Joes in general)

~Cranberry chevre.  So yummy...
(also Trader Joes)

Here's to the 2nd week in December!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today...

~Great parties...

~Loooong weekends....

~A baby who's a magical mover....
 (I never see him move, but every time I turn around he's in a different spot)

~A girl who loves silly games...
(Copying what ever you say, acting like your shadow)

~A boy who wears his underware backwards, his shoes on the wrong feet, and his sweatshirts under his shirts....
( most of that is on purpose)

~A partner who surprised me....
(and saved a holiday tradition)

~Holiday traditions...

~Christmas decorations...

~Retro camera app for my phone.....
(didn't it make this picture pretty?)



December begins this week, and I love that too!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today...


~A baby who squeals with delight when he sees me...
(I want to squeal  right back.  I sometimes do.)

~A girl who feeds her babies at the dinner table with us...
(she is such a tender mama)


~A boy who makes knots in Everything...
(I was going to write something else, but had to pause to work out Several knots  [again] for him.  This inspired me.  I do want to remember this little part of his life)

~A partner who will make two trips to Joanne's for 'have to have it right now' poli-fill
(I know how much he doesn't like that place, does he know how much that means to me?)


~Two bad boy kittens...
(they cause so much trouble, but are so cute!)

Impromptu pre Thanksgiving dinners...
(every last thing was scrumptious) 

~Cool wet air, and windy days...


~I love looking at my baby and wondering just who he will be...


Here's to the beginning of a new week!   The holidays are upon us, and we have just three days left in our first trimester of homeshcooling!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today.....

~A baby who tries to suck his thumb while nursing....
(thumb sucking babies are pretty adorable)

~A boy who acts like a cat while shopping.  Saying "meow" to everyone he greets...

~A girl who goes shopping in black and purple tights, rainbow tutu, pink leotard with a big flower on top of her head...

~A partner who talks in his sleep...
(this is constantly amusing)

~Christmas lights on the house!
(Not to be turned on until Thanksgiving night)


~Christmas cards addressed and signed...
(stamped, not so much)

~Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps...
(edited to note~ I just caught a typo, I originally called them "Triple Finger Snaps" oops)

~Surprise flower bouquets...
(Techno colored daisies sprayed with glitter [aka fairy magic] that only a 6 year old, a three year old and their mother could love!)



Here's to a new week....  I'm hoping to get a lot done.... or maybe just read a lot.  We'll see!

Gratitude Mondays....

What I love today.....

~Family birthday dinners...

(happy 60th to my father in law) 

~A clean house as a result of said party...

~Christmas crafting...

(or planning)

 

~ A mysterious weed in my garden that is now taller than I am....

(I hope it will bloom so I can figure out what it is!) 

~A little girl who has a circus act with her two daughters...

(and very elaborate costumes)

~A little boy who wants to hear his father's music LOUDER....

eh.

(if you only knew what his father's music was like)

 

~A little baby who spit up on my face...

(not great, but they've all done it)

~A partner who will wake up and shred carrots with me, 

so I'm not alone making dessert in the middle of the night.

 

Here's to the week.  And all that she'll bring!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today....

~A little girl who can READ!!!!
Oh my goodness

~Tiny babies who work so hard to sit up, to reach out, to grab things...
any day now

~A little boy who has his first imaginary friends...
(baseball men, and his best friend Aunt Bobbi)

~A partner who is our family's foundation...
(going to work, making our meals, preparing the garden's soil)

~Halloween celebrations
(and the candy Science experiments yet to come)

~A cool breeze, the promise of Autumn...

~Finding the perfect gift...

~Soup!

Here's to a beautiful week!!!

Gratitude Mondays.....

What I love today....

~Rainy days....

~Having every window in my house open from sunrise to sunset...

~Fat babies who roll over...
(and get stuck on their faces)

~Not being sick anymore...

(I want to make my own herbal cough drops like on 5 Orange Potatoes.  
She seems to have trouble on her site, so I'll link later.)

~A partner who bewitches me with his eyes...
(stupid eyes.  I was prepared to be angry.)

~A boy who usually falls asleep first...
(and when he doesn't, he thinks its perfectly reasonable to 
ask me to wake up Ava so she can play with him)

~A little girl who had two days to celebrate turning six full of magic and wonder....
(more on that later....)

Gratitude Mondays....

What I love today....

~A finished quilt...

~4th annual girls weekend...

(that coincided with Ava's birthday weekend)

~Having both of my sister's together...

(even if its too short a time)

~Brand new, and very first tattoos...

~A partner who helps me pull it off...

(I mean parties, and events.  You got that right?)

~A fat little baby who suddenly wears a 6-9 months 

(starting Wednesday)  

and appears to need a larger /longer size.  

(Bad baby.)

~A little boy who can hang up his own clothes.

(His independence, dexterity, and perseverance is remarkable.)

~Ava turns 6 today.  Six.

I still haven't upgraded my storage, and therefore I can't post photos, but I'll do that later on today.  I promise.  Probably. 
Update:  1:12 Am...  Still can't get to my upgraded storage, it "may take up to 24 hours to access"  bla bla bla.
Update 10/192010 11:28:  I finally seem to have everything working!!!!!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today...


~Legacy clothes...
(that's what Matt calls the clothes that all our babies have worn)

~Roasted yellow pepper white wine cream sauce with saffron...

~Little fat babies who start early teething by chewing frantically on my hand...

~Little boys who wants us all to be magical fairies with him...

~A little girl who can add and subtract by twos...
(who knew that homeschool could really be this fun or rewarding?)

~Sweet birthday party tea parties...
(my goodness those girls were cute in their dresses having tea and snacks)

~A brand new set of tomato plants to grow throughout the fall....

~A new drop spindle, and the helpful youtube videos that will teach me...
(I've decided to work on my knitting skills after I learn to spin)

~tattoo plans...

~A partner who is more and more a perfect match for me...
(for over 16 years now, its still surprising...)

~A well planned holiday gift making schedule...
(here's hoping we can stick to it )

~Sundays with nothing to do...




Here's to a beautiful week...

Gratitude Monday...

What I love today....

~I love getting ready for her birthday party...
(more on that later)

~I love trips to the last baseball game of the season...

~I love a little girl who creates an environment of crafting and love...

~ I love a little fat baby who could sleep all day in bed as long as I am there, and we could nurse...

~I love a little boy who sets up little tigers to nurse their little tiger babies....
(I love that nursing is such a part of his life)

~I love a partner who makes amazing eggplant parmesan and surprises me with halloween candy...

~I love creating birthday surprises...

~I love waiting for crafting supplies in the mail...

~I love watching our new fall garden start to flourish after just one week...

Here's to the new week!

Gratitude Mondays...

What I am loving today...

~I love having family over for dinner...

~Fall gardening...

~Fat little baby squeals....
(Best. Sound. Ever.)

~Reading in a bath....

~Peach strawberry cobbler...

~A partner who thinks about me...
(I walked in on him setting up a library hold list for the new series I am reading)

~A little girl who believes in the power of fairy magic...
(I believe in her)

A new book series....
(Yep, more vampires...)

~A little boy who uses words like "wonderful, beautiful, and fantastic"
(He is all those things)

~Exploring new art with my babies...

~Making our own butter....


I'm really looking forward to this week.  For no particular reason.

Gratitude Mondays....

What I love day......


~Snow crab dinners eaten on my living room floor.....
(all dinners on my living room floor)

~22lb watermelons from my garden...

~A little girl who wants to learn to cross stitch...

~A little baby who can suck his thumb....
(seriously, the cutest thing)

~A little boy who has no problem expressing himself...

~A partner who says we complete each other...
(I think so too)

~Happiness...

~Kittens who play into the wee hours...

~Quilting supplies, and the promise of future quilts...

~An Etsy Halloween....

~Restocking craft supplies....

~Knowing that even when our society seems lost, fearful, and angry, that there still are people out there fighting for the rights of others.

Here's to a beautiful week!