A Year of Gratitude: Day 317

Today I am grateful that my mom's foot surgery went well and without incident.  She had one of her toes shortened as it was causing her an ever-increasing amount of pain, and hopefully this will have her back on her feet, walking and running and skipping in no time.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 316 (not late!)

Today I am grateful my sister-in-law (inadvertently?) talked me into reading a book I was hesitant about.  So far it's been very engaging and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.  Yay for a good read!

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 315 (late)

Today I am grateful that I was able to get out of my own head long enough to hear Mollie say, "I'm not going to play Trouble anymore.  It's not fun to play by yourself."  So we played Trouble, and it was awesome and fun and she looked so happy, so very happy.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 314 (late)

Today I am grateful to be watching the first episode of the season of New Girl in my pajamas.  After this is done I get to toss the computer on the desk (gently, of course) and go right up to bed.  I ... need ... sleep.  And I'm working my way to getting it.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 313 (late)

Today I am grateful that Baylor attends the school system he does and gets the outside help he needs for his Asperger's.  I talked with a friend tonight about his struggles at the school he works in, and I instantly became grateful that Baylor has the teachers, parapros, principal, etc. he does; I feel confident sending him off to school knowing he is getting a wonderful education with all the support he needs.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 312 (one day late)

Today I am grateful for the excited, Saturday morning hugs from Baylor I got just a few minutes ago.  He was so thrilled that it was Saturday and started right up with imaginings and plans for the day.  (He wasn't excited to hear he has swim lesson this morning, but he will be okay with it once he's there.)

Have a wonderful day!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 311 (two days late)

Today I am grateful for this:

Mollie was so excited to see Baylor this morning that she decided to camp out at the bottom of the stairs to wait for him.

At first she just set up camp in the dark, but I turned the light on to take a picture and asked if she wanted to read a book while she waited and she loved that idea.

Nothing like a little Nancy Clancy to pass the time.

I'm glad she's so excited to see her brother and spend time with him this weekend.  School has been a little rough on all of us, each in different ways, so our weekends have taken on new meanings.  Here's to Saturday!

Have a wonderful day!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 310

Today I am grateful that Mollie and I had such a good day together.  She's been a bit out of sorts with her brother at school all day (and then dealing with the attention he gets when he comes home in the afternoon), and until today she had been acting out accordingly.

But today she was sweet and helpful and surprisingly patient, and it was so much fun running errands with her and just getting to spend time with my little lady.

Have a wonderful night!

Mollie's Third Birthday! (Long, long overdue ...)

So, Mollie's birthday was on Friday, March 22nd, and this year it worked out well to have her party on her actual birthday.  In the morning, Baylor wanted to give her the presents he picked out for her before he went to school.  He chose some Lego sets out for her, of course, and she was thrilled.

He even went over the instructions with her.

While Baylor was at school, Mollie and I went to Meijer to pick up fruit and decorations for her party.  As we were waiting for someone to come help us get some balloons, I asked Mollie if she'd like to pick out some flowers to have as a decoration for her party.  She proceeded to pick a beautiful, perfectly "Mollie" flower arrangement that was about $26.  In my head I was thinking, "Holy crapola!  Twenty-six dollars!  Are you kidding me?!"  Then I noticed the "pink" mums were actually spray painted that way.  Excuse me?!  What?!  But, in the end, Mollie thought it was the most beautiful thing on earth, and who was I to judge?  It didn't break the bank, and her party didn't cost all that much to begin with, so we bought the arrangement and put it in a vase the instant we got home.  (And it stayed nice for WEEKS!  Amazing.)

Oma, Grandpa E, and Aunt Christine came over early to deliver the cupcakes and open a few presents before the crowd arrived.  Baylor was a supportive brother-of-the-birthday-girl, reading the cards,

watching over, ready to laugh at all the Hallmark hilarity,

and assisting with unwrapping.  Mollie got a puzzle,

some Jessie pajamas and a few Playmobil sets,

and an awesome yellow tote bag to store things in!

A few days prior to her birthday she'd told me she wanted this little stuffed Nemo doll as a new sleepytime pal, and Aunt Christine was happy to oblige.

Oh, and did I mention that the three of them wore pink just for the birthday girl?  Even Dad!

We had the finished side of the basement all cleaned up so the kids could run off some energy and have some extra fun.

Oh, and did I mention she got a rocking chair, just perfect for rocking her doll Sally to sleep?  So. Adorable.

After all the guests arrived and dinner was eaten, Mollie got to open the rest of the presents.  Some super cute pajamies,

(Isn't she beautiful?)

Aunt Sarah made her some adorable hair clips,

and Bryson and I got her some Legos and a potty chair for her doll.

Aunt Christine was commissioned to make pink cupcakes and, boy, did she deliver!

Baylor headed upstairs for the singing of "Happy Birthday", and then we hunkered down for some delicious cupcakes.

Once the treats were consumed, the hugs and happy birthdays wished, and the guests departed, the kids scrambled into their Toy Story-themed pajamies as quickly as they could.

They couldn't go to bed right away, though; Mollie was still riding that birthday high!

It was a very special day for a very, very special little girl!

An incredibly belated happy birthday, sweet Mollie!  I love you so much and can't wait to watch you grow into the amazing young lady I know you'll be.

A Year of Gratitude: Day 309

Today I am grateful that the first call I have had from Baylor's teacher regarding an "incident on the playground" wasn't  that someone had been mean to him or that he had gotten hurt.  I'll save the details as they would no doubt embarrass the little man when he grows up.  But I'm glad it was nothing serious and something easily dealt with.

Have a wonderful night!