That's What They Said: Burning Questions, Misbehavior, and Excitement

Amalia: (to Oma and Aunt Christine)  Oh, and I got up early from my rest and came downstairs.  I left my human fire on upstairs, though, so Mommy went and shut it off for me.  (smiles)  Ooh!  (runs into the living room)
(Oma and Aunt Christine look at me, perplexed)
Me: You're wondering about the "human fire"?
Both:  Um, yeah!?
Me:  She left her humidifier on upstairs ...
Both:  Ohhhhh.  (smile)



Baylor:  Mom, you know how I was thinking I was going to buy the Doom Diaries at the book fair?  Well, it is supposed to be a chapter book but I looked and couldn't find it.
Me:  Oh?
Baylor:  Yeah, so I bought a Hero Factory book!  That Face Off book.
Me:  I guess I don't know which one that is.
Baylor:  That is the one you didn't want me to get that time.
Me:  Oh, yeah.
Baylor:  The lady who was helping me told me I shouldn't get it, but I did.



Me:  I'm excited about seeing GG and Great-Grandpa tomorrow!  How about you guys?
Baylor:  I'm so excited I could burst!  Burst out of my mind!




Amalia:  Does the Easter bunny have a family?

A Year of Gratitude: Day 365 (Yay!!!)

Today I am grateful for my 32 years.  From the beginning, I have had a good life.  Two great parents.

I scored an awesome sister pretty early on.

Yes, I may have made a mess of my hair every now and then.

But birthday after birthday, I have been so lucky, so fortunate.

And along with my amazing family, I have gathered an amazing group of friends along the way.

Some of the oldest who did some of the silliest things with me.

Some of the closest ...

... and some who couldn't stay as long as anyone would have liked.

Those who, whether they liked it or not, were with me on my toughest days and who taught me lessons along the way.

And those who lingered, through youthful antics ...

... on into motherhood and all that life has brought us.

Not everything has been sunshine and roses, obviously.

But I've done some things I'm proud of.

Really life-changing things.

I started a new generation in our family ...

... and continued on a family name.

And here I am, 32 years old ...

... grateful for every last moment I've been given and hopeful for ones to come.

Thanks for sticking with me through this year-long gratitude journey.  I've learned a lot from it, and though I probably won't post many (if any) more on this blog, I will undoubtedly think of things I am grateful for daily and be all the richer for it.

Have a wonderful night!



P.S.  To anyone whose picture wasn't shown, I do apologize.  I went down an insane rabbit hole of photos over the last couple days and ran out of time and energy to put everything I wanted up on this post.  This is what I had time for, for better or worse.

A Year of Gratitude: Day 364

Today, my 32nd birthday, I am grateful for this.  Oh my goodness, this.  

I tried really hard not to cry because I knew that if I did, even if it was a happy cry, it would upset him.  So I teared up behind my glasses and smiled as big as I could.  The same for Mollie, my sweet girl.

Not to down play the awesomeness of the other gifts I got, but these were the two best gifts today.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 363

Today I am grateful that Baylor was cooperative and happy during parts of our afternoon/evening that are typically unhappy and obstinate.  He helped me fix the dryer vent problem, even lending me his favorite lamp that my grandpa gave him so I could see inside the duct to clean it out and running inside to shut off the dryer right when I asked him to.  He set the table without balking, without crying, and right when I asked him to.  He picked up his toys when we asked him to, albeit a bit slowly and distractedly.  He even came upstairs for bed without issue.  I made sure to praise him for all his cooperation tonight, and I really hope he knows how truly grateful and proud of him I was this evening.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 362 (almost there)

Today I am grateful that I was able to solve a problem on my own.  As I was taking a load of laundry out of the dryer, I noticed a faint smokey smell, not really something you expect to find of your newly clean laundry.  I knew it had been quite a while (if ever) that we cleaned out our dryer vent and lint area, so I set to work doing just that.  Mollie helped me out a bit, though she was pretty worried it would fall on her, and in less than an hour I had it all put back together.  Unfortunately, the next load of laundry came out warm but still quite damp, and I knew something was wrong.  After a call to the Whirlpool hotline, I checked the outdoor vent only to find it completely clogged. Once that was cleaned out, with the kids' help of course, everything was back to working order.

For whatever reason, I like knowing that I can take care of things myself, and today it was extra special because I was able to show the kids that they too can learn to help themselves and fix problems that come along.

I'm also grateful that I caught the smokey smell before it became something much more serious.  Hopefully future clean outs will be quicker and more frequent.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 361 (getting there ...)

Today I am grateful that I've noticed the subtle changes in the kids lately, those little nuances of their mannerisms and speech and characters that are slowly but surely evolving as they get older.  Mollie, in particular, seems to be going through somewhat of a language/personality explosion; she is speaking more clearly and with much more emotion and affect than ever before, and she's very into her play ... always moving, often living life as someone else entirely (a dog, a doctor, another little girl much like herself but with a bizarre name), and pretty much always ready to read or play or read or play.  And Baylor, now that school is a more normal event, is settling back into his usual sweet self with only occasional, quite predictable outbursts.  He sings now, all the time; it's like his teacher turned on the switch and now he'll sing whenever and wherever he chooses (but not whenever and wherever someone else wants him to ... we're still working on that one).  Whether it's something he's heard at school or something he's made up all on his own, the little man has a song in his heart and he's ready to share it with the world.

And, lucky me, I get to witness all this and more.  I get to see these two change on a daily basis whether I know it or not, and I'm so grateful that - at least lately - I've noticed just how much my babies are growing up.  I wouldn't miss this for the world, and I need to remember that when little things start to get in the way.

Have a wonderful day!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 360 (still late, but catching up)

Today I am grateful that Mollie and I were able to get a lot done during our outing this morning.  I had clothes to return at two stores, glasses to pick up, and a few groceries to get, and we managed to get most of it done.  There were quite a few things that didn't get done at home because we were out and about, so I am grateful that our time out was at least productive.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a more productive day at home.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 359 (late)

Today I am grateful that I got to watch the kids at their make up swim lesson this afternoon.  They were in lanes right next to each other and often were doing the exact same strokes, a couple times simultaneously, and it was amazing to really see how far they've come since we started these lessons.  The best part, though, was seeing how happy they were in the water; every time they'd pop out of the water they had smiles on their faces, and it made me so glad that they enjoy swimming and being in the water as much as I did when I was a kid (and still do now).  Plus, it feels good to know that they're learning how to swim and will be safer in the water in the future.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 358 (late, as usual)

Today I am grateful for this handsome little face and his half day of school.  It's been so good getting to spend more time with him, like we did before kindergarten started.  

In case you weren't sure, this is his school picture for his kindergarten year.  He chose his outfit himself, can you tell?  That shirt was his favorite until it got a hole in the front and got taken out of rotation until repairs can be made.

I digress.

I'm grateful for him and for the extra bit of time I get to spend with him today.  Plain and simple.

Have a wonderful day!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 357 (still late)

Today I am grateful that I got to go on a "sister date" with my sister tonight.  We went to the holiday movie preview event at our local movie theatre, and it was a lot of fun, as usual.  But beyond the previews, it's just nice to get to spend time with her just the two of us.

Have a wonderful night!