THIRTY-ONE

Good evening!  I hope you all had a nice day. :-)  Today the sun was shining and it was warm, well scorching actually, and I am thankful for shortened work days.  Since I left work early today I had extra time to visit with my mother-in-law and enjoy some outdoor time with Addie.  It was nice to have a chance to unwind a bit before getting into the hectic night routine of dinner, bathtime and bedtime.  It helped that it was also a gorgeous day and up  on Red Hill Knolls it was cool enough that it was comfortable to be outside.  For those that are not from around here, where I live is truly a completely different world than even the bottom of the mountain.  It could be raining "down below" and snowing up here.  Similarly if it's 91 down below it's only 81 up here...lol  In today's case it made for an enjoyable early afternoon off.  A much needed reprieve. 

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your evening. XO

THIRTY

Happy Wednesday!  Hopefully you're all having a lovely day.  I'm a bit tired today but nothing a little coffee can't fix. ;-)  Today I am thankful for warm weather.  The day started out dreary and cool but by my lunch time the clouds had cleared and the temperature had risen.  I happily spent part of my lunch break in my car, with the windows open, taking in some much needed Vitamin D.  I definitely needed it since Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind.  It has definitely been a strange Spring.  I'm not sure my poor plants know whether to stick in there or just give up. lol  All I know is that I am in need of some warmth and sunshine.  For the moment we have it and I certainly hope it sticks around.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

XO

TWENTY-NINE

Our Cheeseball

Happy Tuesday everyone!  If you were lucky enough to get an extra day to your weekend I hope that your work week has started out well.  Mine certainly did.  I got an early start to my day today so Addie and I had time to just chill and have some girl time before I headed off to work for the day.  All and all a wonderful way to start the work week.  In honor of the wonderful, albeit cold Memorial Day Weekend I am thankful for time with Family and Friends.  Saturday Matt, Addie and I spent the day together, running errands and shopping.  Addie was particularly excited about the shopping as we were doing so for her.  She's only 15 months and she absolutely loves shopping for clothes.  She excitedly runs form clothes rack to clothes rack, oooohhhinnng and ahhhhing.  We're definitely in trouble. lol  That evening we invited Matt's parents over for dinner and had a delicious meal that Matt prepared.

Sunday was hectic but so much fun.  We had a later start to our day so we were able to ease into it but once it got started it was go, go, go.  We started out at our friend, Chelsea's birthday party.  Addie quickly attached herself to Chelsea and her friend Jess and made sure that everyone was paying attention to her.  Addie was really excited about our friend Joe's pet squirrels.  She was very gentle when petting them but just could not stay away from their enclosure as she was just amazed by these little creatures.

Addie wanted to make sure everyone saw how cool the squirrels were.

After we left Chelsea's party we began the journey to Matt's cousin Rick's for their annual Memorial Day Party.  On the way there I received an excited text from Aly saying that we needed to call her.  Much to our joy she informed us that she is engaged!  We could not be happier for Aly and Paul and can't wait to help them celebrate their special day. :-)  We love you Aunt Alice!

Once at Rick and Lee's we enjoyed the afternoon catching up with family and Addie was very excited that there were other kids there because they had cool toys! lol

Look at this block I found laying around daddy!

And a truck too!

We had a wonderful afternoon catching up, enjoying good food and laughing a lot.  Unfortunately we had to call it an early day so that our Bug could get to bed but we had a wonderful day.

On Monday we were blissfully free from plans and it wound up being the nicest day of the whole weekend.  Matt let me sleep in a bit and then graciously took Addie with him on his errands so that I could make the meals for the week and clean.  That evening we had dinner with Matt's parents and his Aunt Jeannie.  Addie is quite in love with Aunt Jeannie and was very eager to show her around the yard and show off her toys and books.  We finished the weekend by relaxing a bit before crashing after a hectic but enjoyable weekend with family and friends.  I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend the weekend.

XO

TWENTY-EIGHT

My little brothers...My heros

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Ours was full of running around, visiting friends and family and the engagement of my sis-in-law, Aly!  She has honored me with the opportunity to be her maid of honor.  So it definitely was a wonderful long weekend. That said though it was also a wonderful weekend because of why we have this unofficial kick-off to the Summer.  In honor of National Military Appreciation Month and Memorial Day I am thankful for our soldiers.  Whether you agree with the war or why we're in it, there is no dispute that our soldiers deserve our undying gratitude for their sacrifices.  Whether it is our veteran's or soldiers currently serving we can not possibly understand just what they give up in order to give us the freedoms we enjoy every day.  Three of the most important men in my life are veteran's; My dad and my little brother's.  My dad served in Vietnam and saw and lived things I could not imagine. And as much as I worried about my brother's during every tour they served and how relieved I felt when I could finally hug them again, there is not a day that goes by that I'm not proud of what they did to keep us all safe.  Nothing makes me happier than to say that my dad and brothers have served their country.  There are not enough thanks in the world to ever repay them for that.

So on this Memorial Day and everyday, give thanks for the soldiers, past and present, who have sacrificed for you, without asking anything in return.  Remember, they are the reason you are able to live the way you do.

XO

TWENTY-SEVEN

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you all had a good one.  Mine definitely could have been better so that being said, I am thankful for long weekends.  It will be so nice to have an extra day to unwind, catch up and recoup.  This is short and sweet tonight.  I hope you all enjoy your extra day and while you're enjoying it remember why we have this day.

XO

TWENTY-SIX

Happy Thursday Everyone!  I hope today finds you all well.  Today I am thankful for laughter.  Through all of the ups and downs of my life laughter has been the best therapy for me.  The kind of laughter that takes your breath away and makes you cry.  The kind of laughter that comes out of shock because you didn't expect someone to say something at a certain moment.  The kind of laughter that gets into your soul and heals you.

I remember when my brother, Dustin, had just returned from his first tour overseas.  We were all having a family dinner and in true form my mom tried to start a food fight by flinging peas at my dad.  As we were all chuckling my dad looked at Dustin and said, "What are you laughing at?" and smacked him in the face with a piece of his steak.  It was so unexpected that we were laughing so hard we couldn't speak.  Though the whole picture was funny the laughter was out of relief that Dustin was finally home with us and our family was whole again.

Another incident when laughter helped me was when Matt and I were in the midst of trying to get pregnant and I came home in tears because I had found out that someone I knew was pregnant.  As I was sobbing in Matt's arms and saying how it wasn't fair he very calmly and nonchalantly said, "Well at least we still have the fun of trying."  That was definitely not what I had expected from him in that moment and it made me chuckle. That brief moment of disbelief in what he said and that chuckle instantly lifted my mood.  I have always been able to count on Matt to bring me out of the darkness through laughter.  Laughing with him is one of my favorite things about our relationship.

Then there is Addie's laughter.  I am addicted to her laughs because they are so free and full of joy.  There is truly nothing better than her laughs, whether I'm in a bad mood or just hanging out with her.  A child's laughter is the best. Addie and I spend every morning, before the house wakes up, laughing.   It starts every day just right.

I hope you all can enjoy a good laugh today and remember that, though it may  not solve your problems, it can certainly give you the strength to push on

Sure, his feet were broken but watching Joe try to push him through the yard was hilarious

Playing Peek-a-boo with Nana

These two think they're hilarious together.

.

XO

TWENTY-FIVE

Happy Hump Day!  Half way through the week!  I hope you're all doing well.  Today, as I was perusing my Facebook feed I saw this post that one of my friends had shared.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/beth-woolsey/20-things-every-parent-should-hear_b_3209356.html

Reading it made me thankful for becoming a parent.  Everything in this post is spot on; parenting is the hardest, dirtiest, most exhausting, joyful and eye-opening job I will ever have.  In the short time that I have been a parent I have had moments where I just didn't think I could do it anymore, where I went to bed wondering if a decision I made was the right one, and where I have been blown away by this little person who has taught me so much.  I know that I will continue to have hard days, days where I question myself but also some of the happiest days I could ever have.  I thank God every day for the amazing gift he has given me by allowing me to become a parent; I've also bagged him for patience  and strength but I wouldn't wish to have it any other way.

Happy Wednesday everyone!  XO

TWENTY-FOUR

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I hope that your weeks have started out good.  Mine certainly has.  This morning was a wonderful treat and what I am thankful for; unplanned family moments.  It is very rare that Matt, myself or both of us isn't running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get out the door in the morning.  Occasionally though all the stars align and we have a small block of time where Matt, Addie and I can just enjoy being together.  That happened this morning.  We were both ready for work, the animals were taken care of, and Addie was fed and ready to go to Mema and Poppy's.  When I looked at the clock we had 20 minutes of spare time!  We took advantage of this by sitting on the couch while Addie excitedly walked back and forth between Matt and I, having us point out objects on her game, while we watched one of her movies.  I was actually able to sit down and drink my coffee, all of it!  It was so nice to just decompress before the hustle and bustle of the day took over again.  It was very relaxing and wonderfully uninterrupted family time.

I love these moments where neither of us have any place to be or something to do right that moment.  We just enjoyed being a family for 20 peaceful minutes.  In the "Go, go, go" of every day life these moments are so important and I cherish every minute.

Have a nice evening everyone!  Until tomorrow. :-)

TWENTY-THREE

Hello Everyone!  I am officially back on track.  Addie and I caught colds; mine apparently slowed me down a lot more than Addie's did to her, so I got de-railed.  I'm back in the game though.  On that note I will be playing catch up.  Since I missed it last weekend I will be writing about how I'm thankful for Mommies.

This Mother's Day marked my second Mother's Day.  My first one with Addie found her and I still in the process of figuring this other mommy/child thing out.  A year later I am by no means an expert but I definitely felt much more like a mommy than my first one.  God has blessed me with our beautiful little girl and over this past year I have learned so much.  I've learned the real definition of exhaustion and that mom's really do have super powers.  I have truly amazed myself in how I not only stayed awake some days but was still functional.  A small miracle that honestly may not have happened if not fueled by caffeine. lol  I've also learned that you don't really know what unconditional love is until you look into the eyes of your baby.  I still tear up a bit some days when I look at Addie and the miracle that she is.  She keeps me laughing and on my toes every day.

 Being a mommy has given me so many things; patience, love, perspective and is one of the most rewarding jobs I have or ever will have in my life.

I want to thank you Ma for teaching me so much that I never fully understood until I became a mom myself.  You taught me what the unconditional love of a mom is, the value of patience and how your child will test it, how a mom would do anything for her child and puts their safety and well-being above hers and that your first friend is your mom.  You are truly an amazing woman and I love you and thank you for every sacrifice, every kiss of a boo-boo, every time you let me lay my head in your lap when I was down.  Thirty years later your arms are still the place I want to run to if something goes wrong.  Thank you for all that you do

 Finally, thank you to all of the other mommies in my life; my family and friends who are shining examples of wonderful moms.  Being a mom is truly one of the toughest and most rewarding jobs there is and you all are wonderful at it.  I love you all!

TWENTY-TWO

Happy Friday Evening everyone!  Sorry again for the missed post.  I'm still trying to fend off this cold and last night staying up just wasn't an option for me.  But I'm getting rest and trying to take it as easy as possible. :)

Matt is having a boys night so it was just Addie and I for the evening.  In honor of our mommy/daughter time I'm thankful for special moments with Addie.  As I watched her eat her dinner while completely mesmerized by the movie "Tangled" and cracked up as she played "splash mommy" during bath time I thought, "enjoy every minute".  Our little angel is growing so fast and every day she makes us smile and laugh with her antics.  Addie loves when I sit on the floor while she is playing; soon she is scooting backwards, with her butt sticking out and I know that she is on her way to my lap. She loves to "brush" my hair and make funny faces in the mirror with me while I'm getting ready for work in the morning.  Working outside of the home makes me cherish these little moments so much because it's hard to leave her every morning so I soak up every moment, knowing that it won't last forever.  She has already moved past being my little baby and has moved into being my little girl.  So, I try to remember to slow down and enjoy these moments because if I don't I could miss the best moments I didn't even know where happening. 

Good Night! XO

TWENTY-ONE

Happy Wednesday everyone!  We are officially over the hump and more than half way through the week. :-)  It is said that it takes 21 days to  start or break a habit, so in honor of my 21st day of thanks, I am thankful for new habits.  I don't know if the 21 day rule is true and this may only be happening because I'm doing it on here but blogging what I'm thankful for has definitely become something that I have to do every day now. 

Some days I have to really think about what I'm thankful for; let's face it, it's not always so easy to see the good in a day.  I like that I have to do it though, because it's on those tough days that I need to remember what I'm thankful for the most.  This is one habit I'm glad I chose to form because it helps keep things in perspective for me.  Not every day is going to be a good day and it is hard to recognize it some days but forcing myself to focus on the good makes the bad days tolerable and the good days even better.  It also gives me a moment to slow down because I'm focused on this one thing. 

Is there a habit you've been thinking about taking up or trying to break?

Sleep tight!  XO

TWENTY

Hello!  I hope that everyone is having a good week.  I have to admit, today I was having one of those "Grrrr" days.  There was no reason for it really, just one of those days.  As I was contemplating the light in my grrr day I got a text from my mother-in-law saying that they were still out and that I would probably beat them home.  There it was; I was thankful for unexpected no baby time.  Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to get home each night and see Addie's smiling face.  That being said, when the opportunity for no baby time, no matter how short, arises I take full advantage. 

When I arrived home I began to run around getting things done that I had been putting off because doing them when Addie is around is not always so easy.  I was a house cleaning fool.  Yes, I know, when you get no baby time you should sit down, relax and just enjoy it.  Well for me, a clean house makes me very relaxed.  Let me tell you what, I got an insane amount of stuff done in a half an hour span.  As I watched my in-laws arrive with my little angel, I looked at my house and the cleaning miracle I had just created and thought, "ahhhhhh, this is nice."  It was definitely nice to have a little uninterrupted time to do things I wanted to do. 

As I watched Addie excitedly wave and yell at Matt through the window as he was mowing the yard I thought, "Ahhh, this is nice too."  :-)

She felt the closer she got to the
window the better chance of
Matt seeing her. lol

Very excited that daddy was outside mowing

 

NINETEEN

Happy Monday Everyone!  First let me start by saying, I am aware that I missed a post yesterday.  That being said, that brings me to what I'm thankful for; rest.  I'm pretty sure that Addie caught a cold and since her and I hung out all day Saturday I had the joy of being covered in snotty hugs and kisses.  When I woke in the middle of the night Sunday I had a sore throat and by the end of the day I was quite wiped out.  When Matt, Addie and I returned from Sunday dinner with Matt's parents, her and I passed out on the couch for the night.  It was early and the sun wasn't quite set but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Addie's early bed time last night. :-)  I'm still fighting off whatever it is that Addie caught but it was so nice to get some much needed rest after an enjoyable but tiring weekend.

I am trying to be better about resting when I am feeling under the weather, though that is often times easier said than done when you have a young one.  I should probably be at home resting one more day but I am glad I granted myself the rest needed last night instead of worrying about vacuuming the carpet or sweeping the floors.  Maybe I'll be able to convince Matt to take over cleaning duty tonight so I can rest some more.
;-)

I hope you all have a great start to your week!

XO

EIGHTEEN

Good Evening!  I hope that you all had a nice Saturday.  Addie had a rough night and seems to have caught a cold so I'm a bit wiped out but other than that it was a great day.  It was a girl's day so Addie and I spent the day together.  The first part of the day was spent being lazy,napping and then cleaning.  I opened the windows and let the fresh air in, it was great.  That brings me to what I'm thankful for today; outdoor play.

It was a gorgeous day in the Catskills so Addie and I spent the afternoon enjoying it.  We took a walk with Luke and checked out the budding trees and the blooming flowers.  Luke was very excited to enjoy some water time.  We took our time just enjoying the sundshine and the warm breeze  After our walk Addie took  long nap while I enjoyed the breeze and sun coming through the windows.  After she woke it was back outside again.  We wandered around the yard and Addie made many exciting discoveries, like rocks and sticks. :)  Addie even helped me clean my car.  It was a perfect Saturday.  Now Matt and I are relaxing and I'm trying not to fall asleep.  We'll see how successful I am in that feat. ;-)

Good night everyone!



My little helper



Her treasures

"Best stick ever!"

"Wait, this is the best stick ever!"

SEVENTEEN

Happy Friday everyone!  Here's hoping that yours is winding down and you've got a nice weekend in store. :)

Today I am thankful for just taking a moment.  I found myself getting frustrated with some situations and getting really impatient for things to change.  I was all fired up and complaining to my best friend.  As I returned from lunch I had a few moments before I had to get back to it so I shut off my car, rolled down the windows, silenced my phone and just sat.  I took a few deep breathes and cleared my mind.  Not every day is going to be easy or fun and I'm going to get frustrated.  What I need to remember is to just take a moment to unplug.  I feel like I'm always going going going; work, Addie needing my attention, house that needs cleaning, cell phone going off, emails to respond to, etc etc.  Today it was nice to have a few minutes where I could just sit and unwind and remember the big picture.

So I'm taking a deep breath on this Friday afternoon, remembering how lucky we are and that things are good.  There's always room for improvement, but things are good. :-)

Have a beautiful weekend everyone!

SIXTEEN

Howdy Howdy!  I hope you're all having a great Thursday.  The sun is shining here and the coffee has finally kicked in so I'm doing good. :-)

I was reading an article for work this morning and the author wrote a book about home and what it means to her.  As a result it got me thinking about home and what it means to me.  So today I am thankful for home.  Home means a lot of things to me, but before I get into all of them I will sum it up with the quote, "Home is where the heart is."  My heart is with my family and friends and since my family and friends are scattered, home is multiple places for me.

Home is with Matt and Addie, singing and dancing to oldies, lying in bed Saturday morning and easing into our day, or walking on our hill while Addie yells at Luke.  Home is Sunday dinner with my in-laws and weekly conversations with my parents in Iowa.  Home is Christmas in Iowa with my parents, siblings and nephew and nieces.  Home is my hometown in the Summer, walking with my mom.  Home is Matt's chicken wings, his mom's macaroni salad, a fire pit and our friends.  For me, home isn't one physical place, home is with the people I love so no matter where I am, as long as I have them I'm always home.

What does home mean to you? XOXO

FIFTEEN

Happy Wednesday! Here's hoping your's is off to a good start.  Today I'm thankful for a little perspective.  Recently I have found myself praying to God for certain situations to get better. Just make it better. When things didn't turn out the way I thought they should be going I got frustrated with God.  Today I was browsing through some of my pinterest posts and I saw this quote I had liked a while back; "Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you Happy."  I just stopped and thought, " How selfish have I been to presume it's up to God to fix my problems."  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.  That's exactly what I had been doing. I was whining and crying to God about "all the bad things" in my life but instead of doing anything about it I just kept crying "woe is me."  What an eye opener this quote was.  If something in your life isn't enriching your life some how then change it.  If you don't listen to that voice inside your heart (whether you believe that's your own instincts or God's guidance) nothing will ever change. Respect yourself enough to make the tough decisions in your life.  

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Wednesday and Happy May Day!