Forgetful Friday

Oops, Thankful Thursday came and went and I forgot! Truthfully, I didn't completely forget. But by the time I remembered it was the end of a very long day and I was too exhausted to be coherent or truly thankful for anything other than my bed.

So, let's just have Forgetful Friday this week, shall we?

Here are the things that top my gratitude list:

Laundry

Yes, I said laundry. The chore that has no beginning and no end. The Alpha and Omega of housework.
You know that whole saying about death and taxes? You can tell that was coined by a man – because if a mom had said it, she would have included laundry.

But this week, as I folded my umpteenth load of clean clothes, I was thankful. That's the amazing thing about this gratitude exercise, it really transforms your thinking. Instead of lamenting the mountain of work before me, I was grateful for it. Because I didn't see 20 pairs of socks, 10 onesies, and 14 sets of footie PJs...all I saw was abundance.

We are so blessed. My children have enough clothes to outfit a small army and most of them we didn't even purchase ourselves, they were given or gifted to us. We have clothes for warm weather, cold weather, and all seasons in between. We have adorable outfits for play and photo-worthy duds for special occasions. In fact, there is so much abundance that some things are only worn once or twice before being outgrown.

And our blessings extend far beyond the dresser drawers. Our freezer overfloweth with tasty morsels. Our pantry is never bare. And we never struggle to fill the gas tank. The toy box is filled to the brim and our Christmas stockings are bursting at the seams every year.

We are truly blessed indeed. And I'm thankful for the piles of laundry that faithfully remind me.

More Snuggles

MJ and I have a little bedtime routine called "More Snuggles". Ordinary snuggles have been a part of bedtime since he was a baby, but these are not ordinary snuggles. These are extra special. And I love them.

It goes like this:

After reading books, MJ and I say "Night night, light" and snuggle with his blanket for a song or two on his music box. Then, it's bedtime. Well, somewhere around my 8th month of pregnancy, MJ could sense the coming change. He was suddenly clingy and insecure and needed a lot more Mommy time.

When I'd get up to put him in the crib, he'd softly whisper, "more snuggles". Eventually this developed into a little game. Now, every night, I get up to put him in his crib one song early -  fully knowing that he will ask for more snuggles to which I will reply: "You want more snuggles? OK, one more song."

And we snuggle again. During these snuggles MJ never fidgets or plays or squirms. He nestles in deeply and holds me tightly. I love feeling his little breath on my face and his little chubby fingers twirling my hair, my necklace, or just resting on my shoulder.

This is so ingrained in our nightly ritual now that the few times MJ hasn't asked for extra snuggles, I've hovered over the crib and said, "MJ, do you want more snuggles?"

It might seem odd to be lengthening our nighttime routine at this age and with another child needing my time. While it's not exactly convenient, it's too precious to pass up. The days of snuggles in the dark with a little hand in mine are limited. I want to soak each one in to the best of my ability.

Extra Hands

I've had a lot of help since having Evan and I'm so grateful for it!

Recently, my sister and her husband visited again. Let me tell you, they are worker bees! They helped with chores; they helped with cooking; they helped with caring for the little ones. Eric cleaned the garage, vacuumed and mopped the whole home (even moving the furniture in the living room!), and played with MJ. Kristen helped with laundry, organizing MJ's closet, organizing my jewelry, running errands, and cleaning up our playroom. They are a blessing and I am beyond thankful for them.

And yesterday, my Aunt Resa came down again to help. She brought lunch, helped me take care of Evan while I put MJ down for a nap (that's tough when I'm on my own), let me take a nap, cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes, washed the coffee pot, folded laundry, held the baby, and stamped all my birth announcements. Phew!

I'm a lucky lady to have such willing and able helpers at hand. It's made the transition from one child to two that much smoother, and I appreciate it.

Our Own Park

We moved into a new home this year. Despite its lacking kitchen and the old bathrooms, it has a feature that stands it apart from the rest.

This is our backyard:

And so is this:

And this, too:

Yup, it pretty much looks like a park. And, at almost half an acre, it kinda feels like one, too. We love it. And MJ loves it.

Today we took a nature walk in our backyard. Up the stairs, down the stairs, and along the little gravel path that circles the perimeter of our property.

We picked blue berries (not blueberries, but berries that are blue), red berries, and looked at green leaves and spotty yellow leaves. We pointed out the trees and listened to the dogs bark.

MJ picked flowers of all different colors....

...and played with sticks.

He climbed trees and looked waaaaaaaaaaaaaay up high into the canopy of the redwoods. Aren't they gorgeous?

And all of this admiring God's creation was done in our very own backyard. What a blessing!