I am thankful to finally have a Christmas season in this house where I am physically able to decorate it the way that I've wanted to since we moved in way back in 2007.
Christmas is exploding in here this year and I'm even more excited since surviving: brain surgery recovery (2007), fertility treatments (2008), newborn infants & a c-section (2009), almost one year old twin boys that were still breastfeeding multiple times per day (2010), and pregnancy (2011).
Time flies and wow!
She's on the move and getting close to walking. She climbs flights of stairs and tries to keep up with her brothers at the park. She's a super fast crawler and has been walking around behind things she can push like boxes and chairs. She's getting brave and only holding on with one hand and sometimes she will even let go.
She is such a daddy's girl. He's her favorite. No question about it. It's super sweet to watch her snuggle with him and get so excited when he comes home.
She is a girly girl...loves sparkle, jewelry, shoes, and "pretties".
She's a really good eater of all things that she can feed herself.
She is curious and inquisitive. She needs to know what is going on and hates when she is sleepy and has to miss out. She is napping twice a day and sleeping well at night.
I love you Jilly girl!
I'm thankful to have met a super duper awesome photographer that has been taking our family photos for over 2 years now.
I can't recommend him enough and the boys love him and his family. We took our Christmas Card photos Sunday and our cards shipped Tuesday (Monday was a holiday).
I've also got him lined up for the boys' birthday party again...he's been there every year, and I'm totally hooked!
I am thankful for all of those currently serving, that have served, or gave their lives serving our country. And to their families that sacrifice so much while their loved ones are away...thank you as well!
There are a lot of things wrong with the state of California, but there are also a lot of things about it that are easy to take for granted when you've lived here your whole life.
The weather
Disneyland (yes, it gets its own mention)
Plethora of museums, aquariums, and historical landmarks
Beaches
Parks
Mountains
Desert
Cultural diversity
Opportunity
Convenience...we've got just about everything here
As much as I sometimes dream of living in another state, it would be really hard to leave!
I am thankful for technology, specifically for my smartphone. Without it, I am certain I would have lost my mind staying home with the kids. It not only keeps me connected to adults, but keeps me organized, up to date on current events (since our day time tv watching is limited to Disney Jr), and prevents my brain from completely rotting away.
Last night a group of twin mom friends joined me for candlelight yoga, and for the second time in the last few weeks someone said "I thought yoga was mostly just stretching". Bwahaha!
Trying yoga was one of the best things I ever did after I had the boys. It gave me alone time, quiet, strength, flexibility, and relaxation. I love that the place I go to offers a variety of classes including Pilates and even belly dancing which I had tried before kids and liked.
Last night was the first time that I felt I was back to where I'd left off in my practice before having Jill. I'm looking forward to kicking things up a notch and taking more hot yoga and yogalates classes.
I am thankful to live in this country where we have the freedoms that we do. I wish that everyone could be more accepting of our differences. In general my philosophy is "what works for me, might not work for you, and vice versa. As long as I'm not hurting you or infringing on your right to live how you wish (so long as it's not harming anyone...no you may not be a cannibal), and vice versa, we can agree to disagree."
I am so thankful that today is election day and that no matter what the outcome of any office or proposition, all of the junk mail and phone calls will stop, and hopefully soon (because I believe that in such a tight race there will be some controversy - hello hanging chads) the awful attacks on facebook will stop as well.
Today I am thankful for my mom who moved closer to us a few months ago and comes over regularly to entertain these three very busy kids and clean up the aftermath of their activities so that I can remain mostly sane and keep up on basic household activities and get in some "me" time to exercise and hold adult conversations...and drink wine. (Longest run on sentence ever?)
I was lucky to have my grandma live with us for most of my childhood and I'm happy that my kids are getting to spend so much time with their grandma too...even when I have this conversation with Alex:
Mommy: do you love mommy?
Alex: no
M: do you love daddy?
A: no
Do you love brother?
No
Do you love sister?
No
Do you love grandma?
Yes!
He was kidding and being silly...mostly. ;)
*my blogger app "ate" my original post. Actually it's stuck in "publishing" but I can't find it on the computer or open it in my phone anymore. It's just sitting there...taunting me.
Saturday I got to spend the day at SCMOTC's fall workshop in San Diego. All 5 of us drove down together so that I could feed Jill on my breaks and Striker entertained the kids at the beach, aquarium, and park. I'm not sure who had more fun. :)
So today I am thankful for the gift of twins. After struggling with infertility for years, to have been blessed with the two-fer was more than we could have hoped for (and then there was Jill, but that's a post for another day).
So much of who I am today is defined by being a twin mom and it was nice to spend time with women who "get it" and only have to hear the "I don't know how you do it's" from the guest speakers...who were actually good...just wish they were twin moms too.
We spent Sunday at Disneyland celebrating my MIL's birthday. I am so very thankful to get to be a kid again and experience things through my kids.
It was Jill's first time meeting Chip and Dale during breakfast and while she wasn't too sure of them at first, it was so much fun to watch her interaction with them.
