pictures, being thankful, and baby tylenol

the end of yet another day... after bedtime battles that seem to be never ending, and all the kids are in bed, and the house is finally quiet, i sit here drained of all energy to do any housework-ish thing that now would be the most opportune time to do. i am very grateful that i wont be running around psychoticly cleaning my house for Thanksgiving dinner which i have here for my family every year. but i have come to realize this is something that i often time take very for granted.  thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what we have, and who we are. too often i think we just shuffle it away as just another holiday to get together and  gorge ourselves with food. lol. dont get me wrong- the food is good, and the company is wonderful, but the meaning is lost, and we need to find it again.

we let so many little things bother us in life...for example...a few people in my family want to go through some old pictures that i have in the garage from my grandmothers house... which means i have to dig them out, and have them over to go through them...and i roll my eyes when i think about it, but really truely, i am thankful we have these old pictures, and should be taking every opportunity i can to go through them with family members and identify people in the pics so i have things to show my kids. i need to change my attitude completely about this, and graciously surrender a day for family history, instead of selfishly act like i have something better to do. which i dont.

i am so thankful that i have family that gathers at holidays, and are as close as we are. i love holidays, and want to instill the meanings of them in my kids, and how will i do that if i let them fly by just to get on with the next one.

 there are so many things i am thankful for in my life... even things that bring sadness to my heart. my mom... i am so thankful i had her while i did. but i am also thankful that she isnt struggling anymore. i am thankful that jacob got to know her for the 2 years he did. and i am thankful she celebrated holidays with me, otherwise i may not be the person i am now.

i am thankful for my family... my aunt, uncle,and cousins... they are like my second parents and siblings... they are there for me no matter what, and they are my support system for everything.

 i am thankful for my husband, even though we have had our ups and downs, i have put him through so much strife,and i can honestly say i am so thankful he didnt give up on me.
 im thankful for the beautiful children i have, 2 are his biologically, and 1 by heart...but you couldnt tell the difference. i am thankful for the life he has provided for us, we have a house, cars, food on our table, heat, clothes, and love.

 i am thankful for the father of the one child that isnt my husbands, and as weird as that sounds, had i not met him, i wouldnt have my son... he may be the end of my sanity- he is still my first baby and i love him with all my heart. and even though he is entering the phase of his life where mom and dad are idiots, and everything they say is stupid and unfair, i am thankful that i have the belief that one day he will realize we arent so bad.

 i am so very thankful for the best friends anyone could ever ask for... one of them, i dont ever get to see because she lives out of state, but we can talk about anything, and you would swear we were separated at birth, we are so alike... the others are nearby, and i love them with all my heart...our kids love each other, and we can approach them with anything, and they still accept us for us... not the weirdos we really are... lol... they are the kind of friends who will always be there, and we can always make each other smile no matter what we are going through. 

  i am thankful for all my siblings, even though we didnt grow up together, we have become so much closer recently and i pray that we continue to, for my kids and myself.

 i am also thankful for my church family... always accepting, supportive and ready to pray for anything that needs praying for. good people that know when you need a shoulder to cry on, or know when you just need a hug, or friendly smile, to make your day better. thank God for everything he has done for us.

 i am thankful for the country we live in, where i am free to post how i feel about things for the world to read. a place that allows me to have the things im thankful for, and make my own decisions. i am so very thankful for the people that have and continue to fight for our freedom. they are so seflless, we should all be so selfless.

i am thankful that i havent killed my children when they drive me to the edge of sanity...lol... just kidding... well no not really...hahaha... seriously... there are so many little things that daily we dont even think about living without...like electric. water. tv. internet (my sanity most nights). heat...  so i suppose i could get real detailed and go on and on... not like i havent already...lol

even though i still havent finished my happiness book, i am adding another thing to my happiness tool list... babies... there are so many new babies in my family right now, and they all make my heart smile... i think babies have the naturally born happiness that is contagious... can you seriously look at a baby and not smile? no matter how crappy a mood im in, mason always can make me smile. i am thankful for that too. in a quest for happiness it is nice to have something that you know will always make you smile. 

and i am extremely thankful for you all reading this... my few but mighty followers... it makes me happy to know that someone enjoys reading about my nonsense...lol    thank you!

one more thing- baby tylenol...very thankful for that... mason is teething, and fevers arent fun at 3 am. so to the makers of baby tylenol, i say thank you!

  so in case i dont post again till after thanksgiving... be thankful for what you have in your life... dont be hasty through the holidays, and stop to enjoy every minute you have with the people you love.

 happy thanksgiving!
 eat lots, but love more.   and be happy.

pajamas, ambition, and 3 yr old attitudes.

oh my goodness... here we are!!! Ive been in kinda a slump for inspiration lately... basically lost focus. But this morning, i actually woke up, not feeling like i needed to sleep the entire day. lately it seems that that is all i want to do. but despite the fact i was up till like 130 this morning, i actually feel pretty good. more mornings like this would be nice.  mason is feeling a little extra cuddly this morning too, which deffinately adds to the goodness of today. just watching him this morning has already started the day off well... after feeding him his jethro size bowl of baby cereal and bananas, you cant help but smile when you see him smile ear to ear when the dog walks through the room... He is completely fascinated with our dog. he will bend all sorts of directions to see him. it is cute.
   I have also decided that staying in my pajamas all morning, is leading to my motivational demise, and calls me back to sleep...hehehe. i realize that simply getting dressed makes me feel like getting something done, and when im forced to get dressed i reap the rewards...example... i watched my best friends little boy a few mornings ago...which meant i had to roll my butt out of bed and stay up...i was up, dressed, and ready for the day by like 7 in the morning, because that is when mason wakes up, but they were not here till like 8 i think, and boy was i productive that morning... before 9 am, i had inventoried our pantry, unloaded and reloaded our dishwasher (which eventually id like to do before bed in order to wake up to a non-dish filled kitchen), and swept the kitchen floor... shortly after i even mopped the kitchen!  now that my house is for the most part- completely cleaned from the haloween party, it has been much much easier to maintain it... there are a few areas that still need some work, but at least it isnt making me crazy anymore. our next big event will be Thanksgiving dinner here with my family.
  I am really hoping to get through the rest of the book this week too, since im not freaking out about the house and my goal is to not sleep all day, i plan on reading during naps... wish me luck... the call of the pillow is so tempting... and i still cant seem to get rid of mt. st. laundry... but oh well i need my exercise...lol

i am so loving seeing the leaves and fall decorations out, but hate the cold... i wish it could stay warm all the time... love the seasonal changes, but i am freezing!  im going to have to go long sleeve shirt shopping soon i do believe. and i can no longer put off packing up courtneys summer clothes, because no matter how freaking cold it is outside, she wants to wear shorts...she is deffianately a summer clothes girl in her flip flops...
every sunday as the paper is brought in- i get excited to see all the holiday ads... i am so excited to go shopping on black friday. i love bargains, and shopping, and buying things for people, so this day is totally fun for me... but this year i get a bonus! my brother and his wife are coming in to town, and i cant wait to see them again!

every day that passes, watching my kids grow amazes me how alike yet individual they are...mason is making new sounds every day, and being very vocal... jacob is scaring the crap out of me turning into a teenager, yet surprising me every day with something that hints at- maybe i did alright raisng him...and courtney- well courtney, my little princess cracks me up... some days i forget she is 3... she can carry on a consversation with us like a little adult, and then the next minute be throwing the biggest fit about something... watching her play pretend with her "real but imaginary" friends (the friends she has in her gymnastics and ballet classes- that arent at our house) throws me into childhood all over again...how simple it would be to entertain ourselves like that when we are bored...lol. a little looney in adulthood, but simplistic. and ideal to keep our friends with us all the time... yet there are moments that slap you in the face with"SHE is 3!" like last night... my husband and my son were arguing... and courtney was voicing her little self inbetween which was getting annoying amongst the bickering... and he told her to please be quiet... she replied with an "i dont have to be quiet" in a matter of fact sweet and sassy voice... he said "why dont you thinkyou have to be quiet?" and here is what she said....." because im the little boss" hahahahahahah i couldnt help but bust out laughing...and you know that was one of those times where it is so not appropriate to laugh...i guess i know who thinks she runs this house...
well- i think i am going to go cuddle with my babies a while... it feels nice to be back in the blog... hope to stop in more often again... looking forward to getting out of this depression im in and be happy again... i owe alot of that to my friends too- the coming out of not being in the depression... so here is a quote i saw recently that i absolutely love... have a great day!

"I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar."
Robert Brault

and here is a couple pics from trick or treating this year that always seem to make me smile...