Thanksgiving Blessings

It's Thanksgiving day and a perfect chance to reflect on all of the wonderful things I have to be grateful for in my life - primarily Colby, Paisley and Curtis! The other day, Paisley looked over at Colby and said "I love you, Colby!" with a passion that would warm anyone's heart! It just makes me smile to think about it. She's so full of emotions these days - as your typical 2 year old girl will be - and everything she says is a superlative. "That's amazing!" "Whoa, I can't believe it!" "UMMM, this is delicious!" Wouldn't it be great if we could all live our lives with such zeal.

Here are 5 things I'm particularly thankful for today:
1) Family. I love seeing my children interact with their grandparents, aunts and uncles and other loved ones. It's nice to be able to spend the holidays with those we love.
2) My granddad. I am grateful for my granddad who is almost 90 years old. I am blessed that he's lived this long and that he still has all of his wits about him. And I feel especially blessed that he was able to baptize both of my children.
3) Our anniversary. Today is mine and Curtis' 4 year wedding anniversary. We feel blessed that we have achieved such a milestone and look forward to many more years together. I can honestly say I love him more and more each year!!
4) Seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Watching the Macy's Day parade this AM with a 2 year old gave me such a new appreciation for the event. She got sooo excited to see the bands, floats and balloons. It's so nice to see things through the eyes of a child.
5) Turkey and other thanksgiving goodies. I think that Thanksgiving is my favorite meal. I feel stuffed and happy right now.

Blessings for the day!

Hey everyone!!! I am back up and blogging!!! YEAH! It's been a long, hard road (Google and our computer are not getting along these days and we can't figure out why? Probably spyware or something) but I am finally able to blog again. I hope you didn't forget about me. :-)



Here are my blessings that I want to say thank you for today:
1) I'm able to blog again. Who knew I'd become so addicted to writing my thoughts on the computer for anyone and everyone to see??
2) Sonny Perdue is our Governor! He organized and hosted a prayer service outside the state capital yesterday to pray for rain to relieve Georgia (and the southeast) of this draught we are in. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/08/georgia_turns_to_prayer_to_ease_drought/?p1=email_to_a_friend What a wonderful idea - let's ask God to help us in our time of need!! I love this man and this is just one reason why! He's getting criticism for this (imagine that) and protestors even came out to show their dislike of the partnership of church and state in this quest. I guess they don't care if we run out of drinking water in GA... just so long as our children don't pray in school, there is no mention of God on our currency and we remove the Ten Commandments from our court houses. Well, I hate to let them know, but they can strip God from our courthouses, but they cannot strip him from our hearts. He can and will always help us in our time of need. In fact, as I write this it is pouring down rain outside my window (just 24 hours after our prayer service - hmmm... coincidence?). Thank you, God, for hearing our prayers. Thank you, Sonny, for standing behind your faith despite the opposition.
3) My good health. I have been extremely ill these past 3 days, all the while trying to take care of my 2 year old and 6 month old alone and I can honestly say that it has been one of the toughest weeks of my life to date. However, thanks to my good friend, Kristin, and her herbal remedy... along with some anti-biotics from the Doctor... I am much better today. If I didn't before, I definitely appreciate my good health!!
4) Great shoes (on sale). Ladies, do I really need to elaborate here? I think not!
5) Laughter. I got the greatest email today and it made me laugh and laugh. So I sent it to a bunch of my friends who hopefully got the same joy from it that I did! Laughter is good.

Grateful Thoughts

Here are my grateful thoughts for the day:
1) Paisley's Happiness at School. When Paisley first started her 2 year old class at Mother's-Day-Out this year she wasn't happy. She'd cry on her way to school and she'd cry when I picked her up. And she never wanted to discuss her day. I discovered she was in a class that was for the younger 2's and wasn't being challenged very much (it was more of a babysitter situation) so I pushed to have her moved up to the older 2's class (where they were following a curriculum and stricter schedule). She is a different child now. She smiles when we pull in to the parking lot and she's happy when I pick her up. She loves to tell me about her day and she is excited about her teachers. I feel that God was telling me all along that she needed to be in this class... I just didn't act on it right away. I am so grateful now that she is where she was meant to be and that she is happy to go to mother's-day-out!
2) Brian and Lu. My friend's Brian and Lu got engaged on Monday night and it was such a beautiful moment. The best part is that I got to witness the whole thing (as well as a few other of our friends). Not many people get to experience two people they love getting engaged and it was priceless. May they have much happiness in their new life together.
3) Fall. The weather is getting crisp and cool and the leaves are beginning to fall. It's the most wonderful time of year. I love it!
4) Babies. I have several friends who are having babies or just had a baby. Janene is due any day now. Kellye and Sally are due in December. Hope is due in March. Kristin and Susan are due in April. Angie just had her little boy in September. It's just such a blessing to be surrounded by such love. Babies ARE happiness!
5) Curtis is home! Curtis just arrived home after being gone this week. It's always nice to have him home safe and sound. (Not to mention an extra set of hands to help with the kids!)

Be sure to be thankful for something in your life today!

Suicidal

I guess I have to be careful about everything Paisley hears these days, including my ringtone for my cellphone. The song that plays (er... played) whenever my cell phone rings is a huge pop hit on the radio that goes something like this "Oh, you're so beautiful girl! That's why it'll never work. You've got me suicidal... suicidal when you say that it's over." And you'll never guess what word my 2 year old decided to pick up from that chorus - that's right "suicidal". She thinks it's so much fun to say. She actually sings it as if she were singing the chorus, only she doesn't sing any other words besides "suicidal, suicidal". I can't wait until she does it in front of my minister one day!! Our babysitter. Raz, was here last night and she was singing a song to the kids (I think a Barney song about love) and Paisley interrupted her to say "No Raz! It goes 'suicidal, suicidal' " (sigh) So much for all those times she appears to be tuning me out. Now I know the real story!

Technical difficulties

I have been having some technical difficulties with my computer which have prevented me from being able to blog for the past few weeks. It has been devastating!! I have had so much I wanted to journal but no way to access my account. I am still not sure the problem has been permanently fixed, but I am working hard to resolve the problem and in the meantime I was at least able to log on to write this one blog and update everyone as to why I haven't been on lately! Hopefully all will be back up to normal soon. Stay tuned!

Conversations with a 2 year old

Grandma and Grandpa (C's mom and dad) were in town the other day and Grandma sat down to have a chat with Paisley. It went something like this:
Paisley: (Miss) P likes to eat!
Grandma: Really? Grandma likes to eat too. You must get that from me.
(pause)
Grandma: What is your favorite thing to eat, Paisley?
(pause)
Paisley: (after much thought...) Hot dogs!
[note: this is most interesting to me as I listen because I was SURE she would say Popsicles - considering they ARE her favorite thing to eat these days and that's all she ever asks for. I certainly would never have guessed hot dogs because she's probably had 3 in her entire life and I can't remember the last time she had one.]
Grandma: I like hot dogs too. And hamburgers. Do you like hamburgers?
Paisley: yes
[another interesting answer considering she doesn't like hamburgers at all and I can never get her to eat one...]
Grandma: Grandma really likes hamburgers. Especially with cheese on top. Do you put cheese on yours?
Paisley: yes
[well, at least we're getting close on this one - she does love cheese!]
Grandma: What about cheesecake? Grandma's favorite is cheesecake. Have you ever eaten cheesecake? (Grandma looks at me) Probably not.
Paisley looks perplexed. She's probably thinking "what is cheesecake?"

Anyway, you get the idea... it was such a cute conversation between them. I wish I could have recorded it! And Grandma is right, Paisley hasn't ever tasted cheesecake before. I have a feeling Grandma will be giving her some the next chance she has. That may even become a "thing" between them... cheesecake with Grandma! Who knows... maybe she'll have hot dogs, hamburgers with cheese AND cheesecake with Grandma. That's what Grandma's are for, after all... right?

The Father of Cool

My list of the 5 things I am most grateful for today:

1) Air Conditioning - ours went out yesterday on our top floor and it was quite toasty trying to sleep last night. Even opening the windows didn't help - it may have actually made it worse. As I whined and fussed about it, Curtis pointed out that they didn't have air conditioning back in the civil war and they survived the heat. Well "fiddlely dee"... I choose to focus on Willis Haviland Carrier - the "Father of Cool" - who invented air conditioning back in 1902. There will be many hot, southern summer nights in my future where I'll be quick to thank God for ol' Willis, I'm sure!
2) Kimber's New House. My friend, Kimber, is building her new house across the cul-de-sac from ours. As I walked outside this morning, I was reminded (as I often am) of the progress of their constuction. I have happy thoughts of our kids playing together as we sip lemonade together on her back porch (okay, so maybe we're sipping chardonnay but their both light yellow and you get the point!). What a blessing it will be to have such good friends living so close!
3) Sleeping babies. There is something so precious about watching a sleeping baby. The peace just exudes from their faces. As I watched Colby earlier today, I thought how comfortable he looked. Wrapped in a warm blanket, surrounded by cushy bumper pads, the fan humming above as it provides a gentle breeze, and some light tunes playing in the background. It sure is "rough" being (almost) 4 months old!
4) College football season - enough said.
5) Juice. Paisley was sitting on my lap earlier as I was starting this entry. I asked her what she's thankful for and she said "juice". As she said this, one major thought comes to mind: she doesn't drink juice so why would this be the one thing that she is most thankful for? I guess we can all learn from her young innocence. Sometimes giving thanks can be for things we don't even have any personal experience with... we can just be grateful for their mere existance in this world without having to partake... and that's perfectly fine with God too.

"P Loves Books!"

I woke up this morning to my 2 year old daughter loudly exclaming with delight "P loves books!" Now you may be wondering who "P" is... it is quite simply the way she refers to herself half of the time, which I'm assuming stems from our choice of "Miss P" as one of her nicknames. Anyway, I smile upon hearing this - her latest proclamation - and find it even more adorable the level of excitement with which she shares it. I mean there could be worse things for her to be so passionate about, right? She could be passionate about poop (and other bodily functions), candy, screaming, dressing herself, Teletubbies, and/or the word "NO" as many toddlers often are. Lucky for me, she thinks books are as great as any prize you might find at the bottom of the Cracker Jacks box. I guess she comes by it naturally. I love books and her daddy loves books (although his love of books is mostly limited to those about Dirk Pitt, James Bond or Jason Bourne). Not to mention her Nana, Pop, Grandma, Grandpa and Great-Granddaddy are all big readers as well. It's just in her genes! I only regret that quiet time with my books is hard to come by these days. Oh sure, I read... every day in fact! Just not my choice of Harry Potter, Patricia Cornwall or Oprah book club novels. No, my book selections consist mostly of Eloise, The Clumsy Crab, Fancy Nancy and Thomas The Train. It's amazing the things you can learn from a talking train. Seriously!
The other day I was reading to Paisley before bedtime. I told her it was the last book for the night and as I approached the end, she quickly picked up another book for me to read. I asked her what the magic word was and she replied "Thank you, Mama, thank you." Please... thank you... they are interchangable sometimes for a 2 year old, I suppose.
One thing I know for sure: "P loves books" ALMOST as much as "Mama loves Miss P!"

Grateful Thoughts!

Oprah says that everyone should keep a gratitude journal (yes, you'll find that I love Oprah and quote her quite often). I've been trying to keep a journal like this since Paisley was born 2 years ago. It's important to do this so we can appreciate our lives and remind ourselves what we have been given. Each day I try to write down at least 5 things I am grateful for at that moment. Here are my thoughts for this morning.

1) My mom. She's here in town to visit this weekend and it's such a wonderful thing to see her with her grandkids. It gives my heart a smile to see them interact with her and how much love there is between them. I am grateful for her health and that we are blessed to have her love in our lives.
2) My back porch. It is one of my favorite places in my house... especially now that it is cooling off a bit in the mornings. It's like my little oasis and I can completely relax and enjoy the sounds of the crickets in the yard, ducks in the lake and the trains passing by in the distance. It's just so peaceful out there!
3) Exercise. I can't say that I have found it to be easy to exercise with 2 children, but I am doing my best and I feel so great after a good workout in the morning. It really refreshes me and helps me start my day off right!
4) Cuddles with Colby. My two children are very different in some respects. Paisley doesn't care to cuddle very much. She's a busy little 2 year old with lots to accomplish in her world and sitting around cuddling only slows her down. (I think she gets her fast pace from her daddy.) Anyway, Colby is a cuddlebug. He loves to cuddle and will do it all day long. I don't know if he'll outgrow this but for now, I am grateful for his willingness to cuddle with me.
5) Peaches. One of my favorite fruits is a peach. Especially a good GA or SC peach. I know that they will not be in season much longer so I am enjoying as many as I can right now (I eat about 6-8 a day). At least they are a healthy snack, right?
6) Chocolate Chip Pancakes. My husband is so good to me! He loves to make me breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings. One of his specialties is chocolate chip pancakes. Yum!! My favorite. As I am writing this, he is busy making me some. I can't wait to eat them! Thank you God for wonderful husbands and chocolate chip pancakes!

Another popsicle, please!

Paisley and Colby have both had a big week. Paisley swam across the pool by herself today (yes, she's only 2!). It is both exciting and insane to see. She really is an amazing swimmer! Curtis has been taking her to the pool every day this summer - it's been their special time together! Daddy/daughter time. I can see how valuable it's been for both of them. As for Colby, he rolled over (both ways) this week. He is growing and changing so much these days. I can't believe he's almost 4 months old. It goes by too quick!

Funny story... Paisley was eating a red popsicle the other day outside. She finished it and asked for an orange one next. I decided to let her have one more and said to Curtis, "Hey Curtis! Can you get Paisley an orange popsicle from the freezer when you go inside?" He did. A little later, he was headed in again and I asked "Hey Curtis, could you grab me a drink too?" When he returned, Paisley looked up at him and very casually said "Hey Curtis! 'Nother popsicle please!" It was TOO funny! After we were done having a good laugh, Curtis cleared his throat, looked at her and said "That's Daddy to you!"

My first Blog!

Finally! I officially have my own blog. I have to thank my friend, Leigh Ann Swords, who inspired me to join the blog world - she has been blogging for quite some time now and I just love reading her thoughts and seeing the world from her perspective. Curtis and I have decided to create a family website and as I was laying out what I wanted to include on it, I decided I would try a blog. We'll see how much time I can carve out to keep this up. As for today, I am quite excited about the prospect. I love the idea of journaling my thoughts. I feel like it will center me somehow and help me appreciate my life more. A little reflection is a great thing!