Thankfulness

Warning! Just-out-of-bed-still-in-my-PJs pictures coming. You might want to put that permanent airbrush option on your glasses or contacts for this one.

Here we are talking about our "30 Days of Thankfulness"-- every day we write down things that we're thankful for- for the entire month of November.

See this little scab on her eyelid? We think she fell asleep for her nap while reading and it poked her eye. Yowch! Didn't seem to stop her for long though...

And that same day, she fell flat on her face out back and smacked her head on the concrete. Not even a minute of crying... we didn't even know it was bruised till after her nap.

Right handed thankfulness.... ("Mom! I'll do it!")

And left handed thankfulness (just like her dad - uses both of her hands).

Hebrews 12:28

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful...

476. a covered front porch in the rain

477. watching the leaves in our neighborhood change color

478. planning things to do in december to bring in the Christmas cheer

Reinforcements

Dear God,

Thank you, thank you, thank you that they're both asleep for at least 10 minutes. Now I can take a 3 minute shower instead of a 10 minute shower, 9 of which is busy playing peek a boo with Ford in the bouncy chair just outside of the reach of the over spray. And thank you for Matt Damon's acting career. What? Amen.

When I start praying those prayers, I know it's time to call in the reinforcements. Lucky for me we have two sets of grandparents who love to visit!

Papa keps saying, "I don't feel like I'm helping much..." But he was doing this :

And that is everything. It freed up two of my arms to do other things! Priceless.

Plus, he did some awesome assembly line work on a card job for me. Priceless!

And Little Grandma did a lot of this with her partner in crime...

And introduced the little guy to tea sets and cars...

(yes, this was the first and last time he sucked on a car this size, you choking-police-people, you.)

And usually looked like this with her hands completely full...juggling everything with grace.

473. Fordy graduating out of his swing -- too big! too wiggly! too crazy!

474. the first fire in the fireplace of the season

475. rescheduling our music class

"I Love You Edward Ford"

Could there be any better words from the mouth of Abby Mae? I think not.

This weekend, it rained. We had grilled cheese with turkey and tomato soup. Oh, and grapes. Abby's favorite part. Yum.

And we did some legos, which were also known as "candy." Because that's what you do with candy, right? Line it up on the couch.

And we did laundry. And I found this cute little guy in the basket. Doesn't it look like he's saying (in his best Jersey accent) "hey! anybody gonna hand a guy a soda pop?"

In this one he's just wondering why I've left him in there so long. He often gives me this look. Usually when it takes me 20 minutes to do the dishes and he's s t i l l in his exersaucer.

And nothing beats Abby snuggling up to him and saying, "I love you, Edward Ford." Absolutely nothing. 469. the warmest boots ever

470. a nice card job falling in my lap

471. trimming nails with no problems

472. fordy's amazing smile

Sit Up Britian II

Not to be confused with Sit Up Britian! (JJ, this post title is for you a la Bridge Jones!)

And suddenly, Fordy sits!

We had his 6 month check up this week. 80%(!!) for height and 14% for weight. Somehow, our kids are long and lean. I blame the grandfathers.

And Abby can put on her own shoes, even the ones with the "thingy between my toes!" that she absolutely would not wear over the summer when those shoes are actually appropriate. After she put on her metallic shoes today, she looked at me and said, "mom! we match!" So, i took a picture of her...

And she took a picture of me! See? Pink shirt and metallic shoes? No? Oops.... :) A good first try, though, right?

466. running a letterpress job in record time

467. a husband who happily hangs with the kids as i work

468. earphones that let me escape to another world

Long and Loud and Clear

Abby is suddenly singing. And I mean constantly singing. Long and loud and clear (Mary Poppins!). I love it. Her newest is Bah Bah Black Sheep Revised.

"Bah Bah Blacksheep

Alligator Wool

Yes Sir, Yes Sir

3 bags full

One for the little girl

That lives down the street

Not lane, mom! Street!"

And when we go to Trader Joes, you can hear her from 3 aisles away. "JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW!" Sorry if that offends you, shoppers. She's happy to sing/shout it out. As soon as she finds "Cap'n Jack" (this gives you the right to have a lollypop, ensuring that when you go to any other grocery store your child complains, "but they don't have LOLLIES!!!!") she stops singing and screams, "Cap'n Jack!!!! Cap'n Jack!!! He's in the frozen section! I get a lolly!"

This is how she feels when she's singing...

And at night the new "program" for bed after turning off the light consists of "Holy, Holy, Holy, mom! Then Jesus Loves Me - the wrong one- Jesus Loves Me - the right one- and then Twinkle Twinkle. Okay?" We know two versions of Jesus Loves Me and she loves to call them the "right" and "wrong" ones. I'm realizing as I write this that we do have our own little language. Hurrah the singing!!!

Book Of The Week :

The Good Humor Man -- in her collection of Golden Books.

463. all the "help" abby gives me

464. learning to love "holding" fordy when he naps while sick instead of wishing i could get the dishes done

465. our friend's daughter recovering from burning her arm - and doing great

Just The Three Of Them

This is what it looks like most early evenings -- now that it's completely dark at 5:30! -- with me cooking dinner and Grant trying to keep two kids happy in that lovely witching hour. There is no question which parent is more fun. And I'm absolutely fine with that.

459. a lit pilot light

460. being completely exhausted when i fall asleep

461. hearing abby say, "okay, mom! I will do it!"

462. a wednesday morning group of young moms in the same boat

Halloween A.M.

Halloween was a beautiful day even if we were fighting runny noses. This cold is really hanging on for the kids.... but it makes me really thankful that we aren't terrified of Abby getting sick anymore. In fact, a little immunity is good for her.

She sure felt good in spite of it.

On these beautiful days, she spends lots of time putting "bunny with the ears" in her "cart" and "runnnnnning over heeeeeeere!"

And "baaaaaack!"

And if all goes well on these days, Fordy is bouncing away in the sun.

Happy as can be.

This is usually when she says, "Mom! i'm going to Trader Joes! Where is my list?!"

Then it's usually time to play in the large mound of mulch in the driveway...

"I'm just sitting, mom..."

Bout time for a haircut, eh?

Contemplating what a cheerleader is...her costume is a mystery to her.

See the runny nose + chapped lips?

Inevitably the shoes come off....

"Mom! Is lunch outside?" Yes. Almost everyday now, it is. Glorious, isn't it?

And something totally cool I learned about today -- online read along stories from Barnes & Noble. Free! Genius.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/storytime/index.asp