Grateful - Day 7

Today, I am grateful for perseverance.

Some days are certainly better than others and potty training has been a trying time for my willingness to persevere.

What I continually remind myself is that there will eventually be an end and I can do it, but giving up is not an option. How will I teach Luke to be tenacious, if I cannot do it myself?

And Luke pooped in the potty. Hooray!

One day potty training will not be such a driving force in my world and I will look back on my perseverence and be thankful I could get through it. It won't be today, but it will be someday. And I will show Luke these pictures and laugh.

Grateful - Day 6

I am so thankful for reading - being able to read and finding books that make me happy, that I enjoy reading. Todd is a reader too, which I am also incredibly grateful for. Sharing books with him has been such a huge part of my life. When we combined our book collections, we noticed a great number of books we both had, as well as books that complimented our respective collections.

We already had a set of hard back Harry Potters (through Book 4), and we continued buying 2 of each, as we couldn't read together and neither was patient enough to wait for the other to finish first. We tried reading together - I am a speed reader who misses major plot points and has to flip back to fill in the missing gaps, while Todd reads carefully and methodically. Not a match!


Baby/Toddler books next to Calvin and Hobbes:

World War II, The Civil War and Ancient Greece. Between the two of us, our history classes were pretty diverse.
Byzantine Empire with Educational (Credential) books:

We have quite a random collection, but we love them all. I love that reading can so quickly and easily take me to anywhere my imagination will go. I hope that my love of reading - whether historical fiction or young adult books or comics or anything - will be passed onto Luke. He has memorized many of his books already and loves to "read" to us.

Reading is the key to so much in life . . .

I'm grateful to be a bibliophile!

Grateful - Day 5

Sally.

You knew I wouldn't forget her, right?

Sally is really a Sleep Sheep and became Luke's love pretty early on. Our pediatrician had warned us that once Luke found a lovely, we had better buy a lot of them and rotate regularly. We bought two big ones (car and home) and 1 travel size (daycare). Once they started getting super icky, and even a ride through the washing machine no longer affected her, we attempted to introduce new Sallys, ones that had "taken a bath." But it was not to be. Luke knew they were wrong, "No Mama. Not the same."

Poor kid. At a year, he couldn't get to Sally but was too stubborn to ask for help. Resourceful, isn't he?

All he needs is her ear and his thumb.

Grateful - Day 4

Delicious delicious sushi.

You know where they sell delicious delicious sushi on the cheap? My Safeway. No, not yours or your friend's Safeway, but mine. It is most tasty, even after being tossed in a bag and rushed back to my classroom.

You know what makes my sushi so full of awesomeness? The sushi makers. They are the nicest, most dear people. They know all about my life (I talk a lot) and I find out about what's going on in their lives. And they always know what I like on my sushi. They are quick with extra sauce and extra sesame seeds. They are so thoughtful and offer to make my sushi fresh. And, the secret ingredient is love.

They were the first people I told I was pregnant. I was so freakin' excited but it was too early to really tell anyone - so I told them. Now they keep up with Luke and I bring in his picture to share.

I do not suggest jumping in feet first with just any grocery store sushi. I have experienced other Safeway sushi and have had some disappointment. Now I've learned that it can only be my sushi at my Safeway.

(note: I am still trying to finish correcting the history tests that you can see in the picture. I'll get around to it soon enough.)

Grateful - Day 3

My Todd.

Yup, he's mine. I claimed him long ago - 8 years-ish, and now he's totally locked in.

And I was right - all along. He would prove to be a man would was a supportive, thoughtful, funny and loving husband as well as an inspirational dad. No one makes me laugh till I snort like Todd.

Christmas 2009 - Year of the Snuggie

He turned my world upside down from the very beginning - I had never, nor will I ever, meet someone so like me and so different from me all rolled into one.

• Thank you for giving me a nudge out the door so I don't become a permanent homebody.
• Thank you for supporting me in all of my endeavors. And crafts.
• Thank you for being honest with me, always. Even if its not what I want to hear. "Sooo . . . you're going to wear that skirt with that top? Interesting."
• Thank you for knowing when I just need a hug, not a discussion.
• Thank you for making me laugh the hardest when I just want to be in a funk and you won't let me.
• Thank you for being a 50/50 parent. Its hard enough to have one teacher in a family. Having 2 is not for the faint of heart.
• Thank you for always being on my team. There are days when life just seems heavy and you always know when to step in, whether I want the help or not.

I love you, Big Deet. The most.

Veterans Day

My parents were fortunate enough to get many of my grandmother's personal photographs recently and I was crafty enough to "borrow" a few to scan before they disappeared into the boxes of photos shoved in their back closet.

I've always loved this photo of my dad - he looks so official and responsible, especially at what he was asked to do at such a young age. My father served in Vietnam after marrying my mother. My parents were only 20 when they married and my father was shipped out. I can hardly imagine spending my first year of marriage with my husband stationed so far away in such terrifying, awful conditions.

On Veterans Day, I think of all of those who have had to sacrifice so much in their lives to serve their country. And while it's not much on my little blog - I thank those who have served and who are currently serving.

Grateful - Day 2

Moms.

Moms are so wonderful. I am so blessed to have the mother that I have. I am so blessed to have the mother-in-law that I have. And I am truly blessed to be a mother to my wonderful son. I can't imagine how I could even attempt to be a mom without the role models of my past and of the present.

My mother's mother was Audrey, who was the epitome of grace, strength, humor and love. I wish I had gotten to know her more as an adult - but I am blessed to have a family full of stories to describe who she was.

Audrey's mother was my namesake . . . almost. I was to be Naomi Grace after her, but was switched to Noella Grace. She was a tough woman, who had the strength of mountains - or so I'm told. I love to know that I have their spirit with me, and their strength in me . . . somewhere. It helps to remind me that when things get tough, you have to get tougher.

And then there's my own amazing mother. She is so kind, generous and giving but determined and strong. She's my "mean ol' mom" as we used to call her. She wouldn't let us go as we wanted and where we pleased. She set up boundaries and followed through, no matter how "mean" it was. But she wasn't rigid or unrelenting - she had expectations and made sure they were met, all out of love. But man, can she be silly. I love to be silly with her - we get to laughing and laughing about nothing, which are always the best stories to remember.

Aren't we cute together?

I like to think that I look like her . . .


I want to be a mother like her. Or a mother like my grandmother or great-grandmother. They are all amazing women, each in their own right.



Yet, with all those impressive role models to look to, you might wonder, could it get any better? I didn't think so . . . until I met my mother-in-law. Woe to the women who do not get along with their mother-n-law - I completely hit the jackpot. Linda is made of the same tough stuff the women in my family are made of and has the best laugh. I dare anyone not to feel happy when she laughs. She is the consummate social butterfly - you cannot be around her and not have a good time. Who is with me on freezing cold Black Friday mornings, game plan in hand? You betcha: Linda. We decided right off that bat that if Todd and I didn't work out, he'd have to leave, not me.



Here's to moms, everywhere!