7 Hours - Day 28

This is an easy one...today I am thankful for the 7 straight hours that Colten slept last night! Now, I only got to sleep 6 of those since I went to bed a little late, but it was really nice to not have to schlep down the hall at 2 or 3 in the morning to put a little boy back to bed. :-)

While 6am came early this morning, I wasn't as tired as I usually am (even while sick!). I wasn't the least bit disappointed when I couldn't get Colten to cuddle on my chest for just a little bit longer and it was fun to see him check out the fully decorated Christmas tree for the very first time. He was just in awe of this sparkly thing in the middle of our living room with toys hung all over it!

Oh, and one more thing I am thankful for...going to the grocery store WITHOUT kids! I don't enjoy going in the first place, but taking kids is even worse. So, it goes so much better when I can get away during Colten's nap and leave them both back with Brian. I made better choices and can get through the aisles without any extra stuff because a certain 4 year old just HAD to have it!

I think that this post shows that the little things make a big difference for me. :-)

Traditions and Granddad

I am so thankful for holiday traditions! It is so much fun to show our kids all of the things that we do around the holidays. This year, we started a new tradition with our new friend, Bernard, the elf. Austin is LOVING Bernard. You can learn more about Bernard from yesterday's post.

We also set up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving (or as close to that day as possible for those years we are traveling). It is so much fun to get all the ornaments out that we have accumulated over the years (and even childhood ones that our parents have saved). Austin looks at each and every one of them as he puts them on the branches. This year, he showed a real talent for picking the perfect spot for each and every ornament. This is the first year that I didn't have to move ornaments around after he went to bed because he bunched them all up in the one spot! He's growing up so much! Colten got to get in on the tradition this year by putting an ornament on the tree as well. He only got to do one because he was up past his bedtime, was really cranky and really didn't know what to think of those pokey branches and needles.

A tradition that Brian's parents have is to give us all ornaments on Thanksgiving night. It usually has some significance from over the last year for each person. It's always fun to see hwat ornament was picked out for you! This year, we didn't get to do this because Granddad fell right before everyone was leaving from their house after dinner. After making sure he was bandaged and pretty much ok. Brian, Bill and the kids and I went ahead and left so the kids could get back and get ready for bed. Mary stayed with the others to see how he was doing and ended up taking him to the ER that night to make sure he didn't have an fractures or anything wrong with his head (he hit his head pretty hard on the pavement). Thankfully, everything checked out ok and he got to come home that night.

However, Mary ended up staying the night and didn't get to give out the ornaments. No one remembered and we ended up going home before she got back to her home. While we didn't get to do this tradition, I am SO THANKFUL Granddad is ok! He's definitely sore, but shouldn't have any lasting effects from this fall. It was funny though, as he was being helped into the house and onto the couch to sit down, he was still cracking jokes and making light of it all!

We have many more traditions that we do throughout the holidays, but I'm sure I'll blog about them as they happen.

Family and a Holiday Visitor - Day 26

Today, of all days, we have SO much to be thankful for! It's so easy to get caught up in "what's for dinner" that we all need to just sit down and remember all that God has given us.

I am thanking God for my husband and two beautiful children. I was reminded today of my goals of being an athletic trainer for a high school. When choosing my career path, I didn't even DREAM of how soon God would give me my husband and children. I figured I'd get my degree, get certified as an athletic trainer, and then work those long hours looking after high school atheletes as they work towards their goals. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I realize I would get married before I even graduated. Some might say I gave up my dreams, but in reality, being a wife and a mom was always the ultimate goal. The athletic training gig was just something to pass the time until I was blessed with a family of my own. God knew what he was doing and I'll still use the knowledge I obtained, just in a different way. Remember, I have two boys and there will always be booboos to bandage, wounds to ice, and probably broken bones or stitches to attend to. :-)

I am also thankful for the rest of our family. Each member of our family holds a special place in my heart. Oh how I wish all of our family was close enough to visit with more often. I want our kids to know their grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins and have the same memories that I have of the holidays with family. Being military can keep us far away sometimes, but we always try to come "home for the holidays."

Tonight, I am also thankful for a little holiday visitor we will have in our home this year (and hopefully every year!). A little Elf appeared on our Shelf tonight and shared a book with us. We named him Bernard (from The Santa Clause). He is the eyes and ears for Santa. He appears in our house in the morning and watches the boys all day long, then leaves for the North Pole after they have gone to bed to tell Santa how good they have been today. Then, in the morning he appears in a different place for the kids to find him. They can't touch him or he'll lose his magic and won't be able to get back to the North Pole. They can talk to him and tell him what they want for Christmas, but he won't talk back.

Austin was in disbelief when he saw the book on the table when we got back from Pine Bluff after our Thanksgiving meal. We asked him if he put that there and when he said no, we asked everyone else. No one put that book there. So, we read it to see what it was about and then he looked for the elf that the book talked about. When he found him on the fireplace mantel, he just didn't know what to do. At first, he wouldn't go near him. He did tell him what he wanted for Christmas...I think that was the easy part! He was so funny. The whole night he would look and make sure Bernard was still there. I don't think he quite knew what to think about this whole thing! He kept asking how Bernard got here and how he was going to get back to the North Pole.

When it was time to go to bed, I told Austin he needed to brush his teeth. He started to protest and all I had to do was point to Bernard. He looked up, got wide-eyed, and then said, "OH!" Then went and got his teeth brushed.

I think I'm going to like Bernard hanging around!

Sick - Day 25

Today I am thankful that I'm not sick like this more often! For some reason, I have been hit by some sinus junk and now my vocal cord dysfunction is acting up and making it very hard for me to breathe. I'm coughing all the time and my throat is raw from all that coughing. My voice is pretty much gone. I only get like this once or twice a year, so I'm glad it's not more than that!

I'm also thankful for the love that Colten has for me. Right now, he's being really clingy and cranky anytime he's not being held by me. Right when I pick him up, he lays his head on my shoulder or gives me kisses. Of course, then he can't make up his mind whether to be held, or get down to play...either is just not acceptable to him. It's frustrating during times when he's so clingy, but when I think about how much he loves me, that makes it a little easier to handle! In a few years, he won't want to cuddle and give me kisses (especially in public), so I need to remember to cherish this time even when it can be frustrating.

Daddy's Back - Day 24

Today I am thankful for Brian getting back to Little Rock. He had to go back up to NWA for a root canal and then stayed the night so he could get his homework done and not have to worry about it over Thanksgiving.

While he was gone, I got to deal with some kind of sinus stuff and sore throat, 2 kids stuck in a house, and nighttime wakings which weren't really wakings to me since I was already awake. I just don't sleep as well when he's not home (yes, that made for some very tough nights sometimes when he was deployed). It's so nice that he's usually home to help with everything...I know what it's like on the other side and I am even more thankful for his presence than I think I would be if we hadn't gone through all the seperations.

He got back right before lunch today. The surprise was that we got our list of available places to move to after he graduates in May. So, we've been looking into all of our options (which was shortened by his assignment officer because Brian will be a new Major when we move). We probably won't know where we'll go until sometime next year, but the goal is to have RFOs (Request For Orders) by January 1. We'll see if that happens...the military moves pretty slowly, so I'm not going to hold my breath.

The Grocery Store? Day 23

You won't believe it. I really can't believe it either. However, today I am thankful for a trip to the grocery store. Brian had to drive back up to NWA today for his root canal. Both Bill and Mary needed their cars for work/doctor appointments. So, the kids and I were at the house today.

It wasn't really that bad...but by the time Mary came home from work, I needed to get out and about. She had called to see how things were going and mentioned she was going to go to Kroger. She thought she'd see if I wanted to go with the kids as well...but that we probably couldn't do that since she had her car and not mine. Luckily, Brian took the carseats out of the van, just in case, and we were able to go. :-)

It was busy...Thanksgiving is only 2 days away and everyone is trying to get their Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole ingredients and rolls. It was even a little stressful with Colten's screeching and Austin constantly asking what this or that was. However, it was a trip out of the house and I was grateful.

Oh, and it helps that I picked up a bottle of Mountain Dew to get me through the rest of the night. :-)

Little Brother - Day 22

Today, I am thankful for my little brother, Jimmy. His birthday was today - Happy Birthday! He's a whole 9 years younger than me, so he's just now getting into his 20's! Doesn't that just seem so young!?!

Today I am also thankful for some shopping time without kids! I didn't buy much...only a $4 cup for Austin that I ended up giving to him when I got back, but it was nice to go through a store and not have one kid screeching and another asking for everything he sees. :-) In fact, I was just tagging along with Mary and didn't really have any agenda, so it was nice to just go through and not have a list of things to buy or return.

I'm still on the lookout for Christmas gifts, but I'm taking my time picking things out. I usually do that since I'm afraid of buying something and then finding THE perfect gift for the person I just bought something for. I hate returning things...it's just so inconvienent (especially with 2 kids in tow), so I try to get it right the first time.

I have a few things, but not much. I have an idea of what to get for some people, but am still not 100% sure on anyone! :-) I feel a little behind...does it feel like Christmas is really close this year even though we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet? I think it's because I see people putting up decorations all over the place, the stores have it all out and we went to that Christmas Party at Disney World. Oh, and the stores around here have been REALLY busy! We passed Toys R Us yesterday and the parking lot was FULL. I'm afraid to even see what it will be like on Friday!