Count the good things

Today is a count the good things in my life kinda day... I am having a bit of blue day and thinking about the reds, pinks, greens in my life helps. Here are a few items that come to mind:

laughter of my children
warmth of my home
washer and dryer in my home
excitement of reporting the days activities
yoga
chocolate chips
bender-roos
my new sock sorting system
fresh baked anything(today I am thinking pretzels)
kids who wake up happy
friends who call despite the major mileage between us
nap-time
books
blankets
craft-time
walks with the baby(even in a bit of rain)
goals
dreams
children

What a blessed life I live....



Oh and diapers, baby bums, little fingers, wet kisses, boy glasses that need cleaning several times a day, shrek...

Our 15 Month old BABY

When Leila was 15 months old, she was no longer a baby. Two days after her 15 month birthday she welcomed a baby brother into the world. She was bigger than life. She was born quite independent so the change happened quite naturally. I had so much anxiety leading up to Nathan's birth, mostly because I worried about what this change would do to Leila. Was I short changing her? Pushing her off my lap too early? Forcing her to grow up to fast? Probably yes I was. But some gifts you just don't question and we made it work.

But she seemed so big. She was our big girl. The big sister.

Nathan stayed a baby for a long time. He was snugly and sweet. We didn't break his habit of a pacifier and bottle as early as we did Leila. After the whirlwind of two in two years we took a breather. Rather I did. Jeremy was happy with our family of 4. We had fun watching our kids grow. Seeing their personalities and their development. While having them this close together was not a planned thing, it turned out to work very well for our family. Leila and Nathan grew together and so many milestones happened so fast it seemed to be an entire family event.

Kathryn is now 15 months old and I can not even begin to recall exactly how hard it was to have these two beautiful children so close together. With working full time, Jeremy and I working different shifts to minimize their time in daycare, it was just really hard. I am realizing that I missed or more likely forgot a lot of the little things, but am so thankful I have Kathryn to show me and remind me of the little parts of development the others went through.

She is not sleeping through the night yet- we will get a night every few weeks or so. She is getting very good at putting herself to sleep on her own(yay!). She is usually very happy, but happens to have quite a temper on her- imagine that? Tantrums are quite normal and comical(She might not agree with the comical part). She can find her nose and her ears on request. She thinks she is as big as the big kids and will be by their sides as much as possible.

It is WONDERFUL to have older kids. Not only can they keep an eye on her while I run upstairs to ... blog... or something, they enjoy watching her. They like seeing her firsts and celebrate with her. They enjoying admiring their baby sister. I love watching their relationships and how different they are.

Kathryn has brought so much love into our home. We really would be no where near as happy if she were not part of our lives- I am sure of it.

We love you baby K! Happy 15 month Birthday! You won't be getting kicked out of the nest or pushed off my lap in two days... you get to stay our baby!

Goal Complete!

I DID IT! I AM AN ATHLETE- A TRI-ATHLETE!

It was fun to take part in an "event" and be part of something this big. My Aunt mentored me the whole way. After only 5 weeks of training and constantly fighting back my negative thoughts- I did it! I accomplished my goal of finishing my first tri-athlon! Thank you Renetta! I appreciate all you did for me!

We first did a 500 meter swim. I was not prepared for how crazy it would be swimming with 3 other people in my lane. I was quite slow- in fact I was the last person out of the pool. I have my suspicion that they did not correctly count my laps and I may have swam an extra lap. I was embarrassed to be the last person out of the pool- when people cheered me on I felt like it wasn't necessary and it really embarrassed me. Oh well-- I had the determination to keep on going.

I got out to the "transition" area where my aunt was almost ready to take off on her bike. I quickly dried off and started getting dress(over the top of my suit). I was feeling nervous and still embarrassed from the swim and really really behind. I did NOT think about quiting, but I was sure discouraged. I even almost missed a turn. But- something happened out on the course. I was able to relax and put aside my expectations and simply focus on the moment I was currently in. I saw little purple flowers along side the road- they made me think of my Grandma Frederick and I felt her presence as I pedaled. I was amazed at the beauty of the rolling hills. And I was super excited when I saw my Aunt Renetta across the road on her way back! It gave me enough strength to keep going- in fact I was able to pass two riders in front of me so I was no longer the last one from my wave. On my bike in, Renetta had already started her walk so I was able to yell and scream at her(in good cheering ways of course)- and that was fun!

Back to the transition area I pulled off my helmet, put on my cap, ate a power bar and took off running. A tri-athlon is seriously so fast paced I just kept going not really even thinking about it! I couldn't run the entire 5K- in fact I don't think I ran HALF of it- but I did it- and it seemed like such a small part of the event after the huge bike ride and the challenging swim that it didn't even feel like a big deal(which it is a big deal- to me anyway!) The 5K was a double loop, the first time I came around the loop, my family was just getting out of the van and heading to meet me at the finish line. What a boost it was to see them(Nathan tried to hug me). I did my final loop and I started running at the corner so I could really push myself over the finish line. I did- it was amazing! I was so excited to see my family. I was so excited to have completed such an awesome goal. How amazing is it that my body was able to do this! I am a healthy woman and it showed!

I LOVE that my family was there to support me. You guys have no idea how much I love you and our sweet little family!

The kids were waiting for me- a little bored- Nathan learned to cross his fingers!

Mothers

Mothers are special.

I never completely knew how much I was loved until I became a Mother myself.

I look at my daughters and know one day they will understand what it means to be a mother. (my son will figure it out too, but I will talk about that on Fathers Day!)

Motherly love can come from anyone: Aunts, sisters, friends, friends mothers.
I am blessed to have my loving Mom, who teaches me about love and nurturing and taught me to love all things baby.
I am blessed to have my dear Mother-in-law, who teaches me how important it is to see life through my children's eyes as she seems to take such enjoyment from this.
I have my very sweet aunties, my precious sisters(including my sister in law), my loving friends(some with, others without children of their own), their mothers who seem to adopt and love me...

One time my mom bought one of my friends a bunch of tulips for her birthday. She wasn't particularly close to this friend of mine- didn't know her too well- But when my friend thanked her, my mom said she loved her because I love her and she knew my friends I chose were special. She also told her she loved her because this friend cared about me and helped me in many aspects of my life. I understand. My mom loves me, my husband, children, my interests- all because she knows how much I love them. That is a lesson I have picked up from her and naturally started in my own life.

What a blessing a mother is.