Giving Thanks: Day 30

Today is the last day of November, and the last day of the month of thanks. Today I am very thankful for the life I have. I have an amazing husband, two wonderful children and even a really sweet dog. We have a comfortable, safe home to live in, reliable cars in our garage, everyone is healthy, and Tyler and I both have good jobs. We have everything we need and plenty of things that we want. We are able to provide for our children (and ourselves), we will be able to give our children (and ourselves and everyone on our list) Christmas gifts, we are able to help our family and friends if and when they need it, and we can rely on them to help us in return, we have great family and friends to celebrate the holidays with and just to enjoy life in general with. While there are always things I can find to complain about, such as Blake waking up at 4 am and Reece having NO desire to pee or poop in the toilet, the blessings I have in my life greatly outnumber any complaints I can think of.

I'm thankful for the events that have made my life what it is today and I'm thankful for the many blessings I have in my life.

Giving Thanks: Day 29

Today I am thankful that Tyler and I didn't have to explain why Reece shouldn't stick his middle finger at people. (See photo below.) So, Reece is watching Toy Story while Tyler and I are sitting at our kitchen table talking. Reece turns around and looks at us and shows us his middle finger, Tyler and I look at each other and wondering where he learned that and how are we going to handle it. Reece proceeds to get out of the chair and walk over to us, finger still in the air and that's when we notice the big, green booger on the tip of his finger. Nice one, Reece, nice one.

Reece is also saying "Cheese!" while we are taking this picture.

Giving Thanks: Day 28

Today I am thankful for indoor plumbing! I have recently spoken to two people who actually remember outhouses! I am very thankful that apart from camping and the occasional port-a-potty, I've always had someplace indoors and warm to do my business! And I can't even imagine how long potty training would take if you had run outside while you were working on that!

Giving Thanks: Day 27

Today I am thankful for frozen pizza because sometimes that's all the time and energy you have. Our favorite is Freschetta, it's an easy meal that even Reece will eat. Sometimes we even add a salad.

Giving Thanks: Day 26

Today I am thankful for having a wonderful friend to give me a great new hairstyle (almost) anytime I want or need one! She really does have a great ability to figure out what I actually want and make it look good on me. And she's my friend so I know she'll tell me if a particular style is just not right for me. She's also a mom of two young girls so we have tons to talk about while she's making me look amazing. She's a wonderful person, a wonderful mom and a super hair stylist and I am very thankful to know her.

Giving Thanks: Day 25

Today I am thankful for having a shared sense of humor with my husband. He's pretty good at diffusing any situation with humor. We can typically both make each other laugh. We ran out of coffee yesterday, so I am really thankful for that this morning!

Giving Thanks: Day 24

Today I am thankful for having good friends (with kids) to spend time with. It's great to have another family to enjoy doing family and adult things with. We had a great time at the North Pole with our wonderful friends, the Fosters. And we look forward to spending some "grown-up time" with them next weekend at Tyler's company Christmas party.

Giving Thanks: Day 23

Today I am thankful for REAL Christmas trees! They smell so wonderful! I am also thankful for Groupon for saving us $25 on the perfect tree!

Giving Thanks: Day 22

Today, Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful that I got to celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time with my family of four. Everyone is happy, healthy and safe and we got to celebrate with great friends and a some family. We had an wonderful time and we're stuffed and exhausted!

Giving Thanks: Day 21

Today I am thankful for the beautiful state I live in. During my drive in to work, I was able to take in the beauty of sunrise against the mountains. What a sight! Colorado really does have quite a bit of beauty to offer, there is also so much to do here. I am thankful that I had the ability to move here and that I will be able to raise my children here.

Giving Thanks: Day 20

Today I am thankful for my step-father and step-brother. These two great guys popped into our lives right when we needed them. Al was there for me when my own father couldn't be, he stepped up for two teenage girls, which we all know is pretty impressive. Chris has been a great brother and friend and will soon become a father to my first niece! No doubt I am certainly thankful for that! I love you LaCour men and I am very thankful that you came into our lives.

Giving Thanks: Day 19

Today is a 2-fer! Today I am thankful for Starbuck's drive-thru and for the new 24-hour comedy station on the radio! Both make a Monday morning not quite so awful. I love that I can get my coffee without even leaving my car and that I can listen to something funny on my way to work!

Teeth!

Well, I finally got a picture of a few of Blake's teeth. Apparently my boys just don't get their teeth like they are supposed to. The first tooth that Blake cut was on the top and it wasn't one of the front teeth, it was the one just to his left of his two front teeth. The second tooth that came through was on the bottom on his right. The two opposite teeth to these are coming in right now. In the picture, you can see the one on top and the one on the bottom.

This actually didn't bother him as much as you would expect!

Giving Thanks: Day 18

Today I am thankful for our sweet puppy, Native. He was our first boy and he has accepted moving down the line from first in line to second in line and then again to third in line. In the nearly three years we've had kids, Nate hasn't even taken a baby toy, he either lets the kids crawl all over him or he just walks away. He's definitely jealous, but other than putting his wet nose on you, he hasn't done anything else. We have a great dog, he's great with people and amazing with our kids and such a sweet furry guy.

Giving Thanks: Day 17

Today I am thankful for having two boys who sleep very well at night. We rarely have to get up with the kids after we put them to bed and that's wonderful! The entire family is happier when we get a good nights rest!

Giving Thanks: Day 16

Today I am thankful for nap time... for the kids, for my husband and for me. While I'm not much of a napper, I can get a ton of things done while my boys (even the big one) are napping! Whether it's cleaning, crafting or catching up on DVRed programs, I definitely enjoy any "me" time I can get! I am also thankful for how happy they typically are when they wake up. Nap times are good times!

Giving Thanks: Day 15

Today I am thankful for the ability to be a mom. I am thankful for the fact that my husband and I were able to get pregnant (extremely) easily, which we do have to keep in mind as we would prefer not to have a "surprise"... any time soon at least.
I am thankful that I was able to experience growing a child inside of me and then watching them grow into little people. And I have been blessed enough to be able to do this twice! Being a mom is certainly the most amazing role I've had and words cannot express how thankful I am for this experience.

Giving Thanks: Day 14

Today I am thankful for Balinda and Jessica at Little Footprints. These two amazing women take wonderful care of my babies. They definitely go the extra mile when it comes to childcare and early childhood education. I feel so lucky to have found such extraordinary people to care for my children. Knowing your children are well cared for is priceless and I am extremely thankful for that.

Giving Thanks: Day 13

Today I am thankful for my sister. While we may not have always had the best relationship, no one knows me quite like she does. She is a wonderful person with an amazing heart, my only complaint is that she lives too far away! I am thankful for Jenn and I love her and miss her!

Giving Thanks: Day 12

Today I am thankful for my short commute to work. It's quite nice to be able to leave my house at 6:25, drop the kids off at daycare and still arrive at work at 6:45 (that is of course, as long as I don't chat with Balinda for too long), and my drive home never takes more than 15 minutes.

Giving Thanks: Day 11

Today, on Veteran's Day, I am very thankful for all of the brave men and women who have made it their job to protect my rights and freedoms as an American. I'm not only thankful for the servicemen and women, I am also thankful for their families who support what they do and who do their best to provide a home for these men and women. I may not agree with everything that is happening in my country right now, but I certainly wouldn't choose to live anywhere else. These people are true heroes.

Giving Thanks: Day 10

Today I am thankful for technology (and thankful for my husband's vast knowledge of this subject!) It allows so many things, I am able to keep in touch with family and friends wherever they may be, I have jillions of pictures of my children, I can look up anything I have any interest in, schedule appointments without having to pick up the phone, and we can check in for flights from our living room. And I'm very thankful for the ability to play the movie, Cars, from any device in our house! That definitely comes in very handy. There are countless other things that technology allows and for the most part, I think it definitely improves our quality of life.

Giving Thanks: Day 9

Today I am thankful for coffee! I love the smell of coffee brewing in the morning and the boost it gives me to get started in the morning. Without it, I'm afraid I would be much less productive before at least 10 am.

Giving Thanks: Day 8

Today I am thankful for having Fridays off! Yippee weekend for me starting NOW! I do have to admit that what I do on Fridays is typically harder than anything else I do all week long. But I absolutely love the precious time I have with my babies!

Giving Thanks: Day 7

Today I am thankful for my job and my ability to do my job. I enjoy the work I do (mostly), I enjoy the people I work with and I work for a wonderful company. My job allows me to help provide for my family and it is also flexible enough so that I can enjoy time with my family.

Giving Thanks: Day 6

Today on Election Day, I am thankful for my right to vote as well as every right I have as a citizen of this great country. I am thankful that in this country, I am treated fairly regardless of the fact that I am a woman, half Mexican or even that I'm a little shorter than most people. I have the same rights as anyone else. I am thankful for the fact that I live in a country where my opinion counts the same as everyone else's (and I have the right to express it), I don't have to walk behind my husband, I can show my face in public without the fear of violence against me and I have the opportunity to educate myself as much (or as little) as I choose to.
I know that all of my rights were earned and are protected by many brave and courageous people, for that I am very thankful.

Giving Thanks: Day 5

Today I am thankful for my mother. I'm not even sure how to begin this one. How do you explain how thankful you are to the person who has been there for you throughout your entire life? I am so thankful for the relationship that I have with her. She's there for me anytime I need her. I know that I can confide in her and that she'll give me the advice that I need to hear.

I am thankful for everything she was for me as a child and for everything that she is for me now. I hope that when my children look back on their mother, their memories are as wonderful as mine.

I love you, Mom! Thank you for everything!

Giving Thanks: Day 4

Today I am thankful for my children. They are my heart. Those little people have brought so much joy to my life in the short time they have been here. They are challenging and rewarding and make both my husband and I better people. They are the most precious, most amazing thing I have ever done. I am thankful for Reece and Blake every single day!

Giving Thanks: Day 3

Since it's Saturday, I figure I would give a more light-hearted thanks. I am thankful for the hilarious ESPN Sports Center commercials! Those things are hilarious!
However, they wouldn't be nearly as funny if I didn't get to watch them with my wonderful husband! So, I am also very thankful for him! He makes me laugh, he makes me love and occasionally he makes me angry. But he always loves me and I love him right back! He helps me stay (somewhat) focused, he challenges and encourages me. He's my partner in everything, including giggling at funny commercials!

Giving Thanks: Day 2

I am thankful for the health and safety of my family. I know too many families dealing with illness and have heard of too many tragedies to take this for granted.

Giving Thanks

I am going to attempt to post one thing I'm thankful for every day of November.

In light of the recent Superstorm Sandy, today I am thankful for having the luxury of waking up every morning in a warm, comfortable home and that my husband and I are able to provide the same for our children.

October Activities

October was a busy month for us! We had our first and second snow (or "smow" as Reece calls it), managed to make it to two pumpkin patches, one Trick or Treat train, and a friend's birthday! Tyler and I even made it to a football game, although I'd rather not talk about the outcome of that event. Reece's vocabulary is quickly expanding and he is repeating almost everything we say, he's still occasionally showing some interest in using toilet and he's playing with his brother more. Blake has cut two teeth and has one that's just about out. He's still crawling all over the place and attempts to climb the stairs every chance he gets. We've also caught him standing on his own for a few moments at a time. He's learned to clap and wave, albeit to himself, and we've even upgraded his carseat.

Two little stinkers checking out the first snow

Being silly under the table

Something on my face?

Nothing better than a box!

Climbing on Mommy

This happened after the poop, but at least he wanted to sit there AND read.

Reflections

Recently in a neighborhood very close to mine, a ten-year-old girl was abducted and murdered. This event occurred just a few weeks ago. The little girl, Jessica Ridgeway - a name I don't think I'll ever forget, was taken on her way to a local park where she usually joined friends on her walk to school.
Yesterday, an arrest was made. The police arrested a 17 year old boy. The news states that his mother actually gave the police the tip which led them to the arrest. I can't help but have sympathy for both of these parents, one whose daughter was taken in such a devastating way and the other has to deal with the fact that their son carried out such a horrific act and they will ultimately lose him as well.
I hope that some good can come from this tragic event, and it seems that her community has rallied around her family to support them during this time. While I know this will fade, this event is a huge reminder of how quickly events like this can happen. I hope to never take my children's safety and heath for granted. I hope to squeeze every ounce of love and joy from all of the moments I am blessed to have with my family.
I hope that this tragic event will help all parents to enjoy the time they have with their children and hug them a little tighter and love them a little more fiercely. I know I will.

Funny Things

I just wanted to note these someplace, here is a list of some of the cute things Reece says. (The numbers only indicate how they came to mind.)

1. Osicle or Osicle-pop or Popopsicle - of course these all mean popsicle. He's getting better at saying this, and I'm proud of him but still so sad! Also, his absolute favorite dessert (currently).

2. Bunga or Bugga - these mean brother which is what we typically call Blake around Reece and so far, they have a great relationship.

3. Mlake - Blake, he typically only uses his brother's name after someone else says it.

4. Lu you - another obvious one, Love you, which of course melts my heart and is typically accompanied by the "I love you" sign.

5. Lightning Car - refers to either of the Cars movies and Lighting McQueen, his current favorite movies. We typically watch each of these (1 & 2) at least twice a week.

6. Hoos - is shoes. Last week one of the kids at daycare came in with slippers on due to an injured toe (no socks as they irritated said toe). For the last week, Reece has come home from daycare with no socks and shoes on the wrong feet. (Which reminds me, I must try to get a picture of this if it happens again!)

7. Gay wade - Gatorade. He had orange Gatorade (my favorite) so much that he had an perma-orange lip!

8. Mahee - Somehow, this is Thomas (the Tank Engine). I have no idea how or why, I'm also glad that while he still likes Thomas, we don't have to watch it every single morning.

9. Lanky - Blankie, usually he's talking about his blanket but he calls all small blankets "lankies". Also, if he has one in one hand, 95% of the time he has his first finger of the other hand in his mouth.

10. Mo - No. We hear that often, after all he is two. Also, can be combined with "oh" for "oh mo" which cracks me up!

11. Mumpy - Monkey, this makes me thinks of diseased monkeys which really creeps me out.

12. Ride car - means go for a ride in the car. We can't mention this too soon or we get an impatient two-year-old whining this phrase at the door.

13. Gaggy - Daddy, how cute is that?!

14. Airpeen - Airplane, of course. He points them out when he's in the car and yells to them when he sees them outside.

When he sees matching things and one is big and one is smaller (think toy dump truck v. hot wheels size dump truck) he points at the big one and says "mom" and then at the little one and says "baby". He also does this with actual moms and babies, this always makes me smile.

When he sees things that match he has to touch each of them with his index finger.

Those are the current things that are often said and done around our house. We'll see what comes up next!

Arts and Crafts... and Pinterest!

With the help of Pinterest, I decided to try my hand at a sewing project. It was a pretty simple project, but I think it really came out pretty well, if I do say so myself, and I really enjoyed completing it. I have to give credit to the Living with Punks blog for the tutorial, I followed that, added a few things of my own, and viola! A cute floor cushion/seat for the boys. 

I added the zipper, so the camo material is just a cover that I can remove and wash. 

Here Comes Thomas!

Thomas the Tank Engine comes to visit the Colorado Railroad Museum every year and this year, we took part in the festivities! Tyler and I were prepared for the worst (crowded, long lines, bratty kids and lots of waiting), but it was actually very organized and the museum grounds are large enough to avoid the bratty kids. The shuttles were very clean, air-conditioned Greyhound style buses and everything was timed well so there was very little waiting. The kids had a blast and Reece was thrilled to see Thomas and ride the train.

Checking out the model trains, they even had a Thomas running!

Taking it all in

Me and the boys waiting for our turn on Thomas

All Aboard!

September Happenings

September seemed to go really quickly for us. We all seemed to get sick this month. The older kids started school in August, gave their new germs to their little brothers and sister who brought it in to daycare, and lucky us, our kids brought them home! Luckily, Reece didn't require any doctor visits, Tyler and I just trudged on through but Blake required two rounds of antibiotics for a very persistent ear infection. But, we all made it through with no lasting effects.

Reece has begun to show some interest in potty training, he's asked to go to the bathroom several times and typically he does pee. Unfortunately, he's only pooped once, so I definitely don't think we are there yet.
Blake is all over the place! He gets into everything, he's started to climb up the stairs. He loves following his brother around and his favorite thing to do is play under the "table fort" with Reece.

Me and my boys!

Cheese!

This is Blake's personality

So proud to walk in Daddy's boots!

We call this "Happy Tongue"

Playing under the table

August Events

Since it's been a while since I've posted, I'll do my best to do a re-cap of the past few months. One major event was that Blake started crawling around 6-1/2 months and he is now quite the mover! We started solid foods and some of his favorites include cheese, yogurt and sweet potatoes. In general, however, the kid loves to eat! Reece's vocabulary is continuing to expand and he is really becoming a very wonderful little person and great big brother.
My mom had a chance to come out for a little over two weeks which gave Tyler and I the opportunity to have a little weekend get-away which was wonderfully refreshing!
This summer we decided to purchase memberships to both the Denver Zoo and the Colorado Railroad Museum and we have been trying to take advantage of those.
Here are a few August memories!

Cousin Tanner made it over to play with us!

Just cute!

Enjoying the trampoline with Maw Maw

At the Railroad Museum

Maw Maw and the grandbabies!

What a great big brother!

Big monkey, little monkey

VT Visit

At the end of July we took a little trip to visit Tyler's family in Vermont.  The flight there was pretty uneventful and the kids were wonderful. We played at the park, the lake and we went to two children's museums! We met up with a few friends and visited with family. Our flight back was a little more painful with weather delaying us about 4 hours. Luckily our kids were great travelers and with a few toys, several laps around the airport with Blake and numerous trips up and down the escalator with Reece, we made it with no major meltdowns. Overall we had a great time and even found an amazing children's museum worth a two and a half hour drive.

Racing up the hill... and the big boys are dropping like flies!

Grammy, Dad and the boys

Great-Grandma Moriarty and the boys

Fun at the Childrens Museum

Reece and Izzy

Hugs goodbye

But no kiss!