It's All About Family

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I know many of us are pondering the year and thinking of things we are thankful for.

When I think back over the year, there are many things that come to mind.  It was a pretty crappy year.

My husband lost his job.  Twice.
We needed expensive and unexpected car repairs.  Three times.
My entire family moved out of state, leaving me "alone" for the first time.  Ever.
My job has been unrewarding and there were many mornings where I hated to get out of bed.

And, as I type this list of crappy things that happened, I'm also reminded that some pretty good things happened too.

My husband found a job.  Twice.
Our cars are still running and for the time being, we have avoided taking on new car payments.
I've adjusted to my family moving away and surprisingly, I talk to my mom more now than when she lived close by.
While I'm still stuck in a dead-end job, at least I have a job.  Right?

Of course I'm thankful for my children.  They are my true purpose in life.  If we could afford it, I would love nothing more than to be home with them.  Thinking ahead, I'm hoping to have some flexibility with my work hours so I can be home after school when they start kindergarten.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank the Lord for my babies.  It's so funny how perspective changes. Before kids, I was very career-driven.   I wanted to take on more and didn't care what I had to do.
Now, my job doesn't seem to matter.  Don't get me wrong.  I still work hard and I'm dedicated to what I do. But, I'm not willing to travel or relocate like I used to be.  I just want the day to end so I can see my babies and snuggle with them on the couch.

Oh, those snuggles.  They never get old, do they?   No matter how stressed I feel, it all goes away as soon as I feel their body relax into mine.  I still rest my head on theirs and take in their smell just like when they were babies.

That's not weird, right?

So, let's talk about Thanksgiving dinner.  In the first time EVER, we didn't have plans.  I was happy and sad.  Maybe it would be fun to have a small dinner with just my little family?  But, Thanksgiving is about family and I was a little bummed that we wouldn't be seeing anyone.

My sister-in-law is now hosting and to put this in perspective, I'll just call her Hoity and my brother-in-law Toity.  They are very odd.  They live in a million dollar house but they act like they are poor.  Until they want to buy Pottery Barn furniture.  She hosted last year and I think it's pretty standard that people bring different dishes to share.  Last year, I brought mashed potatoes and a broccoli side dish.

Now, my SIL is very nice but she's not always the brightest bulb in the pack.  As I was preparing my dishes, it occurred to me that she might not think to make gravy.  And, how horrible would that be to have to eat mashed potatoes without gravy?!

So, me being the planner, I rolled up in there with my mashed potatoes and gravy packets in my purse.  Just in case.

This year, I again offered to bring a dish or two.  I again got mashed potatoes and this time, green bean casserole.  She told me her mom was bringing dessert and that my MIL was bringing the meat.

Um, what?

Isn't it standard that the host typically makes the main course?  Who the hell asks a guest to bring MEAT?

Oh!  It gets better!  My MIL came over last weekend to visit the kids and said she needed to leave by 3:00 so she could make it to the Honey Baked Ham store.

OK, stupid question.  Do they sell...... turkey?  Because the last time I checked, T-U-R-K-E-Y was the meat of choice for Thanksgiving.

I asked her about it and she said she was planning to buy a turkey breast.  Doesn't that feed like, 3 people?

So, now I'm gonna to have to roll up in there with mashed potatoes, gravy packets and turkey legs in my purse!

But hey - at least we'll be with family.

Bye Bye Blog?

I, like many of the bloggers I follow, have had a difficult time finding the time and energy to keep up with my blog. 

I've given it some thought and I keep asking one question:   Are blogs a thing of the past?

I originally started this blog back in 2008.  It was an outlet to help me grieve the loss of a pregnancy and I found great friends and comfort over the years.  As the kids have grown, the blog has moved away from me and is now more about the kids and what they are doing. 

It's not that I have less downtime than I did before.  If anything, I probably have more.  The kids are able to play by themselves now, requiring less supervision.  In the evenings when I do sit down to relax, I find myself grabbing my iPhone.  Not my laptop.

I use my phone WAY more than I ever thought I would.  I do almost everything with it, including reading other people's blogs.  (I miss you guys when you haven't written in awhile).

If I want to browse Pinterest, I do it on my phone.
Email?   Phone.
Facebook?   Phone.
Instagram?  Phone.

But, when it comes to writing a blog post, my phone isn't very convenient.  And, OMG.   What a pain to wait an extra 30 seconds while my laptop boots up, right?

I think we all go for the "quick fix" these days.  It's so much easier to write a quick blurb on Facebook or to post a picture on Instagram.  You're done in less than a minute and still able to effectively communicate with friends and family.

I'm wondering if this is happening with some of you too? 

This blog will always have a special place in my heart.  I still go back and read some of my older posts and I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye quite yet. 

So, in the meantime, I'll continue to keep my little piece of the blogosphere.

Fall, 2013

The twins' birthday always kicks off fall for us.   We've had some wacky weather here but I think it's finally taking a turn for colder temperatures now.  The leaves are turning and falling to the ground.

Making for PERFECT piles.

The last 2 years, we went to my sister's neighborhood for Halloween.  Since they moved, we got to see our neighborhood this year.  The kids had a Halloween parade and Trunk or Treat event that afternoon at school.  When I picked them up, they were already ahead of the game with 2 bags full of candy.

We ate pizza for dinner and they were so anxious to get their costumes back on.

It's always that fine line of waiting for people to finish dinner and getting out so we have enough time to get home for bedtime.  We started out about 6:45 pm and within 5 minutes, it started sprinkling and then turned into a very light rain.

No stopping us!  I grabbed an umbrella and off we went!   It's just water, right?   I had to leave my good camera at home so I only got a few photos with my phone.

We also received the kids' school pictures this week.  Such a difference over the last few years.  We've gone from dreading them because the kids would never smile to dreading them because we can't decide on which ones to buy!

The did 3 poses of each child individually and then 3 poses of them together.  
LOVE the larger black and white photo and the one of them hugging each other.  They look so grown up, don't they?

For the first time in FOREVER, we don't have plans for Thanksgiving.  I'm so conflicted about it.  Part of me is happy that we'll get to spend the day together as just our small little family.  And then the other part of me is sad because it's supposed to be a day to spend with family, meaning everyone.  Creating new memories, I guess.

And, before we know it,  Christmas will be here!  We received a catalog from Target last week that was all about toys.  I caught the kids looking through it and their sheer innocence and excitement was so contagious.  It brought back such great memories from my own childhood. 

I can't wait for the fun to begin!