Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Birthday Joe!

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Gratitude

Yesterday, I was just grateful to make it to our destination with my sanity. I think we did, but that might be my stronger personality talking and taking over while the real Whitney curls up in a corner with a Diet Coke.

We are in the country of Texas. That's right, Texas, where the stars are plentiful and the roadkill is too. Dave's family has a "farm" in East Texas, about 20 miles from the nearest town of 4000. It is lovely out here. I wish I had my camera thingy that lets me download to this computer, but I don't. This morning, mist and fog everywhere, then it burns off around 9:30am and we had a beautiful sunshiny day on our own little 68 acres (I asked Dave why they call it a farm, not a ranch, since we are surrounding by cattle ranches and even rent the land out to ranchers and he said that they didn't want to seem snobby calling 68 acres a ranch - that is only for those with a lot of land, go figure.

But it smells fresh and clean out here, even when you are walking by the cows, who stare at you from afar, all of them, which makes me wonder what they are thinking and if they know I don't know how to milk them. The mornings are slow, the day has a different tempo, the family congregates and we just chill - sort of.

There is still Wii and guitar hero and right now I can hear Caroline crying and fighting with her cousin Riley, but thank goodness for Play-Do and trampolines. There is still phone reception, wireless internet (thank goodness!) and there is still satellite tv.

Dave just burned two HUGE piles of old wood, big trees, I will add pictures later. Eli has been running non-stop with his cousin Grant, Joey has only gotten one bloody lip and then crashed on his head as I was telling Dave to look at his lip. Right now, Dave is outside with the boys taking slow rides on the 4 wheeler (helmets of course, we aren't hillbillies!) and hanging out with his dad.

We all get to spend time together in one house, which is sometimes a bit too cozy but great at the same time because then we can stay up late, after the kids have gone to bed, and play games, or talk or battle at the Wii.

So, in short, I am grateful for holidays that bring everyone together in fresh air. I hope your week has taken a slower beat like mine.

Gratitude

Not that this is hard for me to think of things I am grateful for, it is hard for me to be sincere and not be sarcastic! I should probably do this way more often throughout the year.

I am still sick, so I am really grateful for Tylenol nighttime cold meds. I am also grateful for sweet hugs from the kids, Dave taking care of everything.

But I am super grateful for teeth. I used to bite my nails relentlessly and my mom would bribe me with things to stop. I don't know what got me to stop but I don't bite often anymore. And never nervously. Why I am reminded of this is because Eli has been asking to go to the dentist because he likes the coin machine with prizes that he gets after AND because his teeth are great, never a cavity (knock on wood) or problem. But I did find out that he has two loose teeth smack dab in the middle of the front of the mouth. He said he knew but didn't tell me because of his immense fear of losing his teeth (remember this memorable outburst?). He still won't let me feel. The hygienist thinks it is a matter of weeks before he wants his two front teeth for Christmas. I love his little front teeth, they are perfect little squares, but I will learn to let go. The other day Caroline asked me if her teeth were loose. I told her know and she said good because if they fall out she will scream and cry like Eli did. I had to tell her that it isn't a requirement to freak out, she cocked her head and replied,"Good, I will think about it."

I love the dentist. Maybe it is because until after Eli was born, I had never had a cavity. They throwing up 16 times a day for 21 weeks may have led to my tooth decay, but I am told it is worth it (I know it is worth it!!!). I love the way that my teeth feel all clean and perfect after the dentist. I always notice teeth on others. My cousin Erin quite possibly has the best set I have seen, they are beautiful, lucky girl. Mine do ok, I have had only 2 cavities, no braces and they are still functioning. They are so useful for eating food, breaking off price tags, opening soda bottles, nibbling babies, filling out mouths with a toothy grin, getting money from the tooth fairy, holding on to combs while fixing Caroline's hair - I could go on and on and on. In short, thank goodness for teeth!

Gratitude

Thanks Dad for taking me to the game! Thanks Utes for playing such a great game!

Gratitude

I am so grateful for my health and often take it for granted until my sinuses are so plugged, my head is so achy, my throat so scratchy that I beg for it to return soon. And I am grateful for The Backyardigans who keep my babies occupied so that we can all chill a little until my head gets back to normal. And I am still grateful for pomegranates, my fingers are stained and I don't care because I am still eating one each night.

And GO UTES!!!

Gratitude

I am grateful that we have neighbors that are friends that will let us drag them bowling even if it is just for an hour. Please notice Caroline's bowling outfit, she chose it herself and declared it the perfect bowling costume. She would throw the ball down the alley and then tap her foot while she waited and waited for it to hit the pins and then she would jump up and down with her hands pumping in the air. It was really funny because Rob does the exact same thing.

Joey is sporting his Justin Bobby manpris or as well call them in our house,shants, so in style.

I do have to add that I am a horrible bowler, I really am not good at all. Dave is a great bowler. He scored a turkey and Caroline is still asking when we get to go and get his turkey so we can hold it.

Gratitude

I am grateful for these types of conversations and you are grateful I don't document them with visuals.

Just now, Caroline called me into the bathroom.
C- Mom, look at this poop heart!
Me - What?
C - Come look at this poop heart. I pooped and it looked like a heart. My body knows I like hearts.
And behold, there was a poop in the toilet that was the perfect shape of a heart (the shape, not the organ).

Then the other day.
C- Mom, pooping makes my legs so tired.
She had been sitting on the toilet for a bit of time and her legs had fallen asleep.

Gratitude

I am grateful for etsy, and for stocking stuffers. Tis the season.

I found this bracelet from Eastern Sky. I love that you can choose from many colors and that this bracelet is made from hand-dyed wool, very hands on from start to finish.

I am still amazed when you can find great personalized items at great prices like Font Supply has. I think it would be so cute to spell out your family name, child's name or just stick these initials in the stockings.

Nice smelling soaps and candles are always a good idea. I like how natural and just utilitarian these guest soaps from Besem Natural Scents look. I am sure that they smell extremely good, too.

So many pretty things in Karlita's shop, between beautiful things to adorn your neck, rings for your fingers or these fun textile brooches.

And these pretty little button icicles from P8 Button Art would be nice adorning any home this holiday.

And every one can use more petite little bowls to place the little guest soaps on, or put your rings on when you take them off to wash dishes or wash your hands. I like these from Lynn Cardwell Pottery.

And I just found 3 Fun felt jewelry. Check out this ring and about 30 other fantastic pieces that anyone would like to get in their stocking.

Gratitude

I am a keeper. I can't get rid of things. It takes me at least one year to decide whether or not I throw away some item of clothing - most times. I look at it, put it aside and about 6 months later am capable of doing what I should have done 6 months before - donate. I know, since I am aware of this process, why don't I just skip the 6 months to a year and donate? I can't. I am cluttery, too. Many of you are nodding, especially if you lived with me in college, or growing up, or now, or haven't lived with me at all but come to my house and hear me apologize for how cluttery it is. Want to hear another totally inane thing about me? I so want to clear it out but I literally get paralyzed when I need to. I can't decide what to tackle first. I can't decide what I need to keep and where to put it. I can't decide why I kept it in the first place, there must have been a very good reason. It is making me dizzy right now just writing about it. Give me a minute....

So tonight for family night, we talked about how we have so much and how others may not. We asked the kids to help us fill a box of their toys so that we can donate them. That was an hour ago, I can still hear Eli upstairs asking that we never do family night again if it entails losing his toys. The ridiculous thing, most of what we were putting in there has not been played with in years, if at all. He already has spent 10 minutes in his room because I couldn't take the excruciating whining and crying. I know, I teach lessons so well by getting impatient and snippy. Caroline was useless seeing as she just did handstands and drew up some maps. Joey was quite entertained, we unearthed a bunch of toys that are right up his alley.

Eli comes by this attitude of being overwhelmed when asked to whittle things down a bit naturally, he is his mother's son. I can't stand this personality trait of mine, and believe me I work on it every day. Luckily Dave is not a clutter bug. But I am a clean freak, I liked things washed down, wiped up - Dave is less of this.

We did manage to fill a couple of boxes and I am sure if I let Dave loose, our basement would be quite empty - good toys gone, too. The other day I went through our children's books, filling a box. That was hard because I think most books are priceless.

So what am I grateful for? Abundance. We don't have a lot, we have sufficient plus some. I am grateful that I can donate to others. I am grateful that my children can learn to give to others. I am grateful that I can count among my many blessings a roof over my family's head, warm blankets, food in our tummys, shoes to cover our feet, clothing to cover and protect our bodies (and let's face it, most people look much better without all their stretch marks and jigglies exposed, or at least I do), toys to keep us entertained, a washer and dryer in my home. There is plenty more.

I am also grateful for a husband that at this minute is getting the kids calmed down, Joey in bed, and fingers crossed, doing the dishes.

Gratitude

Color. I love it. It is why my living room walls are kelly green, my kitchen is yellow, my pink shoes never match what I am wearing. I love that Joey's eyes are very dark brown, Caroline's are medium brown and Eli's are somewhere in between - Dave and my eyes both somewhere in that spectrum, too. All brown. I am grateful for the color in paint that has helped me finally complete this project. I am grateful that I can look outside and not just see black or white. My favorite colors are orange and pink. I could wear them each day, dress my kids in them each day. And I want a turquoise piece of furniture somewhere in my house soon.

Gratitude

I am grateful for these photos, and the photographer. I could stare at them all day. I always say that I wish someone could capture my kids' personalities in the photo and Paige did it. And she is coming to town and maybe she can fit you in (I know she is already pretty busy with sessions, but who knows, maybe if you ask really nicely...). You can contact her here.

Disclaimer: I am asking you to contact her purely because I think everyone should have her take their children's picture, not because I am a paid advertiser for Paige, but if enough people contact her I may have to work out a deal. Like she comes and hangs out with me sometime.

Gratitude

I am grateful for the thought of the weekends. You know how when you were in jr. high, high school and even college and the weekend was just golden? Sleep in, hang out, relax or not. You could just hang on until the weekend. Even pre-child, the weekends were still golden. Time off from work. Now, as a parent, I still look forward to the weekend, although I think it is all psychological because, let's face it, I still am "working". My routine doesn't really change, although we don't have the usual routine for getting to school in the morning, unless there is a soccer game or basketball game. But I do relax a little.

Tonight we went to dinner with our good friends, with kids, which is not relaxing for Dave. But I had had a big day, full of stuff, and even with my kids doing the best they could do (which for Joey at a restaurant is not very good at all) which still involves a bit of chaos, I could sit back a little and chill because it is the weekend. I might have even been a little too chill because Dave told me Caroline was doing headstands on the floor of the dive-y pizza place (did I mention that Caroline can do a true headstand, total yoga perfection, whenever, where ever?) . Yes, I just admitted that for 5 minutes I was one of "those" parents. My apologies. It's the weekend.

Gratitude

I am grateful that my cousin Ben called me this week to tell me he is getting married. I tried to play it cool, but I had tears rolling down my face as he told me all about it. He is the bomb-diggity. Remember this post? It was about my splendid cousin Erin's beautiful wedding and there was this picture of her two brothers (Bry with the fist, Ben with the stare) and I mentioned my super smart, talented, kind, handsome cousin Ben who was single at the time. Well, single no more. He got engaged this past week to a great gal named Liz, who just might be the luckiest gal in the land (Ben is lucky also, she is fantastic). And I am grateful that Ben has started med school, he is a natural. We need a doctor in the family. Congrats Benny, I love you.

Gratitude

I am grateful for toothbrushes... I would really hate to be chewing on a twig to keep the plaque off my teeth. Now if I could just get some dental hygiene elves to floss my teeth while I sleep.

And I am grateful for pomegranates, going to eat one right now.

Gratitude

Obvious this should be the focus this month, and every month, so I am going to focus.

Today I am grateful for modern medicine and a doctor that Caroline calls by name. Today she had to get her 4 year well child check. She was enthusiastic about all parts until she got focused.

"Brian (our doctor), are you listening to me?"

"Brian? Brian, I don't want the little sharp thing to go in my legs!"

"Brian, please don't give me a shot!"

"Brian, are you listening to me?"

She had stopped begging me, I had already told her that the shots help keep the big bugs from getting in our body and making us sick. She had already told me that she will just pound her legs and make the bugs leave, or get them out of her ear.

"Brian, tell my mom I don't need them, please!"

Brian, showing me his jack o' lantern he carved (a pic on his iPhone) of the President-Elect (a good carve job, by the way, he got the pattern off of http://www.yeswecarve.com/ or something, for you budding presidential carvers - the good kind not the psycho carvers) said, "Whit, I have to get out of here before she talks me into not ever giving her shots again, she is breaking my heart."

She ended up getting 4 shots (we got her kindergarten one early so that next year there would no shots. She screamed bloody murder, screaming no over and over again, I am sure that the whole waiting room heard her.

I am grateful for a doctor who is tender and gentle with my kids and has his heart breaking at their sincere begging.

Caroline is now home, changed into a skirt and out of tights, so that she can keep checking her glittery bandaids. She realizes that she freaked out without needing to. All is well and hopefully we can keep the big bugs away.

7 Things Tag

Tagged by Tiffany

7 things I can do:

1 - Pinch with my toes
2 - Make a mess
3 - listen to U2
4 - watch good t.v.
5 - make a killer chicken tortilla soup
6 - remember phones numbers
7 - make good gravy

7 things I can't do:

1 - make cookies, even the kind with pre-made cookie dough
2 - de-clutter
3 - balance a check book
4 - be patient
5 - remember where I put things
6 - park my large suv in my garage well
7 - clean toilets

7 things I always say:

1 - I'm sorry, what?
2 - Oh crumb.
3 - Turn off the tv please, NOW!
4 - Caroline, please don't (insert push, hit, pinch, glare at, think about pushing...here) Joey.
5 - I love you more.
6 - Ouch.
7 - Sure Dave, anything you want.

7 things I always eat:

1 - Raisin Bran
2 - Peanut Butter and Honey sandwiches
3 - Xocai dark chocolate
4 - sharp cheddar cheese
5 - Diet Coke (this must count, just one a day)
6 - Chips and Salsa
7 - Sharp cheddar cheese

Tagging 7

1 - Paige
2 - Angel
3 - Liz
4 - Katie
5 - Tia
6 - Linds
7 - Mis

Let me know when you do it!!!

No Butts

I try not to rant, really I do. Especially here, where I try to be my better self and not show my true, cynical self. But seriously, I can't take it anymore.

Today, while I was driving about town, I saw about 20 cigarettes being thrown from their owner's cars. Those of you that properly dispose of you cancer sticks, I applaud you BUT the rest of you SUCK!!! Why do these Flickies (as I refer to those that throw their leftovers into the streets or sidewalks, or ponds with innocent ducklings and guppies) think that it is just fine to dispose of their trash this way? My neighbor, who loves his ciggies and lots of them, makes sure that his cig-ends never end up in his drive way, but has no qualms about them in his neighbors lawn or my gutter.

AND, while I am here, a few weeks ago Dave and I were out of town (his 20 year reunion, I really should post about it because it was a lot of fun, great people, he had a ball) and we were hanging out at the roof top pool, enjoying the warm, fresh air when three men came out and chose to sit right by us. There were plenty of other seats, but fine. Until they all lit up! 3 feet away! Ironically, I was reading this article at the time, it basically says if people would stop smoking we would save millions of lives. Smoke away, Flickies, but do it in your own space. Not around others that don't have a cigarette hanging from their lip or dangling from their finger. AND, those who choose to smoke around their children, ugh, so crazy. I just read this article found here about the dangers of second hand smoke for children.

Am I a hater? Kind of. Sorry, but I think that this may be one of the more selfish habits of people. And they are litter bugs.

photo found here

12,614,400

times infinity. This is how much I love this little girl. But that is only represented by a number, not by how much my heart bursts at the thought of her.




Caroline turned 4 yesterday. Four. I can't tell you how many people ask how we are going to fight off the boys for this little girl and I always think, "If they can figure her out, keep up with her, make her notice them, they may just earn the right to be near her", or something like that.





She is a ball of energy, a bundle of random kisses and hugs, the owner of words that make you laugh or cry out with exasperation, the sweetest little thing or the feistiest - pick your minute of the day.





We had a small little gathering for her, some neighborly friends. All she would say is that she wanted 100 things. "Some from the T.V., some from the book", (meaning Nick Jr. commercials or the Toys'R'Us catalog that came in the mail the other day) was her reply when asked what she wanted, but never specifics. I hope she thinks that is what she got.




She did get a little doll from my parents, she named it Ruby - this is one name that I wanted for her, so I am glad her little doll has it (and am quite glad that she is Caroline, it is perfect). She was thrilled with the day and even woke me up at 4 am this morning to ask me if it was still her birthday. She was up late, telling me that her animals and Ruby weren't tired so she couldn't go to sleep, they were keeping her up. I told her to go back in her room and explain to them it was a long day, so much excitement and they all needed their sleep. A little argument followed between her and the said animals, really. I heard her trying to talk them into sleep, but they came up with some very good reasons why they should all stay up and keep celebrating.







The other night, Eli and Dave were playing Wii Sports and Eli yelled, "YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?!?" to Dave, taunting him and Caroline followed it up with a very serious shout, "YEAH, YOU WANT A PIECE OF CAKE?!?". No one could stop laughing, we still can't.





Paige, I still don't know which of your photos is my favorite, I love them all. You have to help me choose. Or just come and take more and more, please?