Prayer Time

When we pray as a family, this is usually how it goes down:

Mommy or Daddy: Tralee, it's time to pray.

Tralee folds her arms and starts saying a prayer

Tralee: "Heavenly Father (or how Tralee says it, Heeny Hoho), tank a day. Mommy. Daddy. Baby. Goggy. Amen"

Tralee's prayers vary. For instance, yesterday before we prayed Tralee stubbed her toe, and Daddy kissed it better. This is what Tralee's prayer sounded like yesterday:

Tralee: "Heavenly Father, tank a day. Got an owie, Daddy tiss it beh-ha. Amen."

Jim and I were cracking it up.

Sometimes Tralee's prayers are understandable, and sometimes she says things we can't make out. After she's done praying she points to one of us and says "Mommy's turn," or "Daddy's turn."

Whoever's turn it is says the prayer for the day. Sometimes Tralee will point at Corky and say "Doggy's turn." Sometimes it's even "Baby's turn." When it's our canine friend's turn, or Hunter's turn Jim and I step in and say the prayer for them in their voice. Woofing for Corky, and talking like a baby for Hunter. Before all is said and done, every member of our family says a prayer for the day. Eventually we'll teach Tralee that just one prayer needs to be said at each occasion, but for now we don't mind each taking a turn.

Still Thankful

Yeah, I missed a few thankful days. I've been busy. You know those kind of days where you KNOW you had a lot going on, but not a whole lot to show for it? Those are the kind of days I've had. To catch up, here are a few things I'm thankful for:

1. When my kids take naps at the same time. It doesn't happen often, especially now that Tralee doesn't nap, but when they DO happen to both be sleeping. . . HEAVEN!!!

2. My Grandpa Milt. He and his wife, my Grandma Pauline, took my mother under their wings when my mom was in her twenties. They considered her an adopted daughter, and have been a part of my family ever since. Many of my fondest childhood memories involve Grandma Pauline and Grandpa Milt. I am so thankful for all they did for me and my family growing up. Grandpa Milt passed away on Sunday. My thoughts and prayers are with Grandma Pauline and the rest of the family. He will be missed.

3. I'm thankful for a clean house. My house isn't clean at all. In fact, I would be embarrassed if anyone saw it right now. But, having it be so messy makes me realize how grateful I am when my house actually is clean.

4. Baby wipes. Those little guys work wonders. . . and not just on babies' behinds. Seriously, they get stains out of carpets pretty well too.

5. Magazines and catalogs. I love getting my magazines in the mail, and whenever the Pottery Barn catalogs find their way to my mailbox, I get really excited. I've NEVER purchased anything from Pottery Barn, but I like to get inspired by their catalog.

6. I'm grateful for a husband that I can say things like this to, "Honey, do you see this dresser in the Pottery Barn catalog? Can you make it for me, only in this color, and I want it to fit in this space. Thanks." Then, I'm grateful that my husband can actually make the thing I want at a fraction of the price Pottery Barn charges. :) How lucky am I?

That's all for now.

You might not be hearing from me until after Turkey Day. So, if not, I hope everyone has a VERY happy Thanksgiving.

11.20.09 Thank you very much

1. Memories from when we were just married. We had our tiny little apartment, we were busy with work and school, but life was GREAT! It's true you know, you really will miss "those" days.

2. The way that Hunter just goes for it when he rolls from tummy to back. He's so committed to the roll. He tilts his head back, and the weight of his head propels his whole body over.

3. How excited Tralee gets to see other children. She loves to play with kids SO much, and is eager to make friends. I really need to find a play group or something for her.

4. Dreams of the future. My future is such a happy, comfortable, pleasant place. I hope you can all come and visit me there in 5 to 10 years.

5. My Friends DVDs. I love that show. It never gets old. I started watching one of my Friends dvds last night when the kids were asleep, and Jim was watching sports on the other tv. It was a nice way to unwind at the end of the day.

11.19 Thankfuls

I am thankful for:

1. My childhood. I had a great one. I hope my kids are left with great childhood memories.

2. My dishwasher. I HATE doing dishes, having a dishwasher makes it so much nicer.

3. The nice family at Petco. They had three little girls around Tralee's age. They were at Petco for the same reasons Tralee and I were: To look at the doggies and kitties. Tralee really hit it off with their little girls, and they ended up running around the store together giggling, jumping, and laughing. When we were all leaving, their grandma was buying her granddaughters gum and candy out of the 25 cent machines. I didn't have any quarters and Tralee was waiting for her turn to get some. I started explaining to Tralee that we would have to get a treat another day when their grandma handed Tralee a quarter as well. SOOOO nice. It's little gestures like that that just make my day! I love nice people.

4. Learning something new about Jim I never knew before. For instance, he used to melt chocolate and marshmallows together in the microwave, put them in the freezer, then put his concoction in little baggies and sell them for .25 cents each on the playground. When I asked him what he did with the money he made, he said he would go to the store and bought chocolate. What a funny kid he must have been.

5. When my babies are both asleep for the night. I love to be their mom, but it's so nice to have a little time with my hubby, or to myself when they're both down for the night.

Thankful For . . . .

Today I'm thankful for:

1. A talented husband who can build things like this:

Jim designed and built all of the cabinets below. . . just to show a few of them.

I like the glass criss-cross windows in this one. Simply lovely.

I like the cabinet color in this one. Very cool. Jim also did the shelf above the fireplace. We have one like it as well, only ours is red.

They say a house doesn't start feeling complete until the cabinets are in. That's my hubby's job. Making the home complete with his beautiful cabinet work. He's so talented! He does it all, designs the cabinets, builds them, stains and paints them, and installs them. It's all a labor of love. He loves what he does, and I'm grateful for that. I can't wait for him to design and build cabinets in our dream home someday. He's already built the cabinets in the home we're in, and they're awesome. I'm so lucky to have such a talented guy around!

2. Getting all the laundry done. . . FINALLY!

3. Hunter's chubbiness. The kid is a little chunk and I LOVE it.

4. Tralee's excitement about playing with other kids at the park. She needs to play with friends more often. I'm afraid I can get rather boring for her.

5. The fall. I love autumn. It's my favorite season. In fact, when I was younger I wished my named was Autumn. I love the scenery, the smells, the crispness in the air, the colors, sitting inside sipping on hot cocoa while the wind is blowing. It's all so lovely.

Thankful -- Now in Technicolor!

Here's today's list.

Today I'm thankful for:


1. My brothers. Jimmy was your typical big brother growing up. He teased me to tears, but if anyone else messed with me, he became my protector. I looked up to him growing up, and I'm so proud of him today. He's a great daddy, and when he sets his mind on something he REALLY wants, he won't give up until he has it. He's also incredibly kind and thoughtful. My other brother, Todd has taught me so much about being patient, kind, loving, and compassionate. I ache for him to be happy. I know someday he will have his mansion in the sky. I hope in the next life, I'll be able to sit down, and REALLY have a GREAT conversation with him. Todd also helped me know that Jim was the guy for me. Most guys I dated didn't know how to act around Todd so they would get really awkward when they first met him. I can't really blame them, it can be a lot to take in. However, I wanted the guy I married to have NO issues with me having a special needs brother. When Jim first met Todd all my worries were put aside. Jim and Todd hit it right off, and Jim knew exactly what to say, how to act, and treat Todd like a his brother.
2. I'm grateful for the following pictures of my mom. Isn't she a fox? P.S. She says wigs were "in" back then. The picture where she has an afro-thing going on, yeah, that's a wig. The rest are all her! She still has the prettiest hair. She's NEVER dyed it! NEVER! It's still pretty much the same shiny brown it is in the pictures below. Go MOM!

I love the shirt she's wearing.

Nice wig

My mom and me. And, by-the-way, Hunter looks A LOT like me as a baby. I just realized that when I was looking at this picture.

3. Can you tell I'm thankful for old pictures tonight?

4. I'm thankful for these photos of my dad

He was a cute little kid. I think his grandkids inherited a lot of his good looks.

My parents met in the army reserves. It's fun to imagine them back then, just a couple of youngsters fallin' in love.

See, they look good together. I'm glad they decided to make it offical.

5. I'm grateful for the wonderful family history I have. There are so many stories (good and bad), so much love, a little heartache, and so many blessings. I'm really grateful to be part of it all.

Today's Thankfuls

Today I'm thankful for. . .

1. Jim and the two hours of sleep I got this morning. Hunter DID NOT sleep last night. Maybe he's starting to teeth or something, but he was up all night. I wasn't feeling my best to begin with, so the no sleep thing was AWFUL. Then, at around 6:30am Jim took over. He pushed back his install for later in the morning, and watched both kids for me while I slept for two hours. He closed our bedroom door and kept all little munchkins away from me. I swear, those two hours of sleep were HEAVEN! Absolute bliss. Jim's awesome!

2. Good friends. The kind you can tell anything to, and they don't judge you. They're just your friends, ready to listen, and offer help or advice when needed.

3. My sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. All of Jim's siblings and their spouses are awesome. I never felt awkward or in-lawish around them. They just took me in as one of their own, and I love them for it. My brother's wife is also awesome. It always seems like we have a lot to talk about when we're together. She's so comfortable to be around, and a lot of fun. She's also an awesome mommy.


4. PBSkids.org and Starfall.com. Tralee loves both of these internet sites. She especially loves the Curious George games on PBS and pretty much everything on Starfall. I love these sites because it's a nice way to pass some time with Tralee, and they're educational. We started with learning the letters and their sounds on starfall when Tralee was around a year, and she knew most of the letters before she turned two.

5. Books. I love to read. I haven't been lately, unless it's to the kids. My excuse? I'm busy with the munchkins. I just got Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. I'm going to find the time, and read it. Can't wait! I hope it's as good as I remember it being.