Thankful

As everyone else I suppose, with tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I have tried to put some thought toward what I am truly thankful for. I know that on my list of things I'm thankful for are alot of the things that so many others are thankful for, my home, my children, my friends and family, but how often do I stop and really take the time to be thankful?

I get very caught up in the rush of daily activities that I sometimes take one simple fact for granted. As a little girl, I used to think about what I wanted my life to be like someday. And it occurred to me, that I have truly gotten everything that I wished for. I knew that someday I wanted to have a husband to love and who loves me. I have two beautiful healthy children who fill my world with more joy than I ever thought possible. I have my health to be able to enjoy them. I have a family that loves and supports me no matter what and I have friends that I know I could count on in the best of times and the worst of times. I have a church that I can go and worship the Lord and I have a home that is my favorite place on Earth to be. I have salvation that I know about and I have a peace in my heart that I don't fear what will happen to me when this life is over.

Am I rich, certainly not. Do I have my share of disappointments and frustrations, you bet...but in the end of the day, I lay in bed at night and just have to whisper a prayer that simply says,

"Thank You."

Anyone feel like this?

Sometimes I am completely amazed at the words that I hear coming from my own mouth. For example, the other day, I found myself having to say,

"Do not put your sister into that duffle bag...."

Really, does this post need anything else???

Just a Little Perspective

Some days I run in a complete circle to get everyone fed, and bathed, and clean and on time for church. Some days I totally lose sight in the reason I go to church in the first place with all of the shuffle that goes on to get us out the door on time on Sunday mornings. Then some days like today happens.

This past week has gone by in a blur. I have worked almost non stop when I wasn't with the kids. I have fretted myself to death about orders getting completed, customers getting called back etc. It has almost gotten the best of me.

So back to this morning...We are on the way to church this morning when Lilly has fallen asleep and Noah is in one of his "thoughtful" moods. In other words, he's not jabbering on a mile a minute and he's not singing, or fussing, etc. These are the times when I try to have our Mommy and Noah talks. (Because any other time he's talking too much to listen so it seems like these talks happen either when we're in the car, we're cooking dinner together or I'm tucking him in at night) I take the opportunity to talk to Noah about church.

"Noah, do you know why we go to church on Sundays?" I ask

"No, why" says Noah

"Well do you have any good ideas?" I ask him, he thinks about it and then answers, "Well God and Jesus."

I tell him that is right, and that that is the most important thing we do. It's the most important thing we will ever do and the very most important thing he will ever do, is to go to church and to try to serve God and love him and to raise his family when he is a grown up to love God. I repeat again, that it's the most important thing he'll ever do.

He thinks about this for a long long moment and then his answer made me catch my breath.

"Mom," he says, "It's more important than money?"

Trying to answer without him hearing my voice catch, I reply, "Yes, buddy, it's more important than money."

It amazes me that through one tiny conversation with my five year old, God can completely put my week back into perspective.

I Did a Bad Bad Thing...

Today I did a bad bad thing...My poor baby has been sick for a week and she has absolutely whined and cried her eyes out. Like lay in the floor and cry and weep...

She has discovered that sippies of warm milk and mommy holding her are the only thing that can help. Yesterday she drank one sippy after another and managed to get constipated....that didn't help the crying.

Today is the third day of the nonstop crying...and today I broke out the Pacifier. Yep the pacifier that she has been rid of for over a month...but I did a bad bad thing and I gave it back. And you know what it helped...

Yes I know it will be torture getting her to part with it again.

Yes I know she's too old for it.

Yes I recall the reason we took Noah's away is that it was starting to mess up his front teeth...oh yeah her front teeth are already messed up (you know like missing..)

But you know what else I know, I am the Mommy and it's Mommy's job to make things better.

But for today I did a bad bad thing...but I have a happier baby


And I heart happy babies...

I also heart husbands who work through their lunch hours to come home early to help out with the sick little ones so mommy can take a shower! They're the BEST!!!

Croup...

Every year....I repeat EVERY YEAR since Noah has been born he has gotten sick around Halloween. I mean like with one or two days before or after...Six years straight...and guess what. Lilly Grace has been sick every year around Halloween also.

So true to form, last Thursday, Mom calls me from school to tell me Noah is feeling bad and is running a temp. I took him to the doctor than afternoon and he has "croup". This is most common in babies but we have the "big kid" version as the doctor phrased it. So after a little rest, a little juice, and a lot of Steroids, Noah is good to go. He still has a cough that sounds like some sort of oversized sea lion, but OK none the less.

Yesterday Lil wakes up with that unmistakable bark in her throat so after a trip to the dentist to get the tooth checked again (and driving back to Brownsville I might add because I left my stupid wallet at home...) we are back in the same doctor's office. They inform me that "yes, she's caught the same virus...but it's triggered croup AND an asthma flare-up." Thanks, doc, I tried to tell you that on the phone to save myself an office visit....Nonetheless we are sent home with (you guessed it) steroids, and round the clock nebulizer treatments.

I'm wondering if there is some sort of prescription drug rotation we can sign up for where they just send us an automatic prescription of steroids every October. If so, sign up the Parsley house!

But to look at the bright side of things, me and Lil have got to wear our comfy clothes today, and sip juice, and tea, and rock in our rocking chair and watch a whole lot of cartoons and. And I have enjoyed snuggling my baby, even if she does sound like a seal, or a sea lion...

Where does the time go???

Halloween Pics

Yikes...I'm still catching my breath from last week!!! Anybody else feel this way? It was fun but super busy! I've had sessions back to back, baked and decorated cupcakes for Noah's class, went to three doctor's appointments, attended Noah's class party (with Lilly along), shot sessions Saturday morning, went Trick or Treating with the babies, visited with family, and cooked and hosted about 30 or so people at my house on Sunday for Mom's birthday! Today I did go and update my little man's fall wardrobe and did some grocery shopping before working tonight. So I took a break from the computer work to update my blog with pictures of my sweet babies in their Halloween costumes. Noah was "Captain Jack Sparrow" from Pirates of the Carribean and Lil was Batgirl for the kindergarten Halloween party and then she was a UK cheerleader for Trick or Treating. Thanks Lindsay for the bows...they were perfect!!!

Lilly goes back to the dentist tomorrow for another "tooth" update and more X-rays...and I'll try not to think about all of the sugar and candy they ingested over the weekend...oh well I did make them brush extra times after the candy gorging...