28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 26 - The Cowboys

Being the first holiday without Bernie's dad, we knew that today would be a difficult day.  We made the decision a few weeks ago that we would keep the festivities very low key.  We would have sandwiches for those that eat turkey, some appetizers, a few side dishes, and a couple of pies.  If people wanted to stop by, they could come whenever they wanted.  We were not going to have a formal sit down dinner.  I don't think any of us could have sat in the dining room and looked at the empty chair where Ed was supposed to sit. 

 

A few of my friends posted this message on Facebook in the last two days and it is absolutely fitting:

 

My brother had to work today, so my sister-in-law, Gina, stopped by with my new niece.  It was so nice to have them here.  Alex was a very welcome distraction. 

 

At only 7lbs. now, Alex is still smaller than Vivi's Cabbage Patch Doll. Vivi kept trying to pick Alex up.  We had to be very careful to make sure that Vivi didn't get her hands on her cousin unless she was under very strict adult supervision. 



Gary and Katie were supposed to come home but unfortunately the big storm kept them in Pittsburgh. Our moms both came over and it was nice to have them here.   I really didn't take many pictures, usually I have a ton to post following a holiday. It was a very quiet day.  Other than the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the on-line pre-Black Friday sales we've been shopping, you would hardly even know it was Thanksgiving.  It was exactly the day that we needed.

 

I hope all of you had a nice holiday with the people that mean the most to you.  The one thing this year has taught us is to appreciate the time you are given with them. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families that are feeling a void left by someone special they have lost.

 

Today I am thankful that the Cowboys won. No, I am not kidding. The game, or I should say the second half, injected at least a small amount of joy into Bernie's day

 

Happy Thanksgiving.

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 25 - Music

My grandmother has signs in her kitchen that say:

"My favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations."

and

"The only reason I have a kitchen is because it came with the house."

She doesn't like to cook. I must have inherited that trait from her. I don't really like it either. Maybe because I never really learned how to cook.  I find I take recipes too literally. My type A personality wants to follow the directions exactly, and that just doesn't work. Plus there is the planning, the shopping, the dishes. None of that is appealing to me.

Thankfully, Bernie does most of the cooking. I do try to give him a break at least a few times a week. Tonight he questioned why my cooking always seems to include an impromptu dance party.  Jack and I both love the Katy Perry song, "Roar."  Jack calls it the "dancing through the fire song." I put it on my iPhone and Jack and Vivi and I sang and danced around the kitchen while I attempted to prepare dinner. It makes cooking way more fun and helps keep the kids occupied.

I love music, all kinds really. I used to hate opera and country, but lately those don't seem to bother me so much.  Anytime I am doing a task I'm not excited about (a long run, routine tasks at work, cooking, cleaning, etc.), I turn on the tunes and plough through. It helps keep me focused and on task.

Tonight I am thankful for music and impromptu dance parties, both of which make life (and dinner), just a little bit more interesting!

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 24 - 5 Years of Awesome

Yesterday was Jack's birthday.  His shirt says it all, I am thankful for five years of awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

A night owl from the beginning, Jack was born just after midnight. I told Jack Monday night that when he went to sleep he would be four and that when he woke up on Tuesday, he would be five.   He didn't believe me at first. Then he said he couldn't wait to be five. He told me he was going  to "grow up" overnight and not be my little boy anymore. That proclamation was followed by a sinister laugh.

I left for work yesterday before Jack woke up. Bernie got to be the class parent at preschool, so he got to spend the whole day with Jack.  I was totally jealous.  Bernie made cupcakes decorated with Star Wars cookies for Jack to share with his class: 

 

 

Jack got to do all the special jobs at school.  He did the calendar, the weather, and picked out a book for his teacher to read.

 

 

After school, he got to celebrate with Bernie's mom.  We then let Jack pick where he wanted to go for dinner. He picked Chuck E. Cheese (of course). I was hoping it wouldn't be too crowded on a Tuesday night, but there was at least one school group there, so we didn't exactly have the place to ourselves.

Vivi didn't like Chuck E. Cheese at first, but she eventually warmed up to the rides and the music.



Look at the focus!

After Chuck E. Cheese, we came home and he got to open most of his presents.  I don't have any pictures of that because I was trying to stop the dog from opening them first.  Overall, I think Jack had a pretty great day.  The celebration isn't quite over yet.  He still has his party to look forward to on Friday.

 

The last five years have flown by.  I'm thankful for every minute, for his laughter, for his questions, for his hugs, for his exuberance, and for Jack just being Jack. 

 

I love you monkey, and you will always be my little boy, even when you do grow up.

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 23 - Teachers

Jack's preschool class had their Thanksgiving feast today. Afterwards, they invited all the parents to come watch a little play they put on. My son made his theatrical debut as Captain of the Mayflower. He had the first line of the play: "I see land!" It was very cute.

I can only imagine how much work went into trying to get a bunch of 4 year olds to remember lines and songs, make hats and actually "build" the Mayflower. This on top of all of the other things the kids are supposed to be doing.  Things never go quite the way you plan with preschoolers. When Jack's hat ripped 1/2 way through the play, he was very upset and sat on the couch until it was over. One of his teachers (both of which have the patience of a saint), promptly got the tape to repair his hat, told him what a great job he did, and that everything was ok.

 

We have been blessed with great teachers for Jack and for the most part also for Nick throughout the years. Two of Nick's favorite teachers just got 10 requests for college recommendations for Thanksgiving. As if just teaching wasn't enough, they help all of their students with the college application process; and likely during personal time.

I've always had the utmost respect and admiration for teachers. Ok, not always, but at least since I've been a parent. Lol! As we approach the anniversary of that horrible day in Newtown, my appreciation for the teaching profession only grows.  We are constantly asking our teachers to do more and more with less and less. The vast majority love our kids and truly love teaching. It is not an easy task, the pay is less than stellar, and when push comes to shove, they will do anything to protect our most precious assets.

I am thankful for all of the teachers who have been a part of our lives and who have believed in my children.  To my own former teachers, I apologize for all the times that I wasn't exactly a model student. Thank you for not giving up on me.

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 22 - The Internet

We've collected a mish mash of Christmas stockings over the years and our tree skirt was a basic red felt one that  never stayed in place. I just ordered matching personalized stockings for all of us as well as a coordinating monogrammed quilted tree skirt. Usually by the time I think of doing these things it's too late to get them in time for Christmas. I'm excited to see the finished product. Yeah for good Pottery Barn sales!

I ordered all of these and many other things over the years, from the comfort of my couch. Bernie does 95% of our grocery shopping online. The college application process is way more streamlined than even when I applied to law school.  Facebook allows us to connect and keep up with extended family and long distance friends in ways that weren't really possible before. 

I've often wondered whether it was easier to practice law in the days of snail mail, when you weren't getting 100 emails a day, and no one expected an instant answer. After discussing it at length with some of my older colleagues, I've concluded that it was not any less stressful. They had to use carbon paper for multiple copies. If they wanted to edit a brief after it was completed, it had to be completely re-typed (with all of the editing I do, I can't even imagine my life without the copy/paste function), and all of their research was done at the library in actual books. They didn't have the ability to work at home at night after their kids were tucked into bed. This meant much longer hours at the office and less flexibility to attend school functions, sporting events, etc.

Jack has asked before where the internet is and what it looks like. He thinks it is magic. In some ways he's right.  Today I am thankful for the magic of the internet, for all of the ways it has made time consuming tasks more efficient, and for the flexibility to work from anywhere; even if it has raised the bar on productivity, and tethered us with a seemingly inescapable digital leash. I think the pros outweigh the cons, at least so far.

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 21 - Down Time

It has been a really long week. Next week is likely to be just as crazy with Jack's birthday, Thanksgiving, getting the tree up, etc.

We have no plans this weekend other than to get organized, get ready for Thanksgiving, work on college applications, and just hang out together.  I don't feel like we get to do that enough. In this world of endless activities and overscheduling, you almost have to block off hours on your calendar just for recharging.

Today I am thankful for lazy Saturday mornings and for being able to enjoy some down time with my family.

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 20 - Blessings in Disguise

My Aunt Kelly was probably my first best friend (if you don't count my parents). 

She would take me everywhere with her: to the park, to feed the ducks, and sometimes to meet her boyfriends. After she met Uncle Rich, we would go to his farm to see the animals.

I liked Uncle Rich a lot, that is, until he wanted to marry my Aunt Kelly.  She was mine and I didn't want to share.  I was afraid he would move her far away from me. I don't know why I thought that, maybe it was because Aunt Jan and Uncle Tyler lived far away.

I wasn't happy about their wedding and I refused to take any pictures with them at all, except for this one.

When they had kids, I was even less happy. I thought they were trying to replace me.

Uncle Rich tried really hard to get me to like him. I remember one time in particular when he tucked me into bed and read me stories. That night he taught me how to count beyond 20.

It turns out that I was right about them moving away. We lived in New Jersey at the time, and they ended up moving right outside of Atlanta.  I was not happy.

At one point Uncle Rich got really sick. They didn't know what was wrong with him or if he was going to be ok. It was scary. I felt bad for being mean to him. I think it was at that point that I forgave him for "stealing" Aunt Kelly. I was about 8 or 9 at the time. I even wrote him a letter and told him I was sorry and that I hoped he felt better (although I am not sure it actually got mailed).  Once I forgave him, I realized what a great guy he really is. Fortunately for all of us, he made a full recovery. 

They have been married for 33 years. I'm  happy that they have each other.  Their two daughters - the ones I didn't really like in the beginning - have become my closest cousins. I was even in Lindsey's wedding (and a lot of the pictures). 

If you look carefully you can see Jack in the picture too - I was about six months pregnant with him. 

In an interesting turn of events, Jack absolutely loves Uncle Rich, and in his mind, I think Aunt Kelly is just the woman Uncle Rich lives with - LOL.

Uncle Rich was the first of a long line of people, things, and situations that I rejected initially, but once I opened my mind and my heart, I realized that he and all of those other things were really and truly blessings in my life. I am thankful both for the realization and for the blessings themselves. 

To Uncle Rich: thank you for being such a great friend and uncle and for being patient with me. I love you and Aunt Kelly both!