Grateful for: N

Newt & Barbara

I woke up this morning, bright and early, to get ready before everyone else so we could head down to Livermore for a baby shower.  I noticed Doodlebug was sleeping longer than normal but figured it was because he had a busy day prior.  

A little before 8:00, I heard his normal "I'm awake!  Come get me!" crying.  When I opened the door, he was standing in his crib, hair matted down with vomit, and poop leaking out of his diaper.  "We've got throw up!" I shouted to LaVor.  I took Doodlebug into the bathroom to clean him up and LaVor stripped his bed.  

With 3/4 of us congested with colds and Doodlebug having it come out of both ends, we decided to forego the trip and stay home.  Unfortunately, I was one of the hosts for the shower so I needed to get my stuff to Livermore somehow.  

Only a few minutes later, LaVor was on the phone with his grandparents, asking if we could drop the stuff off at their home and they take it the rest of the way.  "Sure!" they said.

I'm not surprised they were so willing to help us out.  They have always been so concerned about the well-being and happiness of their children and grandchildren (and great grandchildren) that they would literally bend over backwards for anyone.

Newt and Barbara (or Papa and Grams) are a light in our lives.  I am so thankful to be part of their family and to be able to witness their many acts of service.  They are prime examples of being a follower of Christ and I can only hope that one day I can be as nurturing, caring, loving, and giving as they are.

Grateful for: M

Mr. Mac

I was blessed, in my 13 years of public school, to have two Mr. McNamaras.  One was my photography teacher in high school, the other was my 8th grade CORE teacher.

8th grade was a tough year for me.  I didn't have a lot of friends (I can count 4 that I felt comfortable with at school but our friendships ended there), I wished that I could have fit in but I didn't know how to go about doing it, I was ugly, I was teased.  There just wasn't a whole lot for me to be excited about.  I never acted on my thoughts, but it did cross my mind how much easier life would be if I didn't have to deal with it anymore.

I was looking through a box of stuff last night and came across some feedback Mr. Mac (8th grade) had written me regarding my Constitution Project (this project was a big deal and everyone dreaded going into 8th grade because of it).

Here's a little background:  One of my "friends" was Emily Chan.  Emily Chan was pretty much a genius.  She was chartered to the high school every day for math because she was too smart for all of the math classes in middle school.  She succeeded at everything academically.  

Emily was in my CORE class, and I felt a huge amount of pressure (put on by myself) to be at her level, even though I knew I'd never be at her level.

At the end of our project, Mr. Mac had us write our feelings about it and I obviously included Emily in my thoughts.

I remember getting my project back, after Mr. Mac had graded it, and sobbing as I read his remarks (sorta like how I'm sobbing now). I've been known to wear my emotions on my sleeve but I wasn't aware Mr. Mac was paying that close attention to my struggles.

His last few lines really got me. "You have so much potential to be 'amazing' in your own right, you just continually limit yourself by hiding behind that facade of indifference. Please don't compare yourself to Emily or anyone else, because you are you and I would take you over just about anyone. Just put your energy to use in a more positive manner. You might surprise yourself."

I find myself not wanting to do things, still, because I'm afraid of failing. I spent 7.5 months in culinary school, and a whole heck of a lot of money, but I'm terrified to bake things for people because I'm afraid they won't like it. LaVor wants me to dabble in photography a little more but I'm scared that I'll look like a fool. I get invited to multiple things but never go because I'm afraid of what people might think of me.

Who knew that his words would still need to be applied 17 years later?

I'm grateful that Mr. Mac saw something in me that I didn't. I'm grateful that he took the time to write a whole page of feedback. I'm grateful that he was concerned about his students and wanted them to succeed in all aspects of their lives.  I'm grateful that he wasn't afraid to lay it all out there.  I'm grateful that I found this random piece of paper tucked away in a box to remind myself just how amazing I am and can be.

Grateful for: L

Lazy days

Sunday night, The Lime wasn't feeling well so I kept him home from school on Monday.  Since we weren't going anywhere or seeing anyone, we stayed in our jammies all day (except for Doodlebug...he's a messy eater so he changed outfits multiple times throughout the day).

The Lime HATES when I don't take a shower or get ready for the day.  You can imagine how thrilled he was Monday.

When LaVor got home from work, he expressed his desire to be able to stay in his pajamas all day.  I told him it doesn't happen often, and if I'm going to be hanging out in the bathroom half the day, there's no need for me to smell good and look cute.

I'm thankful for those days, every now and then, where we can literally sit on the couch and do nothing but watch Liv & Maddie and K.C. Undercover while being cozy and comfy in our pajamas.  

 

Grateful for: K

Kindergarten

It's been three months (what?!?!) since The Lime started kindergarten and holy macrol!  That kid has progressed so much.

We had parent/teacher conferences a couple of weeks ago and his teacher showed me a paper that she'll keep for the remainder of the year.  Each month, she has the kids right the same thing and each month, The Lime has improved from the previous one.

He's thriving in math and is right where he needs to be for language arts.  His mind is always thinking and he oftentimes asks us what letter ____ makes, or what word is ______.  He'll ask me how old Doodlebug will be when he's 9.  I tell him Doodlebug is 4 years younger, so take 4 away from 9 and he'll be _____.  He's great at figuring things out in his head.

Prior to starting kindergarten, he would sit for maybe five minutes and paint, or color, or draw.  Now, he asks nearly everyday if he can make something.  He's drawn pictures for his teacher, baseball coach, and his friends.  He likes to write down the names of all the kids in his class and then give them a personalized popsicle stick.

He recognizes kids wherever we go.  "That boy is in Mrs. ______'s class!"  "I've seen her at recess!"

I was so sad and nervous and apprehensive for The Lime to start kindergarten (mainly because I wasn't ready) but, as I knew deep down, it has turned into a wonderful experience for him.  I'm so grateful for all that he's learning, for the friendships he's cultivating, for the memories he's making, and for the big kid he's becoming.

 

 

Grateful for: J

Joking Around

LaVor was going through old family photos Saturday night and came across this one from his sister's wedding 11 years ago.

Surely, we must have been joking around.

And nothing has changed since then.

We joke around...a lot.  Sometimes we cross the line, but for the most part we're all having a good time and laughing.

I'm grateful we have two little dudes in our bunch that can joke around with us.  Their sweet little laughs can bring the house down.  And give them an awful case of the hiccups.

I'm grateful for joking around - for the fun, happiness, and laughter it brings into our home.

Grateful For: I

Impromptu Surprises

Last Wednesday night, LaVor had to go to the church to get some things done for scouts.  While he was gone, I got the boys ready for bed, which included nursing Doodlebug.

I got a text from LaVor asking if I was still feeding him.  "Nope," I responded.  I forgot what I was doing the moment he walked in the door but a little while later, I walked into the kitchen and saw two Starbucks cups on the counter.

"Awwwwwwww!" I said and gave him a big hug.  The nights are just about freezing (in my book) and he surprised me with a white hot chocolate (and himself a caramel apple cider).  It's only appropriate to drink such a fattening drink when it's freezing, otherwise you'd end up just as fat as the beverage.

I was so thankful for his thoughtfulness and desire to want to surprise me.  It tasted sooooooo good and was the perfect impromptu treat to warm me up.

 

Grateful for: H

Honesty
 
A couple weeks ago, we played Jeopardy with the older kids in Primary.  At the beginning of each round, a child from each team would come to the front of the room and one of them would pick the category and point amount.  Once the question was read, whoever raised their hand first and answered correctly got the points.  If they didn't know the answer, the other player had a chance to guess.  

In one particular round, one child guessed the answer and got it wrong.  The other player had her chance to steal but was unsure of the answer.  Her team was shouting several different things at her, one of which was the answer.  Unfortunately, she couldn't rely on her team for the answer.  The opposite team heard the answer being shouted and erupted into hysterics, calling out "Cheaters!".  The counselor heading the game asked the girl if she said the answer because someone shouted it out.  You could tell the girl was hesitant to tell the truth because she wanted to win for her team, nor did she want to be made fun of or yelled at or booed.  But with her cheeks bright red from embarrassment, she answered "yes."

I was so unbelievably proud and grateful for this girl's honesty.  How many times, even as adults, are we swayed by those around us and the pressures of fitting in even if it goes against what we believe.  This girl could have easily lied and helped her team win but she chose to do the right thing.  

As the kids were leaving at the end of the block, I mentioned to the girl how appreciative I was for her honesty.  She's pretty shy to begin with, so her response was merely eye contact, but I hope she remembers this situation for years to come.  Because it definitely made an impact on me.