thankful

i was going to make a list of all the thing i am thankful for in 2008. it was going to include stuff like tivo, dark chocolate, new running shoes, etc. but then i realized what i am really thankful for from this past year revolves around a chubby little girl named josie.

• i am thankful for the car accident that sent me to my doctor's office
• i am thankful for the doctors that realized something looked "off"
• i am thankful that they decided to take my baby early, even though they weren't sure what was wrong
  

• i am thankful for the nicu team that cared for josie - they were awesome!
• i am thankful for the experience of having a baby in the hospital for an extended period of time - the things i saw made me VERY VERY thankful for the kids & family i have

• i am thankful for everyone who's prayed for josie this past year
• i am thankful for new blogging friends who check in and see how's she doing
• i am thankful for family & friends who have helped out so much these past 10 months... from bring us food, visiting us in the hospital, taking my kids to school, babysitting my kids, the list could go on & on - we couldn't have done it without you!

but most of all, i am thankful that God was with us every step of the way. had i not had my minor car accident {why didn't the repair bill seem so minor?} josie would probably not be with us today. that's truly a miracle. so on this thankgiving weekend, i'm thankful for lots of things...but i am most thankful for God and the miracle he worked for our family.

the miracle of josie is easy to see. there are countless other things God does in our lives that don't make sense or we don't even notice them. i hope that in this next year, i can take time to see and appreciate more of those miracles whether they are big or little :)

what's cool about the 21 century?

the fact that i can order dominoes pizza with my tivo remote.

now that is progress!!!


{granted it might help if there was a dominoes near me...but the fact that i have the ability to order makes me laugh}

should i tell her?

olivia is our logical child.

our logical child has learned about real & make-believe at school. well, at least i think she has because it's been the topic of conversation all fall whenever we read a story or see something on tv.

and our logical child just talked to santa at the mall yesterday.


so from the backseat today, as her brothers sit innocently in the "way back"...

olivia: {in a know-it-all 6yr old voice} mom, i KNOW that santa is NOT real.

me: why? who told you that?

olivia: {even more know-it-all-ish} i just KNOW. he's just a guy who wears a costume.

do i tell her??? do i want her to blab it to her brothers & unsuspecting friends?

me: well then who brings your presents?

olivia: {totally annoyed at the prospect of being wrong} ugh. ok. ugh. {huge sigh}

sorry olivia.
i know you hate being wrong...and actually you aren't wrong about santa.
but you are only 6.
slow down... don't grow up so fast!

chef garrett

when the kids came in from playing outside this morning, i asked if they wanted some hot cocoa.

garrett's response..."nah, how about some warm ice cream or warm candy."

let's hope garrett never becomes a chef!

our big girl!

at nearly 10 months, josie has finally graduated to the high chair. up until now she's been chillin' on our counter in the bumbo. but now she's a big girl! and just like her brothers before her, she's discovered she can gnaw on the edge of the nice wood tray :) yum yum!

lately josie's had lots & lots of doctor visits...

• so far her eyes are looking good - no preemie relate problems (yet).

• developmentally she's getting close to what 7 month olds (her adjusted age) should be doing like sitting up. she needs to work on "talking" more and i am supposed to listen for consonant sounds (as opposed to just cooing). so if ryan would ever stop yelling about hi-5 and playing his guitar with murray i might just hear something.
  

• in terms of size, josie has caught up to other 9 month old babies. she's almost 18#. i don't know exactly how big my other kids were at 9 months, but i remember that both olivia & garrett were not even 20# at their 1st birthday. so i think she'll have them beat. not to shabby for a 2lb 14 ouncer!
  

• the only health concern we're still working on is josie's lungs. ever since she had pneumonia in may she's had noisy breathing and she has a very hard time when she gets a cold from the kids. lots & lots of neubulizing going on here! so far they've ruled out cystic fibrosis, her trachea looks good and today they scoped her vocal cords and they look good too. so we're still investigating...and are very thankful we have insurance :) the doctor today told me there's probably a good chance that she'll end up with asthma, they just don't diagnosis it in kids this young. but preemies are at a higher risk for it. asthma is totally manageable, so if that's the worst "side effect" she has of being a preemie, well then i think we're pretty lucky!

overall, she's one happy camper. so happy, that i didn't even notice she had an ear infection. now if i could just get her to smile in a picture for our christmas card. {i also need a warm sunny day for said picture. maybe i'm asking for too much!}

wordless wednesday

taken a few weeks ago before winter arrived :)

1 story, 2 endings

the other morning it was snowy, cold & gray outside so i thought it was the perfect morning to make some of my kids favorite muffins {healthy & vegan... that's all my kids eat!!}.

i got all the stuff out and boys helped me. they had lots of fun mixing. no one fought over who got the BIG wisk. no one spilled flour all over my counter.

it was the perfect baking morning!!!

OR maybe it went something like this...

the other morning it was snowy, cold & gray outside -- too cold to send my boys outside cuz they are getting over yet another cold.

so i thought it was the perfect morning to make some of my kids favorite muffins {healthy & vegan...not the norm for my kids!}.

i got all the stuff out and boys helped me. plenty of whining about who got the big wisk, who got to put what in, etc. and lots of flour all over the place.

so that's when i asked ryan if he'd rather watch hi-5.
that's when garrett & i baked in peace :)

the gang (and a warning)

we took this picture last weekend at my sister's house. i think it's our first picture as a family of 6. trust me, it's no easy feat getting a picture taken with all of us. this is the best one i had... lots of nose picking, lots of eyes closed, and josie had no plans to look at the camera. {and i'm not sure why garrett is the size of josie in this picture!}

so this begs the question... what will our christmas photo look like this year?

this weekend i tried to get a decent one. slim pickings thus far.

i'm thinking about getting some professional done, but i'm not quite sure this gang is ready for that!!


so i'm warning you now... if you get a christmas card from me and it's not so cute, well think about what i have to choose from. and if you get a nose picking card...well, then i just gave up hope!!

i don't want to play!!

it's "the game that ties you up in knots"

i'm talking about twister, of course!

but i don't want to play it anymore... at least not at 3am

guess i better explain... josie has finally started sleeping through the night. ahhh, finally a good night's sleep :) but no. ryan has decided he needs to join us in bed. it's quite odd. we'll wake up and he's in our bed. we never notice him coming in. {perhaps that skill will serve him well when he's 16 and sneaking in late.} he just appears right in the middle of the bed. but he doesn't just lay there. oh, no. he's ALL OVER THE PLACE. sometime i wake up with his feet on my head. other times his whole body is draped over me. i feel like i'm trapped in some late night game of twister.

ryan, as much fun as twister could be during the daytime -- i don't want to play it at night!!

now i've heard it all

last night, after olivia should have been asleep...

mom, i really need some of those little pills they talk about on tv.
you know, the ones that make you fall alseep fast.

when did you get so big??

1 day old

just home from the hospital
8 weeks old

9 months old

i ask you...

{and could someone please wash my face?}

olivia & garrett get political

this morning i was watching some post election coverage.
suddenly garrett got all frantic.
our conversation went something like this...

garrett: "mom! mom!! there's something in my backpack from school"

me: "what is it, garrett?"

garrett: "mom!! we have to go bowling!!"

me: "bowling? we did that a few weeks ago."

garrett: "no. we have to go again. we have to go bowling for the president!!"

me: "do you mean voting?"

garrett: "NO MOM. BOWLING!!"

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november 1980

i vividly remember being in kindergarten, in the portable. {remember when schools used portables?} i remember getting my weekly reader and on the back we could vote for the president. ronald reagan or jimmy carter. i remember i felt like such an adult. unfortunately i can't remember who i voted for!

november 2008

olivia: "mom, guess what?? i voted in school today. i voted for barack obama."

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well whatever your take on the candidates and the outcome, yesterday was one election that will stand out in america's history. i think it's pretty cool that kids can feel apart of it...even if they think it involves a bowling alley and even if they voted for the wrong guy :)

thankful

i'm thankful that we all have the right to vote

but

i'm also VERY thankful that ryan can't open a can of play dough by himself

and

i'd be even MORE thankful if ryan started taking afternoon naps again



what are you thankful for?

our halloween