Reminder of what's important

It's definitely been a rough couple of weeks for our little family. The combination of incredibly bad timing and incredibly bad luck have combined to create the perfect storm of stress. The fact that this is happening during the holiday season seems to make it all the harder. No need for specifics, but I will say that it is taking LOADS of will to keep my holiday spirit in full force. Thankfully, I was blessed with copious amounts of stubbornness, and I absolutely refuse for this holiday to be anything but magical for my two little angels.

The thing about any kind of crisis, though, is that it provides one with an opportunity to focus on the good. Now, I come from a looooong line of pessimists, but even I have been focusing more and more on all of the blessings in my life. Instead of wallowing in all of the shitty things that have happened as of late, I choose to remind myself (daily, hourly, every damn second if I have to) of all the ways I am the luckiest gal in all the world. A short TOP FIVE (certainly not comprehensive) list:

1. The past few weeks my marriage has felt stronger than ever. I have the greatest husband on the planet...everything he does is for our family. He is my hero.

2. My kiddos. Not sure I can say more than that. They are, without a doubt, the single most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. I love them more than I ever thought possible. They give me thousands of reasons thank my lucky stars every day.

3. I am blessed to be able to stay home with said kiddos. My days are filled with laughter, hugs, hilarious comments, songs..etc. Yesterday Lila played for several hours wearing nothing but a pair of binoculars around her neck. Classic.

4. My house/neighborhood. I love my house and I love where we live. Every time we hit the community center my kids are greeted by name by lots of the staff. It really is this amazing home-away-from-home where I can get an hour to myself and my kids can get showered with attention by the amazing people in the babysitting room. Win-win.

5. I have the best family. Ever. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am SO THANKFUL we moved back home to be closer to family. Because of my amazing and tireless mom-in-law, I was recently able to go to a sewing class and keep an eye appointment...neither of these things would have been possible without her help. Last week when our car trouble began, my brother lent us the use of his car without blinking. Didn't give it one thought. I am surrounded by the best of the best and remind myself of that every day.

Writing this post reminds me that I am so blessed and lucky. No more wallowing for this girl.

Back in the Saddle Again

For over a month I've been walking past my dark and lonely sewing machine. I think the business of preparing for the holidays coupled with an unexpected lack of inspiration made for a sad little sewing hiatus. But no more! The temps today are supposed to start out in the 20's, so I knew I had to get crackin' on the satin-lined hat I'd always wanted to make for Lila. Not even naps ruin her curls more than a short bout in an unlined hat. Last winter I even had mini-debates in my head as to whether it was really cold enough to warrent a hat...perhaps Lila could just go without and thus save the hairstyle I spent hours creating??? I'm not proud of having had those thoughts, but there it is. I spent a significant amount of time on Lila's hair and it's soul-crushing to see all of my efforts thwarted by a tiny fleece hat.

My first attempt turned out lovely, but too small for my girl. Thankfully, Elijah volunteered to model for me! Isn't he such an agreeable boy?

Tear your eyes away from that gorgeous face to notice the lovely satin lining!

Of course, nobody deserves dino spikes more than my girl.

I did make another, larger version for Lila last night. I hope to get some pics after she wakes up this morning...stay tuned!

Thanksgiving was busy but family-filled, which is just how I like it. Auntie Steph & Uncle John braved the crappy weather to come and run the Flying Feather Four Miler with me on Thanksgiving morning. The most exciting part, though, was Lila running her very first race ever! I ran with her and coached her through her mid-race wall as she exclaimed, "Mommy, I'm exhausted!"

My cousin was in town meeting his new in-laws and we were thrilled that he, his wife and son were able to come over on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Lila followed the two older boys around all evening, thankfully not really understanding that they were desperately trying to avoid her. Nothing is less cool to a 6 and 8-year-old boy than a very excited 3-year-old girl.

Lila requested that I take a picture of her sad face. Awwwww.

Thankfully, she recovered quickly.

Elijah discovered the broom!

Lordy, that face! Those eyes! The drool! Yep, teething is still in full effect.

I was thankful for so much this Thanksgiving, it's hard to put it all into words. There was one moment where my house was completely filled with family, everyong was talking, laughing, eating, kids running around screaming and having fun...my heart was (and still is) full of happiness and gratitude.