Thankful for:
1. Encouragement & Support. When you make an announcement about a major life change (example: becoming foster parents) you get a lot of responses. I'm thankful for the encouragement. I know it's not going to be easy, I know it could be terrible, I know that it affects my whole family BUT we're taking it one step at a time, starting some pretty intense educational training, and we know that even if something is really hard, it's usually worth it. Imagine if you were scared to do anything because of the unknown or potential harm? I never would've quit my job and gone to volunteer in Kenya (LIFE CHANGING). I never would've taken our kids on the longest plane ride in the world to go to SE Asia (AMAZING...even though Gary had food poisoning and Kai got Dengue Fever). Maybe I never would have married Gary (BETTER THAN I EVER IMAGINED).
2. Kai being able to go flying with Opi. He tends to get car sick so I was nervous but he loved it! My mom would've loved it.
3. Another great daycare. I only work once a week and had an ideal daycare situation but she is headed back to work. In a few weeks I will be swapping daycare days with another momma so I think it should work well! Both of us do not work long days so that definitely makes it more doable :) And seriously, who wouldn't want to babysit this bundle of cuteness?!
4. Nya's MEC rainsuit. I got it second hand (yahoo!) and it works so well. I love great deals and I love quality products.
5. Living close to so many great stores. I love living 5 minutes from Costco. I have friends that live in small communities and I know how much of a big deal it is to do a Costco run when it's 4 hours away!
6. A foggy morning this week to explore the trails at Tynehead with Nya and Koen. I love photos in fog and I will never, ever tire of taking photos of my monkeys.
7. A walk through the mall with one child. So relaxing. You don't realize how exhausting three kids are until you just have one. We just walked hand in hand and it was lovely. We were checking out various wooden play kitchens as they are very hard to find second hand. PS Is it bad that I've never put money in any of these rides? They get enough joy just sitting in them :)
8. Being able to work out during the day again. With just Nya for 3 days a week, I have time to work out during the day because I'm not refeering between Nya and Koen.
9. More moments this week when these two played nicely without fighting. PS Can you see Nya's lab coat shirt that we got at Science World?
10. Free preschool programs like Strong Start and Noah's Ark.
And a bonus one..
11. Kids that eat almost everything I make. We've been eating a bit healthier these days and they dig into the quinoa with kale, the endless broccoli and cauliflower, and the turkey meatballs with veggies instead of breadcrumbs in them. Nya does not embrace everything as much as the boys do. They still get their pizza on Friday nights :)
I hope you are having a good week! I know I've said this a few times but I would really, really encourage you to think of things that you are thankful for. Maybe even write them down. It sets the tone for the day, and besides, it's Thanksgiving this weekend!
Love,
Louise
PS Feel free to share some things you are thankful for in the comments! Ali, that means you :)
I almost got away without doing it but the personal shout out makes that impossible :)
ReplyDelete1) Handy Dad. He did a ridiculous amount of work on our rental house and not only do lots of things look better, a lot of things are safer too since the renos really hadn't been done well.
2) My mom. Knowing me, and my ability to live with mess and clutter, she knew I'd need help unpacking our house and she gladly came and did it. Seriously, she says she'd do it as a job if she could - that's how much she loves organizing and getting stuff in place.
3) Modern conveniences. Like a heater for a cold kid's room. He slept so much better and I always take it for granted that being cold or too hot is such an easy fix.
4) A new schedule. Seriously, my hubby's home an awful lot now that he's on shift work. I'll gladly take the 2 long days and the 2 nights alone for extra time with him. And his shifts mean I get him for dinner on the nights that he works and for bedtime on the days that he works. Win win.
5) 17 month olds. Mine are especially great, obviously ;), but seriously, I love this age when they are trying out new words, can understand so much, and aren't quite at the point where they are being little turds yet. Brady does this especially cute thing where he walks towards you with his head lowered and comes in for a great snuggle. Talk about a pick-me-up.
6) A kid that loves school. Lots of kids go with such trepidation and have a hard time adjusting and it's so hard for both mom and child. My son was not built like that (perhaps he doesn't like me as much as some kids like their mom) - he barely remembered to say 'bye' today after he said he needed me to come with him and seconds later bolted across the field to catch up to his friends.
7) Nice weather. If I'm going to be moved to a small town away from everyone I know and love (besides the obvious 4 members of my immediate family), then at least I'm in a place where the rainiest months get the same amount of rain as the least rainy months in the lower mainland.
8) Dogs. I think we are going to get a dog. I didn't think I'd be all for it but I've been searching for a dog to adopt - no puppies yet, let me get my kids trained first, then we can try to train a dog.
9) Cousins for my kids. My boys LOVE their cousins and have some amazing ones. The older girls are SO great at keeping them entertained, giving them hugs, and actually enjoying themselves as they play with little kids. We are very blessed. And my kids will get to enjoy being the older ones as J's side of the family gets bigger by 2 with cousins in the next 3 mths. So fun.
10) A rental house that suits our needs. So yes, it needs a lot of work and has some serious flaws, but it is large, has an unfinished downstairs where our kids can play hockey and ride bikes/scooters, and a yard that is fun in the every season. It also has a view of the lake and two wood-burning fireplaces inside plus one outside. Hopefully we start to take advantage of those - apparently you can just drive out to the middle of wherever/nowhere and cut down the trees to get your own firewood. Bonus.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Aside from the obvious like family and health.....I am thankful for naps! Lol
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for our newest bundle completing our family! I love observing my daughter's love for her and am thankful for it. I also love that I never have to put money in the rides at the mall, etc and my daughter has a ton of fun in them!!!
Happy thanksgiving to you and your family!
Joie
Ali-such good ones! 17 month olds are pretty hilarious and cute. Love you.
ReplyDeleteJoie-happy thanksgiving to you too!
Is that kale salad any good?
ReplyDeleteI love Nya's little pigtails :)
Katrina-we bought the kale/quinoa pack because they are frozen and take 2.5 minutes to heat up for a quick dinner. They are...healthy & quick to make. I think they taste good (not awesome) but you have to like quinoa and kale :) We had it last night with salmon. Super light and easy dinner!
ReplyDelete