This is the best!

In the last week, Isabella has been SUPER fun after school. She gets so tickled when we play together. It's not the best video, but it gives you a taste for our afternoon FUN! ENJOY!

I'm Thankful for....

A dear sweet friend of mine since babyhood uses her blog during the month of November to write what it is that she is thankful for.... what a great practice! I have decided (thanks to Mandi) that I am going to join the thankfulness band-wagon and post daily. I'll only update this post, so if you aren't interested you don't have to scroll through my ramblings to find baby pictures! Remember, these are things that come to mind they are in no way in an order or hierarchy.

November
1. I'm thankful for my mom. Every year on my birthday I love getting a birthday card from my mom. Her cards are always thought filled and gushing with mom love. This year, now that I am a mom, I have an even greater appreciation for love and joy. What a great gift our parents give us... thanks to all the moms who pushed us into the world and continue to push us kids to be the best we can be.

2. I'm thankful for my job. There are so many days where I think at 5:00 - I just can't get out of bed and do this all over again. However, once the day starts rolling I have to say that I am really thankful for the women I work with in third grade at HCE. I have great kids who want to learn and most of them have super active parents who read to them and work to help them learn what it is that I spend most of the day teaching. I'm thankful for my job and the opportunities it provides me to meet so many wonderful people.

3. I'm thankful that I have been given the opportunity to be a mom. What an overwhelming and wonderful opportunity I have been given. Isabella has made me think more about who I am and how much control or lack of I have in the world. Mostly, she has taught me a love completely different than I have experienced with my friends, family or even with Robert. She has (without even being able to speak) opened my eyes to a whole new and wonderful world and identity... I'm Isabella's mom!


4. I love celebrating birthdays and I'm thankful for every year I get to celebrate with friends and family. I celebrated on the 1st, my grandmother celebrated her birthday on the 3rd, Robert celebrated today (the 5th), my step-brother will have a birthday on the 7th. I am thankful that I am from a family where we embrace each year and celebrate the heck out of the fact that we have been alive and well for ____ (insert age here) number of years. Each year is a gift and with comes struggles and growth. I am thankful for celebrations of life lived!


5. Today is my husband's birthday. Man-o-man am I thankful for dear, sweet Robert. It didn't take me long in the courtship to know that I had found someone who could make me laugh until I cry, who I can sit with and not talk and not even worry about trying to make conversation, and someone who is deeply thoughtful and sensitive. Since we have become parents my eyes and heart have been even more opened to the amazing gift that Robert is for our family. He's caring, patient, protective, and more. We've been through quite a bit in what is almost 2years. Through it all I daily give thanks for the wonderful man who I get to call my husband and who Isabella lovingly calls DAdadaDa.


6.If you're a girl and you don't have a sister, I hope you have really CLOSE girlfriend because I am so thankful for my sister. Many of my friends are working on or have just had baby number two. I remember when baby number two came into our family, I was in Kindergarten. At first, she was the coolest toy I'd ever received. Then, there was a time when I questioned my parents judgment for thinking that we really needed another member in our family. Today, I am thankful that I have a sister. Through the last 25 years she has been my closest friend and strongest ally. She's pregnant this year and I can't wait to see my sister experience motherhood. She's a super Aunt to Isabella and she loves Ken with a passion that is strong and powerful. Baby Kaya, watch out... you're getting one heck of a momma. I am thankful for a sister with whom I get to share so much.... laughter, joy, frustration, clothes, hair products, music, travel, ideas, questions, concerns... I love you Sarah!


7. I am thankful for good food... you know the kind that brings back great memories and seems to feed you all the way to your soul? Robert and I love Saturday morning breakfast. Sometimes we go out but most of the time we cook at home. This morning I made my first batch of homemade cream gravy. I'd been hesitant to try because, to be honest, I was afraid it just wouldn't measure up to my grandpas. I have to say it wasn't the same having to make and clean up after, but the gravy was good, warm, and perfect with our breakfast chops, toast and egg. I'm a Boggus (well before I became a Ford) and I come from families where we take our meal time serious. I mean, what's breaking Lent without my Great grandma's brownies? You can't have Christmas eve without my Berber's BBQ pork chops. Holidays are about being with family, yes, but they are also about the food and what everyone brings to the table. I especially love Thanksgiving at my step-sister's house. Jim does the mashed potatoes, Rich makes the bird and stuffing, mom makes her yummy salad, Aunt Kathy brings the corn pudding, Tammy makes the rolls and pies and the rest of us eat and wash! I'm thankful for the food that keeps us strong and connected to people in our present and past.


8.I'm thankful for music. I'm not that gifted when it come to being a musician but I do love music. I love all kinds of music. I love dancing around the house with Robert to the twang of his favorite music, country music. I can't get through a church service when the organ bellows out a favorite hymn without tearing up a bit. I also must confess that I love me some booty music. I love to wiggle and dance but mostly I love to sing with all the air in my lungs. I do love Alicia Keys for that reason and many more. I am so thankful that she sings with such gusto so I can loose myself in her music and sing with everyone ounce of my being. Today, before Sunday School, the kids were learning a song they will sing in worship on the 6th of December. One little guy sings with every ounce of his being and like me, at times, he is off key. I noticed some of the kids worried about him and trying to help him find the right note. What I appreciated most of all is that the choir director simply complimented him for his enthusiasm and then helped everyone listen for the correct notes. Music is a great gift we have been given. When we can't find the words we can sing someone else's words or simply just listen to the notes of the harmony. I am thankful for music.


9. I'm thankful for flexibility. I so appreciate people who are able to go with the flow... small people, big people, young people and not so young people. It's especially helpful for school to work with people who are continuously flexible. I'm thankful for all the times that patience has abounded and flexibility has followed.


10. Today I am thankful for those moments when you "get it" or when you get to see a kid "get it." There is a kid in one of my classes who is a daydreamer. I'm not so sure when he is paying attention and when he isn't. He always appears to NOT be paying attention. We have worked hard in third grade this year on vocabulary work, specifically using context clues. In our book the other day, there was the word cunning. It was difficult from the text for my kids to get at its meaning. We used our dictionaries to help us after lots of work. Still, some of them were a bit unsure of what it meant or how to use it. Today our school counselor came in and gave a lesson on bullying. When she was describing the way a bully might think... the kid shouted out... "Hey, that's cunning!" It took the counselor off guard (to be honest it surprised me too). I love it when we get those moments to witness another person "get it." I'm thankful for those moments personally and professionally.


11. Veteran's Day hit me extra hard this year. The kids at school had a music program and performed 40 minutes worth of patriotic songs. I had listened to them practice during lunch, and a few extra practice times this week. Today during the performance, the kids sang the songs for each branch of the military and invited veterans to stand. Watching dads, grandads, moms, aunts, stand up and the kids faces light up as they realized that the men and women were singing along with them was super powerful. I am thankful for the men and women who so generously and bravely serve our country. Thank you!


12. I'm so thankful for Isabella's hugs and kisses. Isabella has gotten down displays of affection. Today was a tough day in Elementary School Ville and when I came home I found my husband and daughter playing at home on the couch. Isabella squealed, said... hey..... and when I picked her up she squeezed me and then slobbered or kissed me on the cheek. The world takes on new meaning and problems dissipate quickly! :) Thank you God for Isabella and her signs of affection.


13. I am thankful this day especially for my friend, colleague and teaching partner Jill. Jill and I started together at HCE last year. We bonded during the HOURS of new hire orientation that the district requires. As we have worked together I love that Jill is not only a caring and thoughtful educator who I can bounce ideas off of, but she is also a wonderful friend. This year Jill and I are team teaching partners. She teaches math and science. I teach language arts and social studies. Her flexibility, support, encouragement, sense of humor and professionalism have made this new adventure in teaching a WONDERFUL experience. I don't think I would get so much out of my job if I didn't have someone so great to work with. Jill also has become a great friend. Her fiance, Desmond, and Robert get along great - so ALL of us enjoy spending time together outside of school. I'm thankful for Jill and the woman she is. She is a great teacher, thoughtful educator, caring friend and all around beautiful woman. Thanks for your friendship, Jill!


14.Rest. I am thankful for weekends and the opportunity it brings for rest. The work week is pretty hectic at our house. There's always something going on after school and evenings seem to go by so fast. I love the weekends because they give our family an opportunity to slow down and enjoy each other's company. Specifically, I love the rest that comes from family nap time!


15. Today I am thankful for health. Today Isabella and I hung out at the house while Robert went to play golf. During her afternoon nap I watched a documentary called, "Little Man." It was about a little boy who was born 100 days prematurely and weighed only one pound. His family's struggle to care for him and themselves was very emotional. It made me grateful once again for how healthy Isabella continues to be. It also made me thankful for the health care professionals who have cared for us, even before her arrival. Thank you God for good health and for the loving people who serve us when sickness comes.


16. I'm thankful for cooler weather. A cool front blew into day and in its dropping temperatures it lifted many spirits. I'm excited to pull out my sweater tomorrow and to lay one out for Isabella to wear. The the weather's cooler, life seems more right to me!


17.I'm thankful for technology. This might be too much for some of my men friends out there, but I am so thankful for technology specifically in a breast pump. What a great invention! It allows me to provide my babe with super wonderful breast milk even while back to work. The fantastic women at A Women's Work hooked me up with some breast pump extra help today and I am so thankful that such technology even exists! Amen!


18. Laughter! I love to laugh and I love times when others can share in laughter together. My husband is funny. On our drive to dinner this evening he was singing and joking and we were both LAUGHING. What a gift it brings to the soul to express joy in such a way. Isabella is also starting to laugh more and more these days. In the afternoons, she will start to giggle as we play and then as I sneak towards her to play some more she throws her head back and LAUGHS. What a wonderful expression we have been given to enjoy and share!


19. I'm thankful for inspiration, creativity and SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK. We are teaching our kids parts of speech this year in hopes to get them better prepared for 4, 5, and 6th. It's difficult for 3rd graders to figure out if a word is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb. We've been working with cereal boxes to try to decide what part of speech we can assign to different words. It has been hard work. We've tried notes, I read books, we practiced together, in partners, in groups... and there were still some kids not getting it. Then, it came to me.... a, hello... SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK! My kids LOVE the grammar songs and for so many of them it just clicked! Thank you inspiration, creativity and SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK!


20.Today I'm thankful for Christmas cheer. Yes, I realize we haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but still I am thankful for Christmas cheer. Isabella and I met up the the Perez family at a local mall. It was so much fun to catch up with their family and see how much the kids have grown. They had not yet met Isabella so it was exciting to make introductions. Teri treated all the kids to a carousel ride. Isabella sat on a horse next to Ashley. Ashley is in Kindergarten this year. As we rode they played Christmas carols and Ashely sang her little heart out and Isabella smiled from her toes to the top of her head. We also took the kids to see Santa. Isabella didn't go and visit... we're saving that for a time when Robert can go with us. Instead, we watch Ashley and Aaron say hello to Santa and let him know what they are wishing for Christmas. I love the excitement that comes with the Christmas season!!! Oh Santa.... what will you bring us this year?


21.Sunshine. Today was an absolutely beautiful day. We went to watch my third grade boys play in the TULLY BOWL! It was a day filled with ABUNDANT sunshine. It was super fun to be out with Isabella and Robert and see so many parents from school out to support our third grade Cougar football team. The boys lost, but the weather and the support couldn't have been more perfect! :) Thank you God for SUNSHINE!


22. My grandMA.
I'm a lucky gal. I have been surrounded by a host of fabulous women. I had all three of my great-grandmothers around and in good health until I was 16. My mother's mom, Berber, was a feisty fun woman and we shared lots of great times together.
Today though, I am thankful for MA (that's what we call her). These days she wants desperately to be GG or GG Ma, but when you've called someone something for 30 years, it's really hard to change....
Nonetheless, I am super thankful for Ma. Tonight she called to make sure we were in the know about a crib recall and to say that she woke up last night and remembered she forgot to call Robert and sing him Happy Birthday! Robert isn't as into birthdays as most of the people in my family, so he didn't even know to expect a 6:30 call from Ma and Pa singing Happy Birthday. She assured me she would sing to him twice next year! I can just envision it!
Not only is my Ma thoughtful, she is spiritual, caring, loving, and FUN. I am thankful to have her in my life and to know that we can share so much together. Now, there are things (mostly church and political things),for which we don't see eye to eye, but all through life Ma has taught me that even when you don't agree-- you still LOVE. She has taught me this with her example. Thank you!


23.Today I am thankful for today. It was a great day. My kids worked hard. They wrote creative stories they were proud and excited to share. They helped each other out. The gave positive feedback. After school, Jill invited me and Isabella to go with her to the bridal shop. We got to see her try on her dress. She looked AMAZING. I got a lil teary eyed. I'm so excited for Jill and Desmond. I can't wait to help them celebrate making their commitment for each other official and formal. While waiting for Jill to change, I watched a mom and her daughter discuss her dress selections. It made me realize that someday that will be me and Isabella. Whew.... what a relief that we get to have SO MUCH TIME together before that exciting day. There are so many exciting things to look forward to, but for today I am thankful that it was a good day at home, a good day at work and a good day to be with friends.


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