I'm thankful...

• for a supportive and loving husband that is always there for me no matter what (even when I wreck the van!)


• for two of the most beautiful and loving kids a mom could ask for


• for wonderful friends and family
  
• that no one was hurt in the accident (see previous post for info if you missed it)


• for DVR... seriously, this is a life changing invention people!


• for Netflix... Shanon and I have 'date night' every Friday after the kids are in bed thanks to this gem.

On a more serious note... I don't understand why, but God has and continues to bless me more than I deserve. It's easy to let the day-to-day activities get you down, but when you take a step back and think about the big picture, does all that really matter? This holiday I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and remembering just how much I have to be thankful for and to give all the thanks to God.

The curse of the van

Well, I did it. On exactly the one month anniversary of purchasing the van, I wrecked it. Yep, yesterday I rear ended a car at one of the bagillion construction sites between Oblong and Robinson. Aside from being shaken up and severly embarrassed (thankfully no one was hurt), it got me thinking. I've only had this darn van for one month and so far:

• After having it for a week, it died on me twice and had to be towed to Mattoon for the dealership to fix it. Apparently the fuel pump had come loose and was leaking fuel... can you say scary?!


• Saturday morning one of the tires was completely flat, it apparently had a nail in it.


• The accident yesterday.

A couple other fun facts:

• The man that came to tow the van yesterday was the same one that fixed the flat tire on Saturday... of course he recognized me. I really wanted to melt into the pavement.


• We had just increased our insurance deductibles a couple weeks ago since "we never use it anyway". Seriously, is somebody laughing at me up there?

Did I also mention that I was just coming off a two day migraine 'episode' and that I was headed from work to Newton to have 'Thanksgiving lunch' at daycare with Macy? Talk about a gynormous case of mommy guilt for missing that! I tried to make amends with a quick trip to DQ that afternoon. Surely she won't be scarred for life.

Maybe this van thing just isn't meant to be for me? Or maybe just this specific van is cursed? Either way, surely things can only get better from here on out! Embarrassment aside, I'm just very grateful that no one was hurt!

Joining the rest of the universe

Alright already, I caved. I was really thinking about trying to be the very last person on the planet to join Facebook... then I found out that even my mom has a page and is in fact giving me updates about MY friends via Facebook. I love ya mom, but something is wrong with that picture. So.... between that and constant prodding from pretty much anyone with a pulse, I got a wild hair and decided to finally join Facebook. Crazy, I know.

So now someone needs to teach me what the heck to do. The word on the street is that 'the wall' is where it's at... whatever that means. Now somebody be my friend please!

Weight update

I forgot to post an update about Holden's weight gain. I took him back to the doctor's office last week for a weight check since his growth had slowed down. At his appointment a month earlier his weight was 15lbs. 4oz. and this time he was at 16lbs. 10oz., so he's growing just fine. About a week before I took him back, he finally started eating more and I could tell he was getting heavier and fuller looking in the face. Several people have even commented lately about his double chin!

Unfortunately, now that he's eating more he has acquired a new problem... a going #2 problem. He's had a few instances of crying because it hurts and when he does go, it is usually hard. We never had this problem with Macy, so it's new to us. I've been told to give him Pedialyte, but he won't drink it. We have fed him prunes (yuck!), which he actually will eat, and that does seem to help. He also has a cold now, which not only means a runny nose, but also leaky eyes. So those sweet slobbery kisses now include snot and eye gook. You feel like you've just taken a bath afterwards, but really you now need one... gotta love it!

Say your prayers

The other night we were all at the table getting ready to have supper when Macy announced out of nowhere that she wanted a new baby. Then she got more specific and said she wanted a baby girl named Megan... just like MacKenzie (her friend at daycare who has a sister named Megan). I thought it was funny and wasn't sure how to respond, so I told her that she needed to talk to God about that because babies are gifts from God. So then she decided to say the prayer before we ate. She thanked God for the food and various other things that I couldn't understand, then added that she wanted a baby sister named Megan, Amen. So cute.

She really is such a great big sister to Holden. She makes him laugh all the time and this morning she ran off with a tissue and I found her in Holden's room trying to wipe his nose because she noticed he was in dire need of being wiped up (he has a cold and both eyes and his nose are like faucets). Those two are really going to have some fun times together in the future!

Mouseketeers

We had a Mickey and Minnie Mouse for Halloween this year.



























Macy was super excited about Halloween this year. All month long she had been asking when it was gonna be Halloween and was practicing trick-or-treating with her friends at daycare. This was the first year that we actually went to houses other than just grandparents. She wasn't so sure about that at first, but once she realized they were all giving her candy, she was completely cool with it.


































Later, we met up with Terry, Kathy, Trent, and Gracie and went together up and down the street at mom's. The kids had a ball (especially when Macy got to see her bud Payton Harris) and it reminded me of the good ol' days when I did the same thing with my cousins. Macy is already looking forward to Halloween next year and I think we probably have enough candy to last until then!