I'm Counting My Blessings

Hello friends. It was a long weekend--in more ways than one. I was sick for most of it and spent a lot of time on the couch falling asleep there by 8 o clock. I have been saying that this has been my easiest pregnancy as far as sickness is concerned, but I guess I spoke too soon. Sick hit me with a vengeance on Thursday afternoon and lasted until Monday. Most everything I eat makes me horribly ill, and I'd like to not eat, yet I am starving. It's a quandary, I tell you.

Then, inexplicably, on Monday I felt great. Better than I had in weeks. So I enjoyed the day. Aaron had it off and we all went out to breakfast. We took a walk during a break in the rain, came in and made play dough when it started raining again, watched a movie with the boys while Lilly napped and had some delicious pot roast for dinner. It was a warm and cozy day. It felt like a gift after being so sick.

Tonight I am back to feeling awful. I really just want to lay on the couch and be a vegetable. But I miss writing, so here I am. And this is making me forget the yuck, at least a little bit.

The rain hit us hard today. Our street was flooded. The boys and I sat by the window and watched the water rise, the trees whip back and forth, the lightening flash, and the hail come down. I wanted to pile them all in the car and go look at the waves, the rising rivers and the flooding. I'm a storm chaser. It was good I didn't go. There was a tornado by the beach. And people riding jet skies down city streets.

But when the sky cleared a bit, we did have to get out. We headed out to look at the river by our house. Not quite as wild as the Santa Margarita River we always went to see after a big storm in Fallbrook, but exciting none the less. It was a good opportunity to talk about staying safe around water after a big storm. The best teaching opportunities happen in real life, don't they?

Then we hit the nature trail that runs alongside the river. Those rain boots sure are fun for stomping in puddles.

The worms were out after the rain and Lilly was quite taken with them.

There are lots of birds out after the rain too. Like this hawk.

The boys got a closer look with their binoculars.

The trees have lost all their leaves, but are already starting to show new buds.

That little bird was hiding in the tree while I was taking pictures of the branches. He had a beautiful blue head and tail. I am going to try to figure out what kind of bird it is. A blue bird of some sort is a good place to start, I'm guessing.

We also saw this little beauty. It was William's favorite due to his yellow head and the yellow markings on its chest. That boy loves yellow.

After all the rain, it felt so good to be outside, to feel the sun on our cheeks and the wind in our hair. The air smelled good. The birds were singing with extra fervor.

And despite being sick, and tired as all get out, I was just overwhelmed with gratefulness to be here, with these 3 little people who fill my life with such joy and discovery. I never knew it would be this great.

And soon there will be 4! My tribe, my crew, my brood. The 5 of us can have our own basketball team. Many times a day I find myself smiling a very full smile as I think about this new life and the joy he or she will bring us. It is a sweet thing to be a mother.

I am richly blessed.

"Count your blessings,

name them one by one.

Count your blessings,

see what God has done.

Count your many blessings,

name them one by one,

and you;'ll be surprised to see what God has done."

________________________________________________

I know this is a long post, but all these thoughts of gratefulness and blessing can't help but bring to mind the people of Haiti. I haven't seen many of the pictures. We don't have TV, so I don't see the news. I choose not to look at much on the Internet because I can't bear it.

On Sunday though, there were pictures of Haitians in church. Hands and voices raised, they praised God. And I wept. I marveled. I thought of the song, It Is Well With My Soul.

"When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot

Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well,

It is well with my soul."

And I wondered, "could I do that?" If I lost my home, my husband, my friends, my sister, my child, could I look up and still say, "It is well with my soul?"

I don't know if I could.

There is not much we can do from here. Most of us can't go there. But we can pray for those who do. We can pray for the babies who have lost their mamas and the mamas who have lost their babies. We can pray for healing and hope.

But I want to remind you, too, that faith without works is dead. There are many places to give.

The Salvation Army. The Red Cross. World Vision.

Don't have Starbucks this week. Don't get your car washed. Don't buy sugary cereal. Buy no name cheerios instead.

Do give. Do help. Do remeber to count your blessing and then bless others.

With a grateful heart,

Greta

Weekend Wanderings

This weekend we've been:

enjoying leftovers

spelunking

having tea parties

enjoying Christmas magic

seeing the trees on the water and knowing,

Christmas is here!

Hoping your Thanksgiving was wonderful in many ways and that you are enjoying the start of this season of joy where ever you are.

I'll see you back here tomorrow.

There's just so much to talk about.

I'm Thankful For : Making Memories

I have been thinking about my last post. And it is funny how perfectly this post fits in with that one. Finding a balance is something I continually struggle with as a parent. One the one had, I want to be more relaxed, to be able to go with the flow and let things happen however they are going to happen.

The problem is that so often when I do that, I end up with cranky, tired, miserable children. And that makes for a miserable Mommy. To a certain extent, children need structure. Their little bellies can't eat whenever. They need regular snacks and mealtimes. They need sleep. They need routine.

But I also think they need me to not be rigid about it. It is a very fine line to walk everyday. I often feel like I am balancing on a tight rope and no matter which way I am tipping, the end result is going to be the same: someone will be crying.

So how do I do it? How do I stop and watch a bug crawl across the trail and still be home in time to make dinner? I guess it is all about prioritizing. Maybe dinner will be sandwiches tonight, or we'll skip baths. Maybe there will be a few tears at bed time. Maybe they'll be more tired than usual tomorrow.

But, I bet they'll remember that we stopped at the park and played in the leaves that one autumn afternoon. They won't remember what we had for dinner. Or that they were tired. Or that there were tears. Neither will I.

I am thankful I am learning to live in the moment. To stop and make a memory. To recognize that living is as important as sticking to a schedule.

And I am so thankful for this afternoon. These laughing faces, sweet smiles and simple joys are memories I will hold onto always.

"One"

"Two"

"Three!"

James climbs down from his perch to join the fun.

"Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His love endures forever."

Psalm 118:1

As we look ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas, everything gets very busy. There are so many things to do and get done. It is easy to loose our perspective on what is truly important. I am making it my goal to slow down and enjoy special moments with my kids as they come. I hope you make the time to do this too. I'd love to hear how you slowed down and made a memory with your family during this busy time of year.

Before I Had Kids...

Before I had kids,

I didn't stop to look at bugs.

Or to run through a perfect, grassy field.

I didn't visit construction sites,

and stare in wonder at the powerful machines doing their work.

I wasn't always on the lookout for the perfect climbing tree.

Oh yes, things got done much faster. I wasn't always a half hour late to everything. I didn't say, through gritted teeth, things like, "focus!" and "move more quickly please" and "didn't you just hear me say hurry up?!"

And yet...

There were a lot of things I missed out on.

Having kids has forced me to slow down. And like so many things about parenthood, it is both a blessing and a curse. (and I do try not to curse about it) I am still not great about being late, or stopping to climb a tree when we have to be somewhere, NOW. In the past, it would be hard for me to sit and watch an excavator dig a hole. Actually, it would have been painful. I am not good at sitting still, or even slowing down.

But I need to. I need to sit, and be and enjoy these tractors, these bugs, these trees, these moments. I am glad I had kids so they could teach me how.

I hope you get a chance to slow down this weekend and enjoy a simple pleasure--like a construction site! Or just a half hour in your backyard listening to the birds sing.

Happy weekend, everyone.

Halloween 09--The Highlights

Another Halloween come and gone. The boys are already planning for the next 4 Halloweens, at least. It looks like I'll be making a honeybee costume, a ladybug (William) a ninja, a dinosaur and a train conductor (James), to name a few. I better get busy.

In the meantime, here are the highlights of the festivities.

Pumpkin Carving.

I love the "spooky beard" James added to his design.

"Cool, it's like a cave."

Sally really liked pumpkin.

Friends.

You've heard of the princess and the frog? Well, how about the princess and the sea lion?

William and his best friend and true love, Natalie.

William adores her. One day he said, "I just love kitty cats and Natalie."

Lighting the Jack o Lanterns.

Trick or Treating.

The boys really liked our neighbors pumpkins.

It didn't take long for Lilly to figure out what to do. After one house, she was up every set of steps, knocking on the doors with her big brothers.

Trick or Treat!

Or, as William said, "Trick or Treating!"

I could have listened to him say it all night long. Reminded me of this.

I also liked him going to the door with opened lollipop and another candy in hand.

Lilly kept stopping to inspect her loot.

Note: this is the only time she will be seen in a crop top.

Back home inspecting the booty.

William's favorite was the tiny hamburger.

Passing out candy.

When they got home from trick or treating, (no wonder William kept saying that) I let the boys hand out candy to the trick or treaters who were out later than them.

I think it was their favorite part of the night.

They added their own candy to the bowl for fear we'd run out. They made me leave the bowl on the porch when they went to bed

so that any late trick or treaters wouldn't miss out.

The next morning they thought they'd hand out candy to people walking by the house because people might miss trick or treating.

They sure did. The first thing William asked for upon waking up was,

"can I go trick or treating again?"

But the really funny thing is that they haven't even asked for any candy. It's been 2 days. I put it away in the cupboard and I guess it is out of sight, out of mind.

Which makes me glad, cause when I was young, trick or treating was really about greed. Oh yes, I am ashamed to admit it, but we worked really hard to get as much candy as we could. My brother and I would draw a map of Fallbrook, highlighting all the houses we knew, and then a route for my dad to drive us to those houses. Along with our partners in crime, Erin and Brian, we'd hop in and out of my Dad's van for a couple of hours at least. We did this well into our teens. And we came home with a pillowcase full of candy.

It was so much fun.

I guess I have always loved Halloween. I still remember most of my costumes, and I'm pretty happy to be out trick or treating again.

I just wish I had saved one of those maps.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Saturday Mornings--Part 1 in a Series

I really like mornings. I especially like Saturday mornings. I like a Saturday morning where we have no plans, or at least not any until later in the day. That gives us the freedom to take things a little slower. Aaron doesn't have to hurry off to work. We are able to sit down together and enjoy breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. Sometimes we go out. Sometimes we stay in. Sometimes Aaron lets me sleep in and he takes the kids out by himself. Sometimes everything goes perfectly and we enjoy our coffee in the warm, morning light, while the kids play together like angels. Other times we get up from the table 27 times before we even get a bite of our eggs and our coffee is ice cold by the time we drink it. Sometimes Saturday mornings are loud. OK, most times. Sometimes they are quiet. OK, hardly ever.

No matter what it is that we do, Saturday mornings have their own rhythm. They are an important part of our family life and so I decided to do a series about them. I have taken pictures of the last 3 Saturday mornings, and I will continue to post about them on occasion.

What are your weekend rituals? Do you think about them, or do they just happen? I have always loved traditions. I think it is important to make them a part of everyday life, not just part of holidays. It is these little moments from childhood that my children will take into their adulthood. I want them to be special. Not extraordinary--but still special.

Welcome to our Saturday mornings.

There is a donut shop near our house. Martha's Donuts. Before we moved here, I remember driving by it and I always liked the building. You can tell it has been there a long time. And I like the name. It seems like a funny name for a donut shop.

Sometimes we go there on Saturday mornings. The boys think it is the ultimate treat. They ride their bikes and we push Lilly in the stroller. The kids all wear their pajamas.

When we get there, the boys go right up to the window and eye all the choices. Martha's Donuts is eat outside only. You look through the window from the outside and never go in at all. I've never been to a donut shop like that. I think it's old school and I like it.

It is usually a difficult decision. But also exciting.

In the end, it is always something with sprinkles. Because really, who doesn't love sprinkles?

We also like to get an orange juice to balance all the sugary sweetness from the donuts. They never finish their donuts, but we always finish the juice.

The first time we went to Martha's was right before escrow closed on our house. The family selling the house wanted to meet us, the new family moving in. It was a very sweet and touching day. You can read about it here.

By the time we were done at the house, the kids were pretty tired, but they had been troopers the whole time we were there. So we decided to stop for a treat at Martha's. While we sat at the one table, enjoying rainbow sprinkles and oj, one of the brothers we had just met, walked up for a donut and a cup of coffee. He had grown up in that house, this neighborhood. "I used to come here for donuts on my way to school all the time, " he told us. Now his father was gone and he and his brothers were selling their family home. And there he was, back at Martha's Donuts, one of his childhood haunts.

Perhaps it sounds silly, but I knew right then that Martha's was going to become a part of our life. It already had. I am not really a fan of donuts. I am really not a fan of giving my kids donuts. But I am learning it is OK to loosen up sometimes. And so, sometimes, we go to Martha's Donuts on a Saturday morning.

I like the chocolate old fashioned.

But those boys like sprinkles.