Thankful

So I'm a little late on the "thankful" posts, but better late than never, right?

I have an abundance of things to be thankful for in my life so I've tried to narrow it down just a bit to the biggest and most important.

First and foremost are my parents and the unconditional love they not only show me but my daughter as well.  I could write an entire post full of stories of their kindness, compassion, sympathy and dedication that they have shown to me in my lifetime but I don't have the time nor the Kleenex.  Some people in my past might have called my upbringing pretty "Leave it to Beaver" because my childhood was stable, secure and full of love and laughter.  I always knew there would be food on the table and seated at that table would be people who were looking out for my best interests.  I felt safe, cared for and cherished.  My parents also stressed the fact that without the deep love they have for each other....none of the rest of our family would have been possible.  They provided a wonderful model for a Christian marriage - God first, spouse second and children third.

Granddaddy holding his only granddaughter for the very first time.

Nonna and her granddaughter.

The three generations of women.

And without their model of how men and women should treat one another within a relationship, I never would have been able to recognize what I could have and build with this man.

We have really seemed to hit a stride this fall - life has been crazy with all the insane STUFF we've dealt with but we are solid.  We are good.  We have somehow managed to find a great balance of the marriage-family-work-personal thing and we are just chugging along.  He is by far my best friend which is why I knew I needed to marry him in the first place.

And without him and the life we built together, I wouldn't have this little munchkin.

Oh my dear, sweet little girl.  She truly is a joy in my life from her giggles to her love for baby dolls and even to her determined nature.  I am enjoying getting to know and understand this darling daughter of mine and even on the days when "NO!" is her favorite word, she is still a blessing in my life.

Our family portrait taken when Natalie was fourteen months old.

I have known these two ladies, Heather and Amy since we were all in grade school together.  Our friendship over the past twenty (eek! TWENTY) years has seen it's fair share of heartbreak, catastrophes, anguish, joy, celebration and tragedy.  We have attended each other's weddings, birthday parties and baby showers but we also have mourned the loss of a father and held vigil after the overdose of a brother.  The three of us are an interesting mix of bubbling creativity, organized realism and take-charge intelligence.  

They are MY Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

And this lady named Kate and I have literally known each other since we were born.  Our mothers met in a Bible study and then taught pre-school together as well.  All our childhood photos involve one another - me as the tall and serious brunette and she the petite and lively redhead.  And now there is a second generation of friends Natalie is ten months older than baby Audrey.  Kate and I have shared the woes and joys of motherhood, marriage and dealing with in-laws over margaritas and Mexican food.  I am thankful that I truly have her in my life because she gives great advice and always with a needed dose of humor and sarcasm.

And then THIS happened with Amy.  Because it's really not a kid's birthday party without a belly & duck face photo.

My dear, sweet Angelina Marie.  This is one of my most favorite pictures of her because it shows the intensity of her eyes.  Angie is such an interesting dog and certainly not one with mass appeal, but she is my girl and my comfort.  I'm going to sound like one of those crazy dog people (which I probably am) but she and I have a certain understanding and we really share a wonderful bond.

And here is Mr. Ajax.  I'm thankful that this guy ventured into our lives almost one year ago in January.  He is Craig's buddy and is almost always willing to put up with Natalie's shenanigans.  Like this morning....he dutifully sat in bed with her as she "read" him the stories and showed him pictures from her books.  He is gentle, sweet, peaceful and loyal.  And a good antidote for Angie's attitude.

In my life, I have been very blessed with the amount of travelling I've done.  I've been places, I've seen things and I've gotten a good antidote for the ethnocentrism that seems to exist here in the United States.  I know how lucky and privileged I am to live in a country where I have freedom, safety and independence from tyranny.  But I also have visited countries where they are equally as proud (and rightfully so) of their heritage, history and culture.  

Travelling has given me great perspective.  

And very good stories to tell when I am older.

June 2007: Sipping on summer beer in Munich.

August 2010: Standing in front of the Trevi fountain in Rome.

June 2007: Walking along the remnants of the Berlin Wall.

March 2006: My parents in the square of St. Marks in Venice, Italy.

August 2010: The kick-off concert of the European leg of the U2 tour.

March 2006: Standing under the plaque in room of the Vatican Museum that is dedicated to my great-grandmother.

March 2006: The island of Capri, Italy where my mother and grandmother spent their summers.

My life and my heart are full of love for good people, memories of good times, and lot of hope for the future.

A Surprise Shout Out

Ahhh....testing season is upon us.  I spent the hours between 9:00AM and 1:00PM the past two days cooped up in a classroom with 24 children watching them take the benchmark editions of the state mandated exams.  

No reading a book.  No surfing the web.  No checking emails.  Just.  Watching.  Kids.  Take.  A.  Test.

If the term "watching paint dry" pops in your head, that would be an accurate assessment of testing.

Needless to say I was happy to get home today on my very long afternoon conference period to eat some yummy leftovers and catch up on all the blogs, news and gossip I had been deprived of this morning.  My happiness turned to surprise which melted away into sheer flattery (flatteredness?  Okay, whatever....I was flattered) when I checked up on my sorority sister, Meagan's most recent blog posting.

Say what?!

Me?!

Wow.

I'm like Meagan.  I write and I blog for me.  I'm selfish that way.

I don't do it for the traffic flow; I don't do it for freebies and giveaways and I certainly don't do it for any type of monetary compensation.  I do it because apparently.........I've got a lot to say.  And the scary thing is?  As much STUFF that I put out here on the web, there's just as much that is written down in my super-duper-top-secret journal that is hidden in a very special spot in my bedroom.

Wouldn't you like to know what is written in THERE?!

But in all sincerity, I was really honored by Meagan's words because that kind of stuff is not what I'm seeking when I type a post.  I just kind of word vomit whatever is racing through my brain at the time and cross my fingers that people can relate or understand.....and maybe even giggle every once in awhile.

Oh.  And then there's my mom - I do Natalie posts because she likes to read my perspective of parenting my child.

The best kind of praise is the kind that you don't expect.  The ones that come out of left field.  When that kid in the back row who usually has his head down, concentrating on his doodle pad....you know the type.....when THAT student tells you that his favorite time of the day is your class.  Or when a parent sends out an email just thanking you for taking the time to sit down and chat with their student - which happened to be on a day when their child really needed a listening ear.  Or perhaps when you're just going about your daily business cleaning and straightening up the house and your husband, sitting on the couch like the king of a castle, says...."you do a really great job keeping our home organized and pretty."  That's the good stuff.  The praise that happens when you're just living your life, just doing your thing and someone gives you that pat on the back.

So thanks for the shout out Meagan - and thank you for giving me the inspiration to be open, direct and honest about my struggle with PPD.

Giving Thanks

A few posts ago I was a bit of a Debbie Downer....just a little beat down by the daily grind of coaching, raising a baby, running a house and trying to keep my head above water.

1. I have such a diverse group of friends and I really cherish each of the special and unique friendships I have with all of them.  Craig and I have our couples friends who we mostly met through work that we go to dinner with and watch Cowboys games or go to Stars games with.  I have girlfriends that I've known since birth, middle school and friends that I've made as an adult.  I have friends that have older children and pass on valuable advice to me and I have new mommy friends with whom I can lament the trials and tribulations of learning how to parent.  Each and every friendship that I have brings something special to my life and even though sometimes life gets busy and I can't see them as often as I would like, hopefully they all know how much I value them!

2. The hubs.  I can't write too much or I'll cry and I'm currently sitting in Study Hall with twenty sixth grade students so tears are probably not appropriate right now.  He's pretty awesome - not just at being my husband, but being Natalie and Angie's daddy, a middle school girls basketball coach, a son, a brother and pretty much everything else he does in his life.  I'm thankful for all the little twists and turns that our lives took that brought us to both working in the athletic department at the same school several years ago.

3. My two girls bring my so much joy in life - yes, I'm talking about both Natalie my human daughter and my fur baby Angie.  This morning is a great example of why I'm thankful to call them my own: I walked into Natalie's room at 7:00 to see her sitting in her crib playing sweetly with her musical giraffe - adorable.  I picked her up to carry her into the spare room to wake up her Daddy (Craig is a snorer) and very soon after we crashed onto Craig, we heard the clip-clop noises of Angie trotting in from the master bedroom.  Craig and I were soon covered with puppy dog kisses and all we could hear were the squeals of delight as Natalie tried to pet Angie while simultaneously dodging Angie's persistent attempt at kisses.  I have my moments of pure frustration with both of them and the gift of wisdom and patience with them is on my daily prayer list.  And although in the past year there have been so many moments when I have questioned my mothering abilities and God's reasoning in even making me a mother and gifting me with a child........on the good days I look into her blue eyes and I know that she was specifically created to be MY daughter and no one else's.  I just want to be the kind of mother that she deserves because she is a precious gift from God and she deserves the best I can possibly give to her.  And not to be forgotten, there is my four legged fur baby who always tends to know exactly what I need whether it's a warm cuddle on the bed or a gentle "I hope you feel better" lick on the hand, Angie always is right in the thick of things in our house and is a vital member of our family.

4. I have a lot of friends as I stated above, but there is one friend in particular that is one of my more recent friendships but I truly believe that she and I were placed in each other's lives to share the first year of motherhood together.  She has no idea what good it did for me to hear that I wasn't going crazy and that I wasn't alone in the thoughts and feelings I was experiencing after Natalie's birth.  In eighteen years when our girls are graduating and going off to college and becoming adults, I will look at my friend and still remember the summer of 2011 when we barricaded our babies in the living room with the toys and sat around on the couches sharing our stories and struggles with PPD.  She has been such a blessing in my life this past year and I hope that she knows that even though life gets crazy and we don't get to see each other often that she is always in my thoughts, prayers and my "thank yous" to God.

5. In the past year there has been a baby boom in my life and in the lives of my friends.  Mostly little girls but one very special little boy as well - her baby cousin Ian who is only 5 months younger!  I'm very thankful for all the babies in Natalie's life because I can't wait to see her grow up with these kiddos and be able to say "I've known them since I was born!"  At Craig's middle school alone, there are SIX baby girls born all in the past year (four of them to the coaching staff!) and if they all go to the same elementary next to the middle school - how fun would that be!!  And on the subject of Mr. Ian and his two big brothers, Alexander and Ford, I am so thankful for Natalie's boy cousins.  One of my favorite things about growing up (although I didn't admit it at the time) was having two big brothers and although I was thrilled to have a little girl, I was a bit saddened that she won't ever get to know what having big brothers is like.  Enter the boy cousins - Alexander is so genuinely sweet and nurturing with her while Ford will probably be the one talking her into going along with his crazy (but creative and fun!) schemes.....and with baby Ian being so close in age, she'll always have a playmate at family functions.

6. While we're on the topic of big boys helping to take care of Natalie, I should touch on how thankful I am that I was led to Ms. Rebecca who takes care of Natalie during the day.  Natalie is the only little girl among three to four older boys and I love how excited the boys get to see her and all the fun relationships she's going to build with them.  Rebecca is just the most perfect person to take care of my little girl - when Natalie was still fighting with the croup and needed breathing treatments Rebecca had no problem administering her midday treatment as well as giving her the extra cuddles and snuggles she needed when she felt a little yucky.    I love that Rebecca doesn't just take care of kids during the day but she really seems to love the little ones and find joy in helping them grow.  I know how blessed I am to have found such an amazing place for Natalie to be when I am at work.

Those are all some pretty serious things to be thankful for.....and what's the silly stuff I am glad to have in my life?
1. Facebook - so that I can see my friend Amy's kiddos grow up even when they are a thousand miles away.
2. Keurig coffee makers - makes the most perfect cup of coffee for me in the mornings.
3. Target baby pajama sets - just because they make my baby girl look so scrumptiously cute in the mornings.
4. Pandora internet radio - I love choosing a station that fits my mood at any given moment.
5. Reese's Peanut Butter cups - the best midday pick me up....ever.
6. 8th grade volleyball - for being fun, hard working and sweet kiddos

There are so many things to be thankful for in my life and it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind and frustrations.  Thanksgiving is truly my favorite holiday because it's about nothing more than being with great friends and family and taking a time out to acknowledge all the blessings in your life.