Important Life Lessons Taught by Children

Everyday I am so thankful for my children. Thankful for the love they give, thankful for the humor they bring, but most importantly, thankful for the lessons they teach.

Children teach you to slow down and be fascinated by the simple things in life - like when Carter exclaims (at SIX in the morning!!) "Mommy, the suns awake, the suns awake!!!". He's right - I shouldn't be grouchy because it is so early on a Saturday and he's dragging me out of bed. I should be as excited as he is that the sun is shining and we are given this wonderful day to share with our family!

Children teach you to love unconditionally, no matter how naughty they can be - like when I'm awoken in the middle of the night to Carter slapping me in the face because he wants to lay by Daddy, not by Mommy!! Or when Sophia throws a holy-rollin' fit just because (she has my quick temper!). No matter how naughty they are or how defiant, there is not a second that goes by that I don't think to myself just how blessed we are!

One of the most important lessons I've learned so far is that no amount of time is a safe amount of time for a 3 year old to be left alone in the bathroom. From this lesson, I learned that when an unknown amount of toothpaste is consumed (but for sure less than 1oz), the cure is milk! Milk binds to fluoride and prevents the body from absorbing it - who'da thunk it! On Wednesday, Carter decided that toothpaste was the perfect after-dinner mint. I walked into the bathroom to find the blue, kiddy sparkly goo all over his fingers and all around his mouth. When I asked how much he ate he said "Um...a big one!!". What does that mean?!?!? So after a phone call to Grandma Juanita and followed by a phone call to Poison Control, we learned the antidote was milk! And Carter was just fine...no tummy trouble, no nothing! Thank God!!

Sophia and Daddy at Chuck E. Cheese for Carter's Birthday!!

Getting ready to hit the pool!!

Phi Phi and Daddy!

Mommy and Phia.

The birthday boy in his super hero cape!! :)

Oh my little story teller!

I think it is so funny how innocent our kids can be on one hand, but then on the other, completely mischievous! Today I was cleaning up and Carter came whipping around the corner to see what I was doing, and like he often does lately, he stubbed his toe! Poor guy! So as I was feeling sorry for his poor little piggie, he was crying and crying and trying to tell me something. I couldn't figure it out - the only word I could understand was "phia" (that's what he calls Sophia) followed by a bunch of random consonants and tears. I finally calmed him down enough so he could speak a little more clearly. I was so surprised by what I heard... "Phia push me!". The little stinker was blaming his 7 month old sister! And by the way, Sophia was playing/restrained in her bouncer, so there is NO WAY she could have pushed him (well, and the facts that she lacks the coordination and strength are also good reasons she couldn't have done it!)! I just had to laugh, I could not believe it! It really makes me second guess him when he comes home from school and tells me "Gabe hit me!".

First of Probably Few

So this is my inaugural blog! I'm kind of excited for what I choose to do with this blog. It's nice to have an outlet for all the "stuff" that goes on in life. I titled this "first of probably few", because it is likely what it will be - my first blog of what will probably only be a few entries! (I can be such a realist sometimes! :) )

We had a great holiday weekend. We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house, went Black Friday shopping starting at midnight (I know, I'm insane), celebrated my birthday and went out with friends on Saturday.

Thanksgiving day was great! I started the day off with coffee and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade! Juanita, Dave, Ang, Derek, Jenn, Caden, Nat all came over. Juanita handled all the cooking (I'm so lucky) and I contributed the kitchen and deviled eggs!

Black Friday shopping was actually fun this year. I had gone one other time, but didn't buy anything, so I vowed to never go again. Too crowded, too few deals (unless you wanted to wait in lines for big screens), too little sleep... the reasons why I vowed to never bother with BF again could go on and on! This year, I hadn't planned on going, but when Jenn suggested it, I went for it...and I found some awesome deals! Movies, blankets, games, jackets...I'm stoked I got such a good start to Christmas shopping. I even splurged on a birthday present for me... Sex in the City DVD for $1.97! :)

Friday was a great day - Aaron and I got to go have lunch together and do some fun Christmas decorating shopping. We ventured to Hobby Lobby, against Aaron's will (but it was my birthday, so he didn't really have a choice in the matter!). I could spend hours there!! Everything I got was half off, which made the trip that much sweeter.

On Saturday, Carter and I spent some quality time making Christmas platters. Thanks to Andrea for the idea! They turned out so cute! I'm looking forward to doing some other crafts for Christmas!

Saturday night Aaron and I met up with some friends downtown. I had never really spent an evening downtown, so it was nice for a change. Downtown was so much fun! Copper Lounge (for a split second!), Lucky's, Wiley's and Club David. We managed to get home around 3a. That is absolutely unheard of!! When you have 2 kids under the age of 3, coming home at three in the morning is a rarity. But, sometimes, you have to cut-loose, have some adult time, catch up and let the other people in your life know you still value their friendships!

So needless to say, with the weekend being jam packed with family, food and fun, I'm spent. Today has been super lazy! We slept in, ordered out and watched football (Go Bears!!). Now the kids are sleeping and it's time to get ready for the work week.

Now, this is my first time blogging and for some reason I feel compelled to sign off, like I'm writing a letter to someone...but I guess in a way, it kind of is (if anyone ever reads this). So, I won't fight the urge to tell "you" to have a wonderful week (whoever "you" is)!!