Gratitude

The sermon in church yesterday was about gratitude.  The pastor stressed that we give thanks for all that we have in our lives, instead of bemoaning that which we don't.  Today I was reminded of all that God gives and I am feeling very thankful tonight.   For one thing, Liam began officially crawling forward today.  He has been scooting backward for a few weeks, but today he took his first few forward movements and I found myself so excited for him, yet a little apprehensive knowing that my life would become that much more complicated. Still, I can't help but feel thankful that my happy and healthy baby is reaching his milestones and will be so much happier now that he can move about.

 My car went in for service today and I felt gratitude for the service manager when he threw in a new cup holder to replace the one that was missing a few parts.  It's the little things that make you the most thankful!   I was also thankful that everything they fixed was under warranty.

Utah, born October 24, 2006

I am feeling really thankful for the new member we are adding to our family tomorrow.  This past week we heard about a friend-of-a-friend who was looking for a new home for their golden retriever.  Long story short, they gave it to Retrievers and Friends of Southern California.  I logged onto their website to see if it was still available and found a different dog immediately captured my heart.  His name is Utah.  He is 4 and was lonely since his pal passed away.  He needed a home with another dog and one that would allow him to be in the house.  He is friendly and good on a leash.  His family did not have time for him any longer. How perfect for us since we wanted to add a buddy for Bodie, and to get a dog who was a little older.  I just asn't prepared to teach Liam to walk while potty training a puppy.  Patrick and I filled out the extensive online application last night and waited to see if we could meet him.

This morning was hectic as we switched cars and dropped mine off at Weseloh Chevrolet.  The kids were whiny and I stopped by Starbucks for coffee and bagels.  We did some errands and I stopped by home to pick up some baby food and shorts for the kids as we were on our way to La Jolla for a doctor's appointment.  As I walked through the backdoor, the phone was ringing, and it was Nancy from the retriever rescue.  She had great news!  Our application was so impresive (yay us!) that they decided to skip the home visit and award us the dog.  Guess they know dog people when they see them.  I think the pics of all the Perry goldens together helped a little too!  We are heading to Murrietta tomorrow to meet him and bring him home.  Gratitude!  Bodie will have some company to hang out with and we can make Utah very happy by giving him a new home.

As I look back on my day filled with some trying times (whining toddler, crying baby, hectic schedule, Laney pooping in her panties, etc.) I can only feel gratitude for my God for steering my day in the right direction.  I have such a good feeling about the love and grace that this new dog will add to our home.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us.

Odds and Ends

1.  I finally finished the thank you notes for Laney's birthday, and I have to say that I love the way they turned out.  I have been dreaming (yes dreaming) about buying a circular paper punch, but they are expensive and I haven't had a *valid* reason to until now.  As luck would have it, Michaels had the punches for 30% off, so I went hog-wild and got 2 circle sizes, a ruffled edge circle, and a square punch to boot!  Feeling some creative juices flowing again after making all those cards.

Here is a sample of my work (and thanks to Martha for creating the adorable elephant punch that came in sooooo handy for Laney's elephant party!)

2.  We have a pair of doves living in our yard somewhere.  We haven't identified the actual place yet, but they are big fans of our pergola by the barbecue.  We see them out there all day long, and hear them cooing to each other frequently.  Laney has decided to name the pair Helen and Thomas, although I think they look like a Harold and Maude to me.  

Helen and Thomas of Shadetree Drive...although I couldn't tell you which is which

4.  Patrick and Gavin made it to the top of Mt. Shasta and back, and all in one piece.  They ended up summiting a day early due to weather, and only got about 2 hours of sleep during their first night camping on the mountain.  I am so proud of them for accomplishing their goal, but mainly for not ending up in the E.R. and still being on speaking terms after traveling together!

 Learning how to camp in the snow, use crampons and ice axes

Their hike to the summit began on day two, at 1 am.

Each of the boys at the summit of Mt. Shasta

At the summit, amidst the haze and weather!  14,000 + feet.  Wooo hoooo!

5.  Laney went to the Fair for the first time yesterday.  She went with her Oma and Kiersten (her cousin).  Laney reports that "I went on the swings with Kiersten and did all the rides.  I played a fishing game and I winned a orange doggy toy.  I saw goats, some rabbits, some sheep, some chickens, and a rooster in a special gate.  My favorite part was the orange bus and the double decker one with stairs.  I ate chicken nuggies and french fries.  My legs were tired and I just watched the kids on the slide."

I asked her if she would like mommy to take her another time (feeling guilty that I don't enjoy the fair and have dreaded taking her as soon as she was born.)  She said she wants Oma to take her again, not mommy.  How lucky am I?

My gorgeous baby is getting so big!

6.  Liam is ALMOST crawling, and I feel like my life as I know it will soon cease to exist.  He can get up on his hands and knees, or hands and toes, or some combination of both.  He tries to rock forward but ends up falling over most of the time.  Liam really likes standing up and holding onto the sofa or the coffee table.  He is so brazen that he will turn around from the coffee table and lunge toward the sofa.  He still has wobbly legs as he is learning to stand, but will pick up his feet and move them as if to walk if you hold onto both of his hands.  I think he is desperate to be mobile and it won't be long before the child safety gates get re-installed in our house.  Liam is also starting to give kisses on demand (mostly only to mommy, but we are working on that).  He loves to plant an open mouthed slobber kiss on me, especially when I get him out of his crib after his nap. He also likes to check himself out in the mirrored wardrobe doors in his room after getting up from a nap, and smiles brightly at his own reflection as he pats the mirrror and greets his adorable smiling face.  He is such a flirt and a goofball all rolled up in one.  Heaven help us, I think we might be raising the class of  2028's Official Class Clown.

Happy birthday Doug!

Happy birthday big guy!

My friend Krista has three boys and her youngest turned one this weekend.  We went to his party and Liam made fast friends with him in the playpen.  So cute to watch them interact.  Liam's first friend :)  So glad they like each other because Krista and I have been friends for almost 16 years now and we want to keep it that way.

Pack-n-play buddies

Hunky Monkey

Today was a very fussy day for Liam.  He is getting over an ear infection and sore throat, and the screaming all day doesn't help.  His antibiotics are giving him diarrhea, so he is not a real happy camper right now. Thankfully a trip to the backyard cured his 3 o'clock blues.

It appears that he is not thrilled with Laney who was screaming "mommy" at the top of her lungs for attention.  Kinda looks like he is about to get up and smack her....lucky for Laney he can't walk yet!

Happy again after a few minutes of mutual fussing.