Happy Thanksgiving!

On this morning of Thanksgiving, I wanted to make a list of the many things I'm thankful for. There are many and I hope I can remember to be grateful for them all year round. So, here goes.
1. Kyle - no explanation needed but seriously, who knew that a little boy could take over my heart in just 17 short months? He amazes me and makes me laugh and smile every day.
2. My amazing family - with all the quirks and craziness sometimes, they help define who I am. We can argue and disagree but we always love each other. I am beyond lucky to have so many amazing people to proudly call my family.
3. The blessing to be able to stay home with Kyle. This is truly one of those things I don't take for granted.
4. Technology. I love being able to reconnect with old friends and keep in touch and share memories so easily.
5. Couches and a rug that are easy to clean. Seriously, with 2 dogs and a kid (and Brad), it's the little things in life that make me happy.
6. The sense of security I have - I never worry about having all that we need - we may not drive fancy cars, live in a huge house, or shop on Rodeo Drive, but I don't need those things. Our needs and many of our wants are provided for always. That security brings contentment to my life.
7. Arcadia. Heaven on Earth.
8. Friends who 'get' me. It's not the quantity but the quality of friends that is important to me and my friends are quality people.
9. Nice generous people. Everywhere I go it seems people are always helping one another out and giving of themselves freely. I don't think it's just because of the holiday season. I really think most people deep down are really good and just need opportunities to help. They inspire me to be a better person too.
10. An amazing God who has blessed me beyond measure.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope your lives are joyful and blessed as well!

Cleaning out the pumpkin

The slightly overdue video of Kyle having a blast with the pumpkin...He continues to crack us up every day. We are blessed!

Frozen in time

Sometimes I wish it was possible to freeze time. Everyone always says time flies by with a child and it is so true. I look at Kyle and wonder where the last 16 months have gone. We've definitely had some tough moments but when I look back all I remember are the good times. I can't believe he's already walking around and communicating. Where did that helpless dependent baby go? He's now independent in so many ways and has this amazing personality. Kyle picks out the food he wants to eat, the shoes he wants to wear, the books he wants to read. He just amazes me at all that he can understand and all that he can do. Sometimes when he comes toddling into the room I look at him and see a glance into the future. I don't see a wobbly 1 year old, but a 10 year old playing baseball or an 18 year old getting dressed up for prom. I know those moments will be here before I know it and so I try my best to enjoy every moment that is speeding past us. If I could just freeze him and capture him in this moment in time it would be perfect. But at the same time, I'm so excited to see how he changes and grows throughout the years and I can't wait to experience all of that with him. Will it always go this quickly? Probably. For now, I'll just count my blessings and keep telling myself how lucky I am to get to see his adorable smiling face every morning.

Halloween Fun

It's already November!! We've had some great fun with Halloween this year. Kyle dressed up as a skunk and was super cute. Good thing he doesn't quite get the connotation of that yet. He got to wear his costume quite a few times. We went trick or treating in our neighborhood on a very cold and windy day then went to our town's party in the park. He won the costume contest!! His prize was the computer game Zoo Tycoon 2. Maybe in a few years he'll enjoy that! We also went to a Halloween story time at Borders, visited Dad at work, and then went to a Halloween party on Friday at the mall. We did more trick or treating, listened to ghost stories, played with pumpkins and had fun seeing all the kids in costumes. Kyle actually liked wearing his costume and had a lot of fun. He has decided he loves candy - his favorite are Reese's peanut butter cups (mine too). He had a lot of fun carving pumpkins too. I'll try to get up a video of that later - no problems for him with the stringy pumpkin guts!!

At the Family Farm - feeding goats