Thankful 30 - Day 30

Phew!  Made it!  :)

Day 30 - I am thankful for my whole life.  I know, I'm a cheater, right?  But really, I have a pretty sweet gig here being a mama and wife and I'm thankful for everything about it.  Not that I'm not thiiiiiis close to going crazy every few hours, but I still love it.

Thankful 30 - Days 25-29

Oops.  :)
Day 25 - I am thankful for cameras.  Even though I haven't been making use of them as much lately, I still love them.  I have my Canon Rebel for taking awesome pictures,

my Panasonic Lumix for keeping in the diaper bag,

and of course, my HTC Inspire with a camera for having on me at all times.

Day 26 - I am thankful for Old Navy.  Seriously, pretty much my whole wardrobe is from there.  I love their clothes and their prices.  For example, I went to Duluth last week and for less than $25, I got: pjs for Callum, a long sleeved shirt for Ev, 5 pairs of socks for Ev, two sweaters for me, dress pants for me (why, when I don't work or anything?  Because they were less than $3.  Duh.), a boatneck shirt for me, a cami for me, and a fleece vest for me.  I shop the clearance racks and it was the 30% off sale.  Woot.
Day 27 - I am thankful for the co-op.

It is the only place in town that we can really buy healthy, real, organic food, and when they have sales, I can get items for cheaper than anywhere else.
Day 28 - Let's just move next door next.  I am thankful for our coffee shop.

Delicious.  I had a chocolate croissant and coffee yesterday between chasing Callum up and down the shop.

Day 29 - And one more on the same block.  I am thankful for our bakery.

Again, chocolate croissants.  And the best cinnamon rolls on the planet.  Oh, and bread too.  :)

Thankful 30 - Days 22, 23, & 24

Day 22 - I am thankful for my washing machine.

Hey, I'm a stay-at-home mom who cloth diapers.  I had better love my washing machine.  This was the best housewarming present three years ago and it's been perfect (except that time Brian tried to wash a huge rug in it and then we had to call Sears repair and use disposable diapers...).  Seriously though.  It's an LG.  It has a custom program button, so when I do diapers, I just do a cold rinse for 7 minutes and then hit the "custom program" button and it goes on its way doing a hot wash with two cold rinses and sings me a pretty little song when it's done.

Day 23 - I am thankful for books.  Adult books, kid books, doesn't matter.  I love them.  I mean, this one is kind of obvious, right?  An English Literature major in college?  Yeah.  I love how I don't feel braindead after staying up late, reading.  I love that my boys love reading.  Everett has been into it for a long time and demands three books every night before bed.  Callum's just starting to get the patience to sit still and listen for half a second.  And I must add - my absolute favorite children's author is Mo Willems.  (He was on NPR this morning too!)  If you haven't read any of his books, go get them now.  The Pigeon books, Knuffle Bunny, Piggy & Elephant, Cat the Cat.  They're all awesome.
Day 24 - I am thankful for music.  I know, generic, right?  But right now, Everett is running around the living room with my phone, listening to Adele.  I can somewhat assuage his requests for TV by turning on the toddler music channel on either cable or Pandora.  Callum starts dancing the second he hears a beat and I can tell he's already a great music lover just like his brother.  Brian and I were just talking about how it would be fun to try and get Everett playing the ukulele next year.  If we're still living here, our next door neighbor could teach him.  How awesome would that be?

Thankful 30 - Days 19, 20, & 21

Day 19 - I am thankful for farm fresh eggs.  Since grandma and grandpa got chickens again, we've been supplied with fresh, yummy, brown eggs from some pretty feisty, roaming chickens.  (You should have seen us trying to corral them into their indoor room this evening...)  Not only is it awesome to have eggs from local chickens that we known are being treated humanely, those chickens are fun to visit too.  Everett likes to hold them and Callum's just fascinated.  He's become a pro baaaawk-er too.  Seriously.  I need to get it on video, he's so good.
Day 20 - I am thankful for TiVo.  We inherited a really old TiVo years ago from Brian's uncle and it's still chugging along (you don't just upgrade from a lifetime service TiVo).  That and Hulu are all we watch.  Like I'm going to make sure I'm sitting down at 8/7 c to watch a show.  No.  I watch it on my TiVo at my own pace, dang it.
Day 21 - I am thankful for my cell phone.  Yes, I am a tiny bit addicted.  I love it though.  I have an HTC Inspire and I don't regret getting it over an iPhone for one second.  I love my android.  I just love that I can check my email, fb, and of course, play draw something, whenever I feel the urge.  I can also check my calendar when out with friends, upload adorable mobile pictures, and entertain myself while Brian's doing his Brian thing shopping for bike parts or something.

Thankful 30 - Days 16, 17 & 18

Day 17 - I am thankful that I've learned how to knit.  It's something that I've spent a lot of time learning and I think I've gotten pretty good at it.  I love that I can make homemade gifts that are actually cute and useful.  I also love that I've learned how to knit woolies for my boys, because dang are they expensive to buy.  It also lets me feel like I have the tiniest bit of an artistic side, which I've never felt in my life.  I always felt like I was no good at sports, I wasn't artistic, not especially smart.  Now I know I can run, I love creating through knitting, and hey, I made it through college with honors.  :)
Day 18 - I am thankful for good sleepers.  My boys are, what I consider, great sleepers.  Everett especially.  He started sleeping through the night at 4 months and sleeps like a log.  About 11-12 hours every night even when his brother cries.  Callum still doesn't sleep all the way through the night, but I'm ok with that because it allows him to get in an extra nursing session and I don't feel any less rested when I wake up for ten minutes at 2 am.  That goes along with the idea that people used to sleep in two distinct sessions per night and were no worse off for it.  I actually feel more tired when he wakes at 11 before I fall asleep.
Day 19 - I am thankful for spring.  Although I could do without the rainy blah days like today, I do enjoy the spring.  I love the 60-70 degree days with a light breeze, fresh smelling air, and birds singing.  I love to be able to walk to the parks/playgroups with my crew and I love that they have a place to get fresh air and run around, getting all those wiggles out.

Thankful 30 - Days 13, 14, & 15

Day 13 - I am thankful for wraps and other baby carriers.

They make toting around big lugs like my boys so much easier.  There are no huge strollers to collapse and put back together (although I love those too...see below), they keep baby nice and cozy with mama (or daddy), they're beautiful, and addictive.  I love them so much, I'm leading a presentation on them this Saturday at our local breastfeeding support group.  Apparently they think I have a lot of them or something....what?  2 wraps, an Ergo, 2 mei tais, a baby k'tan, a pouch, and two crotch danglers is a lot?  I only use the wraps and ergo, and I use the k'tan until baby is about 15 lbs.  I loved my Moby wrap that I got when I was pg with Callum, but I soon delved into the world of woven wraps which are just as good for a newborn and useful for much longer, so I handed down my moby to a friend.  Someday, I will own a wrap in this pattern too:  yummy!

Day 14 - I am thankful for strollers.

Yes, I love my wraps and carriers, but strollers definitely have their place in our lives too.  They allow us to still run, go on long walks, bike rides, skiing, etc. and they make it possible for us to get out of the house with daycare babies (Everett rides his scoot bike while I push two babies and possibly wear one).  I may also own too many of those.... a BOB jogging stroller, a single Chariot, a double Chariot, and a newly acquired (used!) Chicco umbrella stroller.  What?  I needed a light weight, easy folding stroller for shopping... :)

Day 15 - I am thankful for the internet.  Seriously, we all know I have an addiction, but you know.... Yesterday, my brain wouldn't work while I was trying to change some fish tank water and I couldn't figure out if I was using a 5 or 10 gallon bucket of water, which I needed to dechlorinate.  So I quickly did an image search of 10 and 5 gallon buckets, figured out it was 5, and added my dechlorinating solution.  Done. I've also made a lot of interwebz friends via message boards focused on pregnancy/babies.  I've veered away from the original, massive site to an off board where it's a much smaller community with some awesome moms.  And yes, I do still have friends in real life too.  ;)

Thankful 30 - Days 11 & 12

Day 11 - I am thankful for coffee.

Mmmm....Can't really start my day without it.  I brew it half-caff so I can have more of it. With just the smallest splash of Coffeemate Natural Bliss vanilla creamer.

Day 12 - I am thankful for cloth diapers.  Seriously.  Because there's no way you can argue that this isn't adorable.

Cloth diapers have saved us a bunch of money, kept my boys' sensitive skin happy, and they are just so cute.  Nothing like a giant fluffy butt on a baby.  Plus, I've become somewhat of a knowledgeable person on them and I am starting to do "classes" for others on cloth diapering!

Thankful 30 - Days 8, 9, & 10

Day 8 - I am thankful for the islands and the lake.

I just so happen to not only live on Lake Superior, but I live a mere 30 minutes from the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.  I even got to work up in Bayfield, running the bookstore for the lakeshore for 1.5 summers.  LOVED that job!  Last summer, we had friends come up from Chicago and we took Gma and Gpa's boat up to Rocky island to camp and stopped at Raspberry island to see the lighthouse on our way home.  I could go on and on (and on) about these islands, I love them so much.  It's one of the greatest parts of living here.

Day 9 - I am thankful for my friends.  I don't think I actually have a picture of a bunch of them, but you'll have to pretend.  When we first moved up here, I went to a playgroup at the local episcopal church.  This is where I met my friends.  Our group has evolved some as the months and years have passed, but it's still a great group of moms who will help you out whenever you're in need.

Day 10 - I am thankful for volleyball on Wednesday nights.  A year and a half ago, one of my friends gave me no choice but to join a volleyball team she was creating to play in the leisure community league.  Seriously.  She said I couldn't say no, even though I had never really played volleyball before.  I'm so glad she was so pushy, because I look forward to Wednesday evenings all week.  I try to have a dinner ready early, we eat, and then I run out the door in my bright pink shirt and Brian takes care of the boys for the evening.  We generally win one game (out of six) each week, but we have a lot of fun.  And we allllways go out to the DeepWater Grille afterward for hot wings/moz sticks/drinks.

Thankful 30 - Days 6 & 7

 Day 6 - I am thankful for our stinky cats.

Although more often than not, they drive me absolutely crazy, it's still nice to have them around.  Having a furry little creature snuggle up to you and purr is pretty nice and they always know when you're feeling down.  Plus, aren't they two of the prettiest cats you've ever seen?

Day 7 - I am thankful for our families.  We currently live in the same town we met in in high school, and our parents are still here too.  It's so nice that the boys get to see both sets of grandparents about once/week or more.  In fact, Everett is very excited that tomorrow he will get to see both Grandma and Grandpa AND Nana and Papa.  Plus, my siblings are still very young and excellent playmates and babysitters for the boys.  And it's the gathering place for Brian's sisters to come home too.  Pretty sweet deal.   :)

Thankful 30 - Days 4 & 5

Day 4 - I am thankful for our house.

The housing market crash happened at the right time for us and we were able to get our beautiful house at a nice price with a great interest rate (even better after refinancing) in the perfect neighborhood.  Sure it has things that annoy me, like the icky kitchen floor tiles, somewhat scary basement, creaky floor in the middle of the night, etc. (blue tub and toilet are now gone), but I still love our house.  And our neighbors.  :)

Day 5 - I am thankful that I get to stay home with my boys every day.  Yes, they drive me completely up the wall crazy, but I love being able to be home with them.  There are definitely days that I wish I didn't do daycare and think, why can't I just go to work and be around adults???? but being able to be with my boys and watch them grow and learn is so worth it.  They're both very confident, independent little boys who don't mind babysitters one bit and still run to hug us when we get home.  Awesomesauce.

Thankful 30 - Day 3

I bet you can't guess my third thing to be thankful for.  Of course, it's my third boy!  Oh Callum.  My Cally boy.

My mini me in attitude, fine hair, eyes, and goofiness.  Before we even got to know the personality of this awesome little guy, he remedied my so-so first birth experience with his awesome birth.  I got to start from the beginning with him some things it took me a while to learn with Everett: cloth diapers, babywearing, a good breastfeeding relationship, and generally more natural, attached parenting.  I also had a better camera.  ;)
Callum is a sweet snuggler but he also has a temper.  He won't take any pushing around from Everett and fights back if he wants something.    He still strokes my hair when he's tired or upset, and pulls on his own hair while humming to himself when tired.  He's my sweet little bug and I am so thankful for him.

Thankful 30 - Days 1 & 2

Since I'm in a blogging rut anyway, I decided to take part in the Thankful 30 this month.  Because who ever said thankfulness was for November anyway?  :)
Since I'm already a day behind (this doesn't bode well for the rest of the month, does it?), I have two to do today.
Day 1 - I am thankful for my husband.

Because really, I wouldn't have a lot of my other favorite things to be thankful for without him.  :)  There aren't that many people who have married their high school sweethearts, stayed married for (almost!) five years now, had two beautiful little boys, and are very very happy with their life.  Brian works his bum off on a daily basis to provide for our family and he is excellent at his job.  I mean, honors in undergrad, honors in grad school where he got a master's degree with research, a PE license in less than 3 years after graduation, and now managing projects?  Smart guy.  He is always encouraging our family to be healthy, whether that is regular exercise, playing outside, or complimenting my healthy cooking so much that I can't ever really slack off and cook junk.  He's a pretty fantastic husband and daddy and we'll keep him.

Day 2 - I am thankful for my first baby, Everett.

He brought more joy into my life than I could have imagined.  He makes me laugh hourly with silly things he says and and the way he plays with his brother.  He also makes me swoon with the way he snuggles, hugs and kisses, and dotes on his baby brother.  He was a natural big brother from the moment he met Callum and he takes such good care of him.  He's a great helper but also very independent.  He loves to pick out clothes for his brother and himself, help cook and clean, and just generally do what I ask.  He is my sweet little crazy muffin and I am so glad I get to spend every day with him, watching him grow and learn.  I love how he loves books (he definitely got that from me) and snuggles (and that one's from his daddy).  I love his infectious laugh and beautiful eyes.  I could go on and on because, duh, I'm his mama.  But we'll just say, I am grateful for my boy.