Thankful Thursdays

A date night with O and Jer.  Riviera Maya for dinner and Kohls for dessert ;)
Buying blue lights for my our tree outside and putting them up on Saturday!
Spending Saturday evening in, watching movies and hanging out as a family.
Not leaving the house on Sunday and letting Old Man winter do his thing!
Burning fires all day both Saturday and Sunday.
Filling out addresses for our Christmas cards
That though this was one crazy and scattered work week, I was able to get through it.
That Jer ran to Target for me and did our household shopping
Owen and Mommy read books every night this week and had so much fun!
That I finally got to the bottom of the mouth pain I'm experiencing...and though it's not what I wanted to hear (root canal) it's at least an answer and will stop the pain!
That the new dentist I'm going to made me feel so much better about my oral health. I was excited to be told what I'd been told all my life...I had great teeth.
That though the fillings I currently have are probably too large and were unecessary b/c the dentist I chose totally rooked me, I'm finally somewhere I feel like I can trust.  That's a relief!
That the root canal is Saturday and though I"m scared to death, it means this pain in almost over!
That Jer let me cry in his lap the other night b/c I'd just had had enough of my mouth hurting me.
Owen's cold seems to be on it's way out the door.
We made it safe to work in the ice this morning.
Our food day at work was delicious and as always, fun!
That I get to go see Christmas lights this weekend with my crew :)

Wordless Wednesday - the holiday edition!

I should have known...

On Friday afternoon I found this laying on my couch after a nap.  This never happens.  This...

Should have been my first tip off that a storm was coming. BECAUSE these:

And this:

Are the typical pictures I take of my son.  Full speed. Non-stop. M.A.N.I.A.C.

So when this creature rested peacefully for over an hour without getting down,

I sooo should have seen the fever/cold/whatever the heck coming on Sunday night!

Oh and I'm pretty sure this:

Is the location where we picked up said germs.

He loved this chair. So much I think if he could have, he might have asked if we could load it up and take it home! We met a cute little girl names Lily. She didn't like Owen playing in the same tunnels as her..but she was sure cute and she called Owen a baby...a lot.

 In case I wasn't exactly clear, we're suffereing fever/cold number 3 since October.  I am thankful that it's not the flu, it's not strep (at least not that we know of) and so far it's just running it's course.  So it could be worse. But I hate seeing my little boy sick.  I also hate all the worrying that I end up doing.  Take him to the doctor, don't take him to the doctor.  Has it been 72 hours for this fever?  Is his pulling on his ears?  Or is it  just b/c he slept terrible and is sleepy.  So many questions!

Anyway...this is the SS Linley. Signing off after another day with Motrin, movies and snuggles!  Oh and once he did climb down off the couch...he was up to his usual antics.  Spatula in one hand, spoon in the other, pulled from a fresh load of dish-washed dishes.  And yes...he puts the strainer on this head!

I love Dr. Suess!!!

Lately bedtime hasn't been much fun for Owen! He knows when the dreaded walk to his bedroom begins that he's doomed.  We've tried a whole lot to make it more fun...and to distract him.  A normal bedtime routine will include closing his bedroom door, turning on his reading lamp above our reading chair, letting him run around his room a little, maybe pulling a board book down for him to flip through.  Choosing a book with a real story (Where the Wild Things Are, Something Good and If You Give a Moose a Muffin are some favorites of mine!). We let him burn off the tears and frustration of going to bed and once he's calm, most nights he grabs a book and wants in our lap.  We then read a few board books and finally turn to Dr. Suess for the finale! The rhythmn usually sends him right into a slumber...and sometimes makes us sleepy too!

Monday night he was much too sleepy to wander around his room.  And he wasn't in the mood to flip the pages of his books himself.  He just wanted to cry and be upset because Momma said it was bedtime.  So rather than not read to him at all, I picked up One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue...another Dr. Suess fave...and read very softly in his ear. The crying stopped. The fidgetting stopped.  All was calm on the Western front.  He snuggled in and drifted off to sleep just as I read...

"And now

good night.

It's time to sleep.

So we will sleep

with our pet Zeep.

Today is gone.  Today was fun.
Tomorrow is another one.

Every day,

from here to there,

funny things are everywhere."



Reflections at 28

When I think about my life at 28...ouch...did I say 28?  @$#@%!  Ah hem...where was I?  Oh that's right.  Life at 28...as I think about it...I am reminded of a conversation I have with my best friend about how we never feel old enough to be where we are.  And in most ways...that's pretty true for me. How I wound up 28, married, working, a mom...aren't I still that crazy kid taking my first Driver's Ed lesson?? Somehow, simply by the passage of time I supposed, I am here. I have to say, in doing some reflection, I've been feeling very blessed.  This has not been the easiest year of our lives...and I'm sure it won't be followed by another easy one.  But life is full of surprises and twists and turns and bumps.  And I've realized that somehow, through every twist and turn, I've always had exactly what I need, and in most cases even more so.

So on this...my 28th birthday...and in honor of my tradition of posting a Thankful Thursdays post...here's a list of 28 things I'm thankful for on my 28th year of life :) In no particular order...just like my usual posts!

1. That I've grown to see my 28th birthday
2. That I currently have a nearly 21 month old amazing son who kisses me good night after story time at night (the kisses are new, unprompted and I SOOO love it)
3. That I married and a share a life with Jer.  He's my everything.
4. That both Jeremy and I have stable jobs that appreciate us and keep the paychecks coming.
5. That we get to celebrate the holidays with Jeremy's Dad
6. Target parking lot conversations with my best friend
7. That I have my best friend.  She's amazing.
8. My Canon Rebel
9. How cozy my house feels this time of year with the fireplace roaring
10. My loving, kind and supportive parents. I would be no where without them.
11. That I know my grandparents as adults and how special that makes my time with them now.
12. That I have a creative side and I enjoy the process of crafting and keeping memories as a hobby
13. That I'm going to be a Aunt in just a little over a month!  YAY!
14. That at a few points this year I couldn't wait for the year to get over..and now that the end is almost here, I'm trying to hang onto it just a little longer.  I'll never wish away a year again...life is too short.
15. That my birthday just so happens to fall during my favorite holiday season.
16. This week I had 3 nights in a row relaxing at home with Owen...and one night Jer and I went to bed early enough to get 10 hours of sleep in one night. Never happens..and it was great!
17. That I have wonderful memories of my childhood.
18. That I believe in Santa and the spirit of Christmas to my core.
19. That I still keep in touch with people I knew in grade school.
20. That my hubby starts the car for me in the morning...because he's sweet like that.
21. That my work has a Christmas break and everyone looks forward to it...every single year!  10 days off at Christmas never gets old!
22. That I've nearly successfully completely a years worth of tracking these Thankful Thursdays.  I may not have always done it every week, or on Thursdays. But it's a habit I go back to and keep using to remind myself what's good!
23. That this year has brought the Linley family closer than ever.
24. That we got to get a real tree this year!
25. That I got to see my son turn one!
26. That Mom and I get to celebrate our birthdays together!
27. That I am happy, healthy, comfortable, loved, successful (in my eyes) and blessed beyond belief.
28. That God is good to me...all the time.

Holiday Haze

I’ve noticed I have a track record of falling off my blogging band wagon when the holidays roll around! Something about my anniversary, Jer’s birthday, Steff’s birthday, Thanksigiving…then mom’s birthday, my birthday, Dad’s birthday and Jesus’ birthday all in a few months…it’s a lot! It’s silly, but it’s just part of how I operate.  I get so wrapped up in this thing and that, that by the time I have time to relax, it’s usually parked in front of the TV with a Christmas movie!  So I’m hoping to get better about it now that I’ve realized it!  What have we been up to lately?  Here’s a quick run down:

Thanksgiving was great!  We had brunch with Mom Dad and Josh.  Then headed over to have dinner with the Linley clan!  It was quite the day of eating and family time.  I actually can’t believe I forgot my camera the entire day!  GRR!

Friday Mom and I ventured into the depths of Black Friday shopping. We got a few great deals and enjoyed the morning spent together!  Jeremy and I later went out and finished up our living room shopping (photos and stories to come).

Saturday we spent the morning getting a real tree for our house.  We had so much fun!!  Owen loved the tractor ride best of all!!

Sunday we visited with our friends Chad and Missy and their daughter Miriam.  We watched the Rams game and enjoyed some great catching up time!  Chad smoked a pork butt and we had the most delicious bbq’d pork sandwiches.  Delicious food and good friends!  It was a great way to cap off our Thanksgiving weekend!!

This past week included a Friday spent shopping with my bestie.  Historic St. Charles, The Mills Mall, Target, Kohl’s and K-Mart were on our list. When we shop we do it up right!

Saturday Jer and I spent the day doing a holiday blizt around the house.  The house is now all dressed up for the holidays and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it all looks this year!! Owen is still not sure what to think of the ornaments...nor does he understand WHY he can't have them all of them to play with!

Since Mom and I celebrate our birthdays so close together we have started the tradition of having dinner together sometime between or around the two.  This Sunday Jeremy and I hosted a get together with Mom, Dad, Josh and Grandma and Pap. I made homemade lasagna and a Mrs. Ledbetter’s pie for Mom.  It was a definite success and we had a great time!!

This week brings a little quiet time, my 28^th Brithday, and I’m hoping the finishing up of our Christmas list!  It should be a great week!!

We have so much to look forward to this holiday season and so much to be thankful for!!  God is good!

Now that you know what we’ve been up to, I’m gearing up to get caught up with my photos/stories/posts…I still need to blog finished photos from the wedding, pics of April’s shower, our Christmas tree adventure, some videos of our son and his silliness, our finished living room…and a bunch more!  Stay tuned everyone!