Thanks, Thank You, Thankful!

It’s Thanksgiving Eve. The boys are sleeping, Mike’s parents are visiting and we’re catching up on TIVO while we lay side by side in our big comfy bed. I am thankful even though I sometimes forget.

Greyson's school celebrated the holiday throughout the past few weeks by making a list of things the kids are thankful for, creating collages of their families and participating in a sharing feast.  We donated food for families and talked a lot about the spirit of thankfulness and giving.  This is the family collage.  I thought he did a fabulous job of picking out likenesses! :-)

Greyson is thankful for:

1. My costumes
2. My mom and dad
3. The Spiderman theme song
4. Food (specifically? “treats”)
5. My Christmas tree
6. My cat Lexi
7. My baseball bed

We decided to make a list too:

1. We are thankful for each other. 17 years ago we met and we’re about to celebrate 11 years of marriage. I’m thankful that Mike proposed to me on a quiet Tuesday night at home and that we’ve survived a 50% divorce rate because our focus was never the engagement and wedding but always the marriage.
2. We’re thankful for our children. For their good health, their constant smiles and unconditional love. We loved our lives before our kids but their lives will carry us on far after we’re gone.
3. We’re thankful for our families. Our parents, brother, sisters, nieces and nephew. Mike’s parents celebrate 40 years of marriage next week (Happy Anniversary!), my parents are just a year behind. What an example they have set for all of us.
4. Our nanny Sara. She allows us to work outside of parenthood and has found a way to be an extended part of an already close-knit family. We know it’s a luxury that not all parents can afford and we never take that for granted.
5. Our neighbors, Marilyn and Doug who are retired grandparents who regularly invite Greyson into their home to play with their grandchildren. They treat him like one of their own and make living so far from our ‘real’ home a little easier.
6. We are thankful for the Seattle experience. It challenges us regularly and we are richer for it.
7. Greyson’s school. They take such great care and he's learning. learning, learning.
8. Movie and popcorn nights.
9. And so, so, so much more

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us.

GREY*isms*

(while laying on the couch eating popcorn)

• G: “Dad, eat your bowl”
• M: “I did” (showing him an empty bowl)
• G: “No eat the bowl” (giggling) “Eat the bowl and I’ll give you 50 bucks”

Friday Follies

GREY*isms*
Mike: “Capice?”
G: “CaNOpice”

Greyson has been on a roll this week. Funny, witty, ridiculously cute. We were playing catch tonight in the living room and Greyson threw the ball and said “I’ll show YOU a bad dog!”.

Falling in love with his teacher has fired up a love for learning. He counts everything, asks to practice writing his letters and sounds out the words of every object he sees. Here’s his first official attempt at writing all 26 letters of the alphabet. Look closely; they’re all there…



Graham can walk but he doesn’t want to. He’ll take 4 steps and then sit down and crawl. He’s a speed demon on hands and knees. And he’s crazy about his brother.

Mike's parents are coming to visit next week and for the first time this month, I'm putting some thought into the menu. I'm looking forward to a little downtime before a trip East (WAY East).  I asked Greyson to name some things he's thankful for.  I'm going to save it for next week's blog.  Maybe I'll combine it with his Christmas list.  It's worth waiting for.



October 2010 - School Picture - 4 years old



Wearing mom's new wellies





















Word on the street is Seattle's going to get some snow on Sunday.  Cross your fingers.  I'm jonesing for it.

October Observations, Ordinary Occurrences

I overheard Greyson singing while rocking with Graham on their rocking horse…”Rock a Bye Baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock and if we fall out, we’ll be dead”

It may sound morbid but it was hilarious. 

Speaking of morbid, another Halloween has come and gone. Try as I might, I just can’t get into it.  This year’s chain of events were appropriate given my attitude. On the 28th, Greyson puked for 15 straight hours.  On the 29th, he seemed to bounce back and was well enough to attend Kirkland’s annual Pee Wee Monster Bash (we skipped school for it- gasp).  On the 30th, his stomach hurt bad enough that I took him to the doctor.  The prescription was a few days worth of bland food and some rest. He rested in between whining about his stomach pains. He woke up on Halloween morning feeling rejuvenated and ready to assume his role as Commander Cody (Star Wars) with his sidekick, Baby Yoda.  You may recall that Baby Yoda needed to go incognito as a pumpkin. Darth Vader wouldn’t have found him, his disguise was so good.

Fast forward a few hours and you’d find us happily walking through the neighborhood on a warm Halloween night.  We allowed one Milk Dud (not the box, just one Dud) and a Tootsie Pop.  All was well with the world…that is, until about 10pm when he woke up with stomach pains. I sat next to him in his bed giving him a gentle lecture about sugar when he threw up his dinner, the Dud and his sucker. I tried to catch it with my hands.  Key word…tried.

2 hours later and one more puke and he was finally asleep. An hour after that (1am, if you’re keeping track), Graham decided to wake up for no given reason.  It took a few tries to get him settled down and by the time we fell asleep it was 3am.  At 4:45am my alarm went off for an early morning flight to Dublin.  The good news is, that was last we saw of the stomach bug.  Knock on wood.  Happy Halloween indeed.

 

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November is here and we’re enjoying it. It’s rainy and wet in Seattle but God brings the sunshine when we need it and we are thankful even when we forget. 

Graham in the cupboard ~ November 7th 2010

Greyson’s self portrait ~ October 27th 2010