In honor of.......

the last day of November, how about a little thankfulness?

I am thankful for my two beautiful boys. They keep me going in the rough times, make me want to be a better person, and light up my life.

I am thankful for my hubby. He may not be perfect..... but we seem to work well together. I love how we seem to balance each other out & fill in those spots or needs the other person has.

I am thankful for family. They may drive me crazy at times but they are the fabric that binds us all together & they helped shape who I am today.

I am thankful for friends. They help remind me to laugh & give me a shoulder in times of need.

I am thankful for my life. It is hectic & has ups & downs ............ but it wonderful in its complexity.

Now bring on Christmas!!!!!!!!

Trying Some New Things

It is good for everyone to try new things from time to time. My new thing this week is trying to remember to take a deep breath & count to 10 whenever David starts to test his boundaries. I know a lot of it is normal toddler stuff & will pass in time. It is my job to help him learn those boundaries & set up the idea that there are consequences in life for our behaviors. That is a big job. Almost overwhelming at times.

Joshua is continuing to make great strides on the eating front. He loves to feed himself little bits of food and gets mad if he is not allowed to eat everything he finds! Thank goodness for vacuum cleaners. I am going to have to start running it twice a day to stay ahead of him. He is better than one of those robo-vacuums!

Proactive Approach

So today I tried the proactive approach with David. Whenever I saw him heading down that path of wanting to throw a fit I tried to redirect him.

Example: Joshua was asleep during dinner so David got one-on-one time for his meal. However, when Joshua woke up, David was not ready to share the spotlight. Instead of waiting for the "bad" behavior to come I instead got him focused on being my helper. It was his job to tell Joshua to open up for the yummy food & he got to pick what item of food we fed to Joshua next. He got so wrapped up in being a little "cheerleader" that he forgot to be upset. I kept telling him what a good job he did at helping me feed Joshua & he started doing his happy dance every time Joshua would pick up his own food & eat it with a grin.

This may not always work. It certainly took more effort to be creative on the fly & more aware of the early warning signs. However, I am all for any technique that rewards the good instead of having to punish the bad.

learning each day

As the mom of two little boys (and trying to conceive baby #3) I am all about learning new things that will help us out. Our big eye-opener this holiday?? How cheap turkey is! We have bought 2 turkeys so far & spent less than $11 total. Those two birds will cover so many meals I feel like I won the food lottery here. Now we are stock-piling recipes for turkey leftovers. New this season was a turkey & wild rice casserole (made with leftover veggies already in the house) and a turkey chili. Mmmm. The boys love it. Thank goodness.

We are battling the "terrible two's" in force here. David's new thing is to hit us if we say no to him. We decided to give time-outs a real go but they just don't always seem to work. Now we are looking for new ways to curtail the hitting before it gets out of hand. Updates to follow as we try each technique.

Dear reader....

I apologize for the long delay in updates. We have been rather busy with the boys & life in general. Both boys are cutting teeth and Joshua is fighting sleep training. This combination has left mommy worn out.

On the light side...... Joshua has become a fabulous eater & is getting really good at climbing. He is getting quite vocal but still has no "real" words. David is getting more excited about the concept of Christmas this year. He seems to get the idea that presents are coming.....just can't get the "why" of it all.

Tony & I celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Well, he worked that night & I went to bed alone..... but we talked on the phone & he brought me flowers the next day. Such is life with little extra money & two little ones at home!

We are on cycle 2 of charting for TTC#3. I have this gut feeling that we will not be getting our BFP (Big Fat Positive) this year. I say that because with his crazy schedule & the kids keeping me busy to the point of exhaustion we find precious little time to "Try" in the TTC equation. We have left it up to time & God. When it is right it will just happen.

Hoping to get back with updates more regularly. Now we have Christmas & Joshua's 1st birthday to plan! Theme for the birthday has been decided: Frosty the Snowman. Joshua loves the stuffed snowman we have almost as much as he loves chewing on his own feet.