Vida. Risa. Amor.

So I know I've been slacking a bit on my little tiny piece of the blog world...and I have to admit it's partially due to the fact that I have been a little intimidated to write.  (I also apologize that this is a little longer than usual but I evidently had a lot brewing in my mind tonight).  Blogs can be so many different things for people these days, and since I have never been good at drawing "attention" to myself I find myself analyzing and critiquing every word I write.  Every time I start a new post I try to remember that this blog is mostly about my family's memories or just quirky little moments to look back on and get a laugh from later.  It's my hope that what sounds stressful now, will be hilarious tommorrow, and I hope the words I write are carefully expressed with both honesty and humor.

It's the week of Thanksgiving, and I can also admit that part of my attention has been getting sucked into the "Pre-Christmas-sales-chaos", and with 4 kids to shop for, it's definately in our benefit to compare prices and check out the deals.   I'd like to be able to say that we are going to make a better effort this season to simply spend less, but it's kind of hard not to get sucked in.  Both my girls like the idea of waking me up at 2 a.m. to go shopping on black friday not because they really want to buy anything,  but they just like the excitement of it all...and my boys even read and circle the pictures in the target ads to tell us what they think they'd like from Santa.  But I've been thinking, (probably too much), that Christmas for my family really shouldn't be about overspending in the crowded malls and turn gift-giving into a source of stress, so this year it's my hope to try and focus less on presents and more on giving our presence.  (Of course Santa can still leave a few gifts)...but what I think makes the holidays most memorable is to spend it with the ones you love...and my family is so very precious to me.

And so we sometimes don't take time to say it, but here's what I am thankful for this year...

Tommorrow is also our 14th anniversary and I love my husband so much.  I know I probably make him as mad as he makes me some weeks, but we are each others best friends and he's my favorite person to be with.  I met him at age 18, 18 years ago, so I've known him half my life....and he's definately my better half.  So tommorrow with preschool, work, and soccer schedules to work around, we're happy enough to just get out and enjoy "la hora feliz" together and have dinner alone...I am thankful for the simple things.

I'm thankful for my daughters who borrow my clothes and make me laugh and cry and try harder, and for my boys who smooch and hug me 100 times a day and tell me they love me....and eat my hot dog or chicken nuggets dinners I make them on a more than regular basis.

I'm thankful for the girls in my family:  my sisters, Mom, neices, Aunts, and sister-in-laws....they make me feel accepted, liked and thought about.  Pedicures and desserts are the best enjoyed with them.
And the guys too:  My Dad, Grandpa, brother, nephews, and brother-in-laws, I think I somehow amuse them...not sure why, but they're fun to go to movies with.

My friends...near and far.  I love not feeling alone on this journey called motherhood, and I'm actually thankful for facebook that keeps us connected better...it's fun to read posts from them about the funny things their kids do or how boring laundry is.  I love that the friends I've known the longest are still my closest friends too.

And I am thankful for my two favorite drinks:  Chai Tea, and Diet Cherry Coke.  My days wouldn't be the same without them. 

And then most of all, I am thankful for God's love for me.  I know I don't deserve it, and some days I don't understand it, but without Him, this life I'm living would feel pretty empty.

So I finished another half marathon today and even though I'm experiencing the expected soreness and toe and knee aches, I'm actually feeling pretty good.  What started out as a fun "idea" to do with a group of mom's, turned into a real accomplishment, and I was glad to be a part it.  And support effort for a cure.

What I loved best about this "race" was being surrounded by a bunch of Mom's and women, and seeing so many varieties of pink apparel, from tutu's, head-bands, knee-high socks, shoes, to tank tops.  My favorite sign of the day I read at mile #8 got me a little choked up:  "Run like a Mother"....because, let's face it, as Mom's we sure do a lot of various forms of running around.  I spent my entire last week/month running each of my kids to several different locations, and though I don't mind that aspect of my life, it was nice to just spend a day with a bunch of fun Mom's.  One Mom in our group is basically the "glue" that kept us together, and she's my good friend Lainie whom I have known since our 7 year old boys were in preschool together.  She has a gift about bringing people together and knew how to keep us all organized from matching our tank tops to packet pick up to the finish line.  She also brought enough snacks at the beginning of the race to feed all of us and a few extra's around us...and wasn't shy about passing out her chocolate "energy" balls to random runners. 

After a few races "under my belt", I know my body's limits and I knew if I didn't try to run the first 8 miles before my knee and toes cramped up then I'd be walking most of the way.  And though I didn't run the entire time with the group and we all ended up splitting off into different groups, we all seemed to find each other again at the finish line.  Today wasn't about reaching a certain time...just having a bunch of laughs together and to finish.

I'm always so happy to find my husband showing his support for me in the crowd when I'm finished and he brought my biggest supporter Aydan today too, (who shares my fascination with collecting "trophies" and admired my flower shaped medal). 

But my favorite part of the day was the drive home with my feet hanging out of my husbands window, when he squeezed my hand and said, "I'm proud of you, and that you set such a good example to our family of keeping healthy, and always finishing what you start." 

That was better than any pink ribboned medal in my book.

My first child...first teeth...first steps....first ear piercing.  First halloween costume, first Christmas.   First plane ride, first vacation.  First emergency room visit.  First bike ride...first goal...first pair of glasses...contacts...braces...cell phone.  First high schooler...first boyfriend...first breakup. 

First homecoming dance. 
That was today...she left to go just 20 minutes ago.

She had been second guessing her decision to not go along with her friends to the dance, and was trying to convince herself that she thought she'd rather stay home tonight.  We actually bought her "first dress" a month ago when we went shopping together, but we ended up returning what she found since she changed her mind about going.  Tonight she was expecting to style all her friends hair for them, but instead, one of her friends surprised her with a homecoming dress and told her she needed to go with them too.  Josie was so surprised and her friend was so sweet to do that for her.  Times have changed and I guess it's cool for girls to go together in groups with or without dates.  Freshman even.

I wish I could say that I was the sweet little doting mother, but the black shoes I suggested evidently made her want to vomit, my jewelry is dated, and she'd rather gouge her eyes out than have help with her hair.  Pinning hair up is so "4th grade", covering up a 6 inch shaving scar with make-up is ridiculous, and wearing a black sweater is out of the question.  There are just so many things I know I need to learn.  I did mention that I didn't have her pretty little ears pierced at 4 months for no reason and when the earrings went on I was "allowed" to hand over some money and granted permission to take one picture.  Just one.

She has her ideas of how she wants things to go.  I'm learning what it means to back off and just observe.  I get it, but I don't think it says anywhere that I have to admit I'm always going to like it.

And I'm literally watching my girl grow up before my eyes.