Thankful days 21, 22, and 23

I am thankful for surprise baby teeth.

I am thankful for wine.

And today, I am most thankful for Clorox wipes (specifically in the context of cleaning up midnight vomit. Oy. Kids, amIright?).

Thankful, Day 20

I am thankful for snow!

Thankful, day 19

I am thankful for my job.

Thankful, day 18

I am thankful that I got to spend so much nice quality time with my son the last couple nights while the girls were sleeping and C was working.

Thankful, day 17

I am thankful that we live in a stable place.

I see all this insanity about why our country (founded on the ideals of immigrants, escaping religious persecution, such as it is and was) should lock its doors against refugees from Syria. It breaks my heart. Why must people pretend that their fear is in the name of their god? Immigrants, refugees, are not terrorists, any more than the Protestants down the block are KKK members. Why do all the relief organizations seem to focus on faith and "godliness" when they could just focus on humanity? Why do we need to look to a god for the push to help? Why can't we just look in the mirror or at the pictures in the news and say "Dammit, I'm a person, you're a person, what can I do to help you, fellow human being?" rather than "NO! Why would you think about letting an ISIS member sleep on your couch?" (That is an actual comment I saw on a friend's Facebook status.)

This fearmongering has got to stop. I am happy and proud to live in a state that said "YES! COME HERE!" but at the same time, I am heartbroken that our state actually had to stand up and say something. I understand that the homeless and broken of our own nation need help too. But, though I hate to look at it this way, things aren't changing for them much. The refugees? They have left their homes and their countrymen and their neighbors. They have lost family members and friends. They are running scared in the hopes of finding safety. Every day for them is a new reality where they may not even speak the language and they rely 100% on the kindness of strangers to help them survive.

I guess what I am saying is that anyone crying out against letting refugees seek asylum here in the safety of our nation is GO LOOK IN A MIRROR. If there is a human being staring back at you, then help your fellow humans. They are not terrorists. They have already faced the fear of the unknown to escape the terror they know. Open your hearts, and if you can, open your homes. If you can't donate money, send positive prayers and love their way. Love your fellow humans. And FFS, Thanksgiving is next week. I cannot think of a more appropriate time of year to remember and celebrate the bond that joins ALL HUMANS in need than a time to give thanks for what we have and how we survived what we left behind.

Thankful, Day 16

I am thankful for my dippy dog. I love the little things in her personality that are blossoming now that she's our only pup, and how she loves the baby.

Thankful, Day 15

I am so, so thankful that my children are healthy.

Thankful, Day 14

I am thankful for tea parties with my kids.

Thankful, Day 13

Happy Friday the 13th!

I'm thankful that I live in Colorado. Where else would I get so many sunny beautiful days, even in November?

Thankful, Day 12

Today, I am thankful for coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. And chocolate. And whoever invented putting milk in coffee.

Thankful Day 11

I am thankful for all the veterans who have served our country. Thanks to my grandfathers and my father-in-law, and my brothers-in-law for your service! Also thanks to my friends who have served.

10 months!

Little Cat C is 10 months old. WOW. She's sweet and hilarious and stubborn and clever. 4 teeth and a crazy giraffe tongue. She says Dada and babbles, and sometimes says Hi, but mostly is just chill and happy. Unless she runs out of food, then you'd better be ready with more. LCC loves all food. She sleeps great at home but not so much anywhere else (like, say, the car). Loves her brother and sister, and rubber duckies are pretty funny. Almost got that crawling thing figured out, but prefers to scoot around on her butt and get herself wedged backwards under furniture. She wears some 9 month stuff still (like, 2 things that were weirdly large), mostly 12 month stuff, and some 18 month stuff. She moved into the convertible car seat (rear facing of course) last month, because she outgrew the infant one. Whew.

29.25" long - ~85th Percentile
20.4 pounds - ~62nd Percentile

Thankful Day 10

I am thankful for modern technology.

Thankful November

Once again, at midnight on Halloween, the Christmas bomb exploded. Once again, my heart aches for the sudden consumerism and insanity that grips the stores and apparently my fellow humans. What happened to being thankful and grateful for what we have rather than suddenly channeling our energy into living 2 months in the future and all the things we want? My kids are also affected, noticing that nobody seems grateful for what they have, and that nobody wants to celebrate fall anymore.

I'm trying to be thankful for my life and the things in it every day in November. Each day I will endeavor to post something I am thankful for, no matter how small, for every day in November. I realize it is now the 9th, so I will post 9 things today.

1. I am thankful that I have three wonderful and happy children, as different from each other as they could be but still happily joined in siblingdom.

2. I am thankful for my husband, who has stood with me and helped me through the shit that life occasionally throws at us.

3. I am thankful for 2015, as insane and emotionally difficult as it has been.

4. I am thankful for my friends.

5. I am thankful for this little mush and I am glad she's here.

6. I am thankful that I am employed.

7. I am thankful for my family, in its many permutations and forms.

8. I am thankful for podcasts.

9. I am thankful for FALL! It's still my favorite season and I love it so much.