Feeling Grateful

Once upon a time, I blogged a Gratitude Groove. For 40 days I posted a blog about something I was grateful for each day.

Now that the Twinner's third birthday has come and gone, I wanted to share some gratitude again about life, family, etc. I think it must be the warm temperatures and blue skies effecting my mood!

• I am grateful for my children, and am very grateful for their health.
• I am grateful each time my children say, "Mommy".
• I am grateful for my husband and my home.
• I am grateful for my friends and relatives who helped us celebrate the Twinner's birthday and grateful for those who drove a distance to attend.
• I am grateful for the generous gifts the Twinner's received for their birthday. (At first I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of what my kids received since it was a 2 for 1 shot deal & I felt some guilt they had recieved so much.) I am grateful to embrace celebrating my kids, and I am grateful for the numerous priceless moments already experienced because of their gifts.
• I am grateful I am aware we have so very much. I acknowledge I will try to teach my children to be kind human beings, and to be good and do good to & for others.
• I am grateful with each year, I gain more wisdom (hopefully).
• I am grateful for the fine weather, and the walks we have taken around the neighborhood.
• I am grateful for a job with friendly co-workers.
• I am grateful for supportive girlfriends who truly are there for each other.
• I am grateful for Caribou Coffee (okay.. okay.. I couldn't help myself. I had to make a bit of a jaunt for work this morning, and along my drive, I cruised into a Caribou drive thru to use a gift card for one of their new tea infusion lattes!)
• I am grateful for the ability to blog and share my feelings.

So clearly nothing profound in this post today, but it is now duly noted - I AM GRATEFUL.

Birthday Party - Round Two

Sunday we had family and friends for a party of 23 adults and 9 kids to celebrate the kids 3rd birthday. We had decorations outside...

We had decorations inside.

(Since I so enjoyed making the heart garlands for Valentine's Day... I really went to town with birthday garland. Don't let me loose with card stock, scissors, spools of ribbon, and a hole punch!)

There were guests upstairs.

There were guests downstairs...

There were kids UPstairs and DOWNstairs.

My aunt Toot's. I think she looks lovely in this photo.

Hurry up and serve the cake!

(The cake was ordered from Bunnie Wolf in Hector and delivered by my aunt. An outstanding specimen of poppyseed!)

Opening gifts...

...to a full house.


Fun times...

...too much fun perhaps???

Grandpa David snoozing on the couch!

(Actually, I have a similar photo at almost every family event!)

Marly also partied too hard.

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate this weekend.

We thank you for your generosity of your time and your overwhelming gifts.

*A special thanks to Laura for the Special K Bars, Toots for the fruit salad, Jan for the deviled eggs, Carol for delivering more items from storage, Jenny for the chairs, Sutton for playing "Happy Birthday" on the guitar, and Gretchen for being my Kitchen Crew!*

Birthday Party with the Thompson's

Saturday we had Mark's family for lasagna supper and cake!

After the kids played with their new toys, Grandma & Grandpa had headed home, and the camera was put away... we had a Lady Ga Ga dance party with the CD Kelly put together just for the Twinners. Unfortunately, we didn't hear Uncle Pat calling FOUR times, so he thought the party was over. (Oops!)

2-27-2010

Marly noted her mommy got flowers for her birthday, and requested flowers for her own special day. Daddy was delighted to oblige.

Dean REALLY wanted his picture with the pretty flowers too, but for some reason Daddy prefered this pose for his birthday shot.

One Day, Two Kids, Three Years Old!

Tomorrow is M & D's birthday! This morning they headed off to daycare with cupcakes to share and we are gearing up for some fun.

This is the first year we are able to host a traditional party for the Twinners in our own home. We didn't have room in the townhouse. So this past week, day by day... I have been checking items off my list to make this weekend's events special for Marly & Dean, and special for our guests. Of course we have worked to try and accomplish a few small home improvement/decorating feats. The outcome to date are some very minor accomlishments, some 1/2 way & most ideas removed from radar for the moment. You see, this is the first time many of my aunts or cousins may have seen our home. For full disclosure, if you were to walk into our house right now, you would see it is clearly NOT fit for a party... but we'll be ready in time.

This was a part of our party invite. I really like the photos (taken on Super Bowl Sunday) because I think we captured M & D's personalities and relationship at this stage in their wee lives.

A look back in time/my pregnancy journal

The Twinner's third birthday is this Saturday... so I thought I would take a look back at the pregnancy journal I wrote the 9 months prior to their birth. Here is what I wrote the last two weeks before their arrival. I had been resting at home and restricted from work since the beginning of February. Because both babies were breech, a c-section was inevitable. (Forgive my everchanging tenses!)

Week 36 - Monday we see Dr. E and set up the c-section for February 27th at 7:30 am. You will be just under 38 weeks, but this is an open day for the Dr and he is a being cautious w/ my blood pressure. I am short of breath most of the time and can’t walk too far. I don't go out very much w/ out Mark. I measured 44 inches and weighed 167 pounds. I started at 131. At the Dr. I can’t get down from the exam table w/ out Mark’s help.

Week 37 – Thursday I had my LAST appointment at the perinatal clinic. I brought the ladies chocolate and weighted 169 pounds accourding to their scale. All went well.

Friday we were out to dinner at Ruth Chris for Rachel’s Birthday. I am VERY round and my shirt is a bit too short. It is really quite hard to move and I really feel better if I have Mark’s arm. In the bathroom at Ruth Chris, two women younger then me comment on how cute and big I am, and I alert them I have twins on TUESDAY.

Saturday we had a big snow storm and thru Sunday got 12 inches of snow. I didn’t go out much. Had to miss Chris’s birthday brunch at Salud in Edina, since Mark was working at Marco’s and I really don’t feel comfortable going about without him. Sunday we enjoyed church. Sunday I miss my mom quite a bit and I tear up in church. There are only a few people at church due to the weather.

Really, I am quite uncomfortable most of the time and I am ready to go from beautiful belly to precious babies. Babies still move a lot and Mark talks to you often. I will miss the moving and my belly very much. My face, legs, and arms are all small. Babies seem to absorb everything right on my belly. I am very proud I made it to 37 ½ weeks!

Baby Shower, Basketball and More...

Saturday Marly and I cruised home for a baby shower for our cousin's wife, Michelle. After the church basement shower with plenty of gifts, Marly and I headed over to the school. My other cousin Michelle's daughter Mariah was playing basketball in an elementary tournament, and we wanted to say "Hi".

At the shower I got to see many relatives, friends, and neighbors, chat and catch up. At school, we ran into even more wonderful old friends. We saw Jack and Gayle Grimm from my childhood church, my oldest cousin Deb, and Molly (the wife to one of our family farms employee's growing up. If I can digress for a moment....when I was little, and it was fall harvest, I use to LOVE to ride in the beet truck to the dump and back with Molly's husband Scott.). It was so much fun to visit my own school with Marly in tow. As we departed I snapped her picture at a side door.

Michelle commented it wasn't necessary to travel to Hector two weekends in a row just for her baby shower. The truth is, if I don't come home for events like this... what or how do I come? I can't just show up on doorsteps on a Saturday morning, and we have no doorstep of our own at this place I choose to lovingly refer to as "home". My kids are little, and don't yet have organized activities demanding our time. Currently, I want and choose to use our time to attempt to stay close to my extended family. I know the day will come this will not be readily possible. I will cherish it now, with some sort of hope that it will somehow carry me through.


Sunday I was working at the Change for Kids Collection Party at the Mall of America for KS95 for Kids. All went well! If you would like more info about the Change for Kids fundraiser, or the private party coming up at Nickelodeon Universe the evening of March 7th... Click HERE!