Two Of Three...

Two of my loves...

I miss the Thankful Thursday posts, and while I don't want to over-theme my week by having something set out to do every single day, I do want to make sure that I reflect during the week on what I am thankful for, so that I can look back and remember that I did take a pause every now and then to remember why I am here and why I am thankful to be here.

Here are some random happenings from our life, that remind me that, the moments when I sit down to reflect on what I want to share, it ends up being the sweet, funny moments I generally want to push out to the world, so you can share in my joy, or laugh with me, however at times, you bet your bottom dollar it is also therapeutic to share the chaos that is our lives, and lets be honest, most of the time I am laughing about that too, humor is a good thing to keep around. 

Olivia is growing up, the girl's vocabulary is out of this world, she amazes me every single day with the things that come out of her mouth, I can imagine I am in for a wild ride when this beauty hits the teen years. While not quite as entertaining without her mannerisms and inflection I thought I would share with you one of her recent remarks...

Setting: Kitchen & Riley has just passed gas...
Olivia: "Oh for the love of God, what is that horrible smell? Oh barnacles! It must be stinky Riley"

I love Olivia's hand on Avery's shoulder...

 Avery is Avery... she is our spunky little girl, full of energy, passion and convictions, we never know what we are going to get with Avery, but lately she has started to pick up some new strategic skills, the most recent being: manipulation flattery.

Setting: Kitchen & she wants some candy
Avery: "Mommy, me want some candy"
Me: "Avery, it isn't time to have candy, I am making dinner honey"
Avery: "Mommy me love you, now me have some candy?"
Me: "I love you too, and no, it isn't time for candy honey"
Avery: "Mommy, you the best Mommy EVER, candy time, me have some?"

She learned from the best - Olivia loves to use the "You are the best Mommy ever" or "Mommy I love your shirt" just before she is going to ask for something she fears I might turn down.

It is easy for me, too easy, I am ashamed to admit, to get caught up in the day to day hustle and bustle, whether it be of the holidays, or just the daily routine, which around here tends to be a little hectic, I need nights like last night to remind me what types of memories I hope the girls share with their little ones someday. We usually give the girls a bath every single night, we usually skip Friday nights, but during the week they get baths every single night, but last night Brad and I were freezing and Olivia suggested that to get warm we all snuggle, so I took her idea and ran with it, made the executive decision to skip baths, we all quickly got in our PJ's and by 6:50pm we were all snuggled in our bed watching TV together. I love nights like that, it energizes me as a parent to throw routine out the window, live for the moment and just hang out with the girls, I need to do it more often (then the control freak in me, might have a coronary, but we can give it a shot, we can ease our way into more spontaneous family time). So tonight I am thankful that last night we threw caution to the wind, skipped baths and just snuggled as a family...