In Thanksgiving

Let me begin with Thanksgiving Eve and follow through to Thanksgiving Day as I highlight some of the memorable moments. Please note: when I say memorable, one story touches my heart, one story is wild, and the other is just plain weird. I'll let you decide which story falls into which category. If your family is perfect, you might not understand....I am guessing you will understand.

Who is this man in my bed and what did you do with my husband? It was Thanksgiving Eve 2009. My darling husband Mike and I had just put Charlie to bed and were enjoying some quiet conversation in our bed (let's keep this blog clean, ok?). After a few minutes, we heard our little one stirring in his room, then the pitter patter through the house to our bedroom. Mike scooped him up into bed with us and asked him what was the matter. Then, I heard my husband say something that I NEVER thought would come out of his mouth. He said, "Do you want to sleep with Mommy and Daddy?" Well, of course he did! We have been very careful not to start this habit, with fear of having a child in our bed on a regular basis and not thinking this was an option that we favored. My heart melted as I thought how sweet it was that Daddy and son were having this moment. My mind raced as I imagined this turning into a nightly affair. So, there we were; the three of us snuggled in bed. I love it, but also was longing for the quiet time my husband and I had shared for only a moment. After about fifteen minutes, Charlie started talking and Mike asked if he wanted to go to his bed. He said, "Yes Daddy, I go to my bed please." Amazed, I watched as Daddy took baby to his bed and got him settled. When Mike returned, I said, "Honey, that seemed so out of character for you to ask Charlie if he wanted to sleep with us." His response was that Charlie is just a little extra needy these days and he supposes that it is because a new baby is on the way. My heart melted. I am in thanksgiving for my husband and his love for his child.

You're on Fire! Now we begin Thanksgiving Day with my Mom's side of the family. I usually have the crazy clan over to my house, but being almost 9 months pregnant, I delegated that honor to Mom this year. We hadn't been at her house for more than thirty minutes when I heard Mom ask Uncle Tom to get the sweet potatoes out of the oven and to do it quick. She was afraid that the marshmallows would burn and that would be disaster! He threw on the oven mitts and reached into the oven. Then I heard Mom say in a most high pitched voice, "Tom, you're on fire." The tops of his arms had come in contact with the top coils in the oven and small flames were lighting up his oven mitts and sleeves. He stayed calm, the fire was a non-issue after a few moments, and the big concern was that this was his only good sweater and what would he wear for Christmas. I expect Uncle Tom will be getting some new clothing this Christmas! I am in Thanksgiving that the sweet potatoes were not ruined and Uncle Tom was not hurt.

I Lick My Wounds Let's move on to Uncle Greg. We were having small talk around the table after we had all stuffed ourselves. Uncle Greg decided it was time to show us a small spot that he had on his hand. He explained that the doctor had called it pre-cancerous and that they would watch it over time to determine if it ever needed to be removed. He then went into detail about a day in which he literally watched the spot grow larger right before his eyes. Then, as jaws dropped, he explained that at some point he determined the best course of action would be to lick the spot on his hand. He continued several doses of his magical saliva and said that the spot went back to normal size very soon. He attributes the healing to his process of licking the wound, as I about gag on the tangerine I was trying to eat. We are laughing and staring in disbelief. I am in thanksgiving that I did not truly gag on my tangerine.

My stories end here...or atleast until I venture to visit the other side of the family this weekend. My thanksgiving does not end here. I have so much to be thankful for. It overwhelms me sometimes to think of all of the ways that our God has blessed us. I don't deserve it, but am grateful for it. I want to share it with others. I pray that I can always be in thanksgiving because no matter what, God has given me much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving 2009 to all of my family and friends. May God bless each of you.

A Mommy's Boy (for now at least)

Charlie (age 2) has become super "into" Mommy lately and I love it. He still has his Daddy moments, but a few instances lately were all about Mommy and worthy of writing down.

Mommy's Hair Clip
He is obsessed with the small clip that I put in my hair everyday to hold the sides up. It is like he has a radar that spots it and retrieves it. Charlie will start running circles around me saying "Mommy's Hair Clip, can't reach it, need mommy's hair clip!" It won't do until he gets a hold of that clip, pulls it from my hair, and then runs and hides it. This game entertains him for longer than I will ever understand. After hiding it, he runs over to me and teases me about my hair clip, saying, "where's your hair clip Mommy?" with his most proud and mischievous little grin.

Makeup Time
Some mornings recently I have been sitting at my bathroom makeup counter, when a little man decides to join the scene. And of course he must be in my lap. I sit him up on the counter and he immediately wants to join in the makeup fun. Before we are done, he has lotion everywhere, a little foundation and blush on his cheeks, and the chap stick has been digested. It is so cute to see him wanting to do whatever Mommy does and then of course we wash it off before we are done as we wonder what Daddy would think. Last time, Daddy came in and didn't say a word...maybe finger nail polish would be the thing to put him over the edge!

Bath Time
I am guessing the days are about to end when Charlie and I take a bath together, but for the moment, we are still enjoying this time together. A bath full of bubbles, toys, Charlie, and Mommy makes for a fun time. This weekend was especially memorable for me because after I got Charlie all clean, I asked him if he would wash my back. I imagined this being a joke, but then experienced otherwise. Charlie carefully put the liquid soap onto his little hands and then maneuvered his way around to the back of me. Then, he did little circular motions with his sweet hands all over my back for at least five minutes, which is like an eternity for my little one. He was so content on doing a good job, he even requested more soap before the job was complete. Then, he spotted Mommy's hair clip and the moment was over!

Thank you Lord for my sweet boy and these amazing memories!