giving thanks

these two boys are by far my largest blessings.  

i am so thankful for them.

we had a lot of fun having an impromptu family photo shoot to give us some pictures for our christmas card this year.  without unveiling the ones that we chose to have on the card, i thought it would be fun to share some of the other ones with you.  

we took turns with the camera so both of us could be in some of the pictures, and we did use the tripod and timer for some shots......though getting hendrix to look at the camera when there is no one standing behind it is nearly impossible...

in this particular shot, i think he heard a train and needed to turn and try to find it.  ;)  lol

normally at this time on the night before thanksgiving, we would be either travelling to be with family for the holidays, or at the very least getting all packed up and ready to go somewhere bright and early tomorrow.....

but not this year.

this year we are having thanksgiving dinner at our house!

i am very much looking forward to hosting the meal for my in-laws, and i have been doing my research on how to provide the most delicious, stress-less meal possible

the goal is to have fun with our family, and enjoy this little kiddo!  i heard today that the forecast is calling for upper 60's and sunshine tomorrow, so i am planning to fit in a trip to park. ;)

last year at this time, i was in misery recovering from my gallbladder removal, and i didn't get to enjoy turkey and all the fixings with everyone else as i was on a pretty bland clear liquids diet.  

that makes me extra thankful this year.

my menu includes:

turkey (of course)

stuffing with golden raisins and walnuts

mashed potatoes and gravy

rolls

corn casserole

scalloped chipotle sweet potatoes

orange-scented green beans

pecan pie

gooey pumpkin buttercakes

my kitchen is smelling wonderful and my mouth is watering already......

happy thanksgiving from my family to yours!

linking up with project alicia, 5 minutes for mom, live and love out loud, growing up gardner and baby baby lemon. 

what happened to thanksgiving?

i am so thankful for this smiling, happy, toothy grin ;)  

almost a full week later, i think hendrix is finally better and feeling back to his normal self.  

he battled another bout of ear infection and that icky croupy cough stuff right through our weekend halloween festivities.  

he did get to go trick-or-treating, but he missed plenty of other fun events (including a costume birthday party for one of his favorite gal pals).

I can't help but notice that his eighth tooth is finally starting to poke up, and wonder if there is a correlation to sickness and teething?!?  the doc says no, but i have heard many other mothers make this correlation.......

hmmmmm

anyways, this pictures makes me happy.

it makes me thankful.

it reminds me that my life is full of blessings.

and it challenges me to take a few minutes to stop and consider them.

this evening after work i stopped at wal-mart really quick to pick up a can of pumpkin puree that got forgotten on my grocery list last night.  i thought it would be pretty easy, being early november, to find said pumpkin on an aisle end cap or in the seasonal section.

i got all the way to the seasonal section to find that the pumpkin has already been replaced with cranberries and christmas ornaments.  

what?

now, don't get me wrong here, i love christmas. 

i really do.  

i probably love christmas more than the average person, and i can't wait to go chop down our very first real christmas tree this year.....

but

i really would like to take it one holiday at a time, and right now i want to focus on thanksgiving.

apple cider.

pumpkins.

turkey with stuffing.

family time.

red and orange leaves.

pilgrims.

counting our blessings.

so, in honor of my revolt against skipping this important holiday, i thought i would compile a little list of the things i am thankful for today.

1. my hubs.  he is my rock. my constant.  i love him so much.

2. my sweet boy.  he makes me laugh, he makes me tear my hair out.  he keeps me young and he makes me feel old.  he is a doll.  he is at an age where the whole world is opening up to him and he is starting to make connections about the way things work - it is so fun to watch!

3. crisp autumn mornings.  the kind that make me want to wear turtlenecks and boots.  (by the way, hendrix tried out his snow boots for the first time this evening, while he was brushing his teeth.....he is a fabulous multitasker, just like his mama!)

4. a quaint, though a bit rough around the edges, house that we have made a home. 

5. pecan tassies and gingersnap cookies (both of which i made this morning) that make an entire house smell delicious for days!

6. big piles of raked leaves that make loud crunching sounds.

7. pumpkin spice lattes.

8. friends.  the kind that stop by when i am still unshowered in my jammies and don't even make me feel bad about it ;)

9. family gatherings. the kind that fill a whole house up with noise and laughter.  

10. my camera.  i love the way i am able to see the world differently when i look through my lens.

but i am most thankful for the life-changing role of mom that was given to me 14 months ago when this little boy was born into our family.  i wouldn't change a thing.

linking up with:

Thankfulness

Since it is already November, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it seems as good a time as any to step back and count the blessings in my life.  I know this should be a part of my daily routine, but sometimes I find myself just getting too busy with life to just stop and really savor each moment.  I want to do that right now though.


I am thankful for....

Hendrix - he has made my life richer in so many ways.  I live for the moments when he shares that sweet little smile with me, and makes me feel like the luckiest Momma in the whole wide world!

I am also thankful for weekends.  I love being able to spend time playing with Hendrix, and snuggling, rocking and snoozing with him when he is tired.  While I am very thankful that he is so good natured and easily amuses himself while I am at work; I really cherish the times when I am able to give him my undivided attention.  

I am thankful for Hendrix's chubby little cheeks!  It is so great to see him growing and thriving after all those days of worrying about him because of his early arrival and long stay in the NICU.  He is a healthy little boy now!

I am thankful for a hubby who adores being a Daddy! I love seeing my boys playing together, and am excited to see that bond grow as Hendrix grows.

I am thankful for an artistic hubby who is willing to help me with my "creative projects".  We spent some time over the weekend working on these Christmas ornaments with Hendrix (who was not really all that thrilled to play in the paint with us.....) that I think are going to be awesome!  I will post a pic of the finished product later.

I am thankful for the change of seasons and weather, even though I am not sure that I am ready for snow yet.

I am really thankful for holidays.  I enjoy themes and decorations and looking forward to events; especially ones that involve fun family traditions.

I am thankful for my hubby who humored me today by helping me put up our Christmas lights even though I know he would have rather waited until after Thanksgiving.

(Doesn't it look great?!?!)

I am thankful for our home, and our wonderful neighborhood.  This is our first Christmas here, and it was way fun to pick out Christmas lights for our house.  I am really looking forward to putting up the tree (but I will wait a few weeks for that!).

I am thankful for both my job and my husband's job.  We both are employed doing things that we love, and God has faithfully provided for our needs.

I am thankful for my family.  I have amazing parents and siblings, and am very thankful for the way they love me and support me; and also for the way they adore my son.  He is a very lucky little guy.

I am thankful for skype!  This has been a huge blessing to communicate with my sister who is in London.  Emma, I love you and can't wait to see you at Christmas!

I think it might be time for me to go be thankful for sleep, and for the way that my body has adjusted to the amount that I get of it these days...... 

and for that I can thank this sweet boy!

Hendrix's Due Date

Today was Hendrix's Estimated Due Date.  I guess all I can say is that it was a terrible estimation.  :)  He will be 5 weeks old tomorrow.  I find myself wondering about whether if he was born today, instead of 5 weeks ago, if he would weigh more or less now than he actually does?  I guess we will never know!

He did have another "weigh in" at the doctor's office yesterday and Hendrix is now 8 pounds 12 ounces.  Yes, I realize that he is gaining weight very rapidly......he went from the 4th percentile to the 15th percentile in just two weeks.  My little guy is an overachiever!  The best part about that news is that the doctor said we can stop waking him up every three hours to feed him in the middle of the night.  She said she doesn't want him to go for more than a 6 hour stretch, and if he wakes up on his own I should feed him, but we are very excited to think about sleeping uninterrupted for a 6 hour stretch!!!!  (Granted, he might be so used to the frequent feedings that this is a mere fantasy).  Last night was the first night of this new routine, and he did sleep for 4 1/2 hours.  We will see what happens tonight ;)

I finished my second week back to work and that went even more smoothly than the first.  I am started to get better about coordinating the feeding schedule with the various errand running I do with the kids throughout the day.  Gabe is starting to feel more comfortable with Hendrix too, and it is really cute to see him take an interest in him. :)

   

He has been reading him stories this week, and loves saying "hi baby!"

Last night Hendrix saw his first soccer game.  We went to watch my brother Jake play soccer for Central College and were delighted to see him score the winning goal in a shootout against UNI.

It was a gorgeous night for soccer!  I can't believe how lucky we have been with the weather so far this fall :)  

Jake was very excited to see Hendrix after the game, and he was also very pleased to see what he was wearing. :)

  

This afternoon we took Hendrix to the Center Grove Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Farm.   

It was a beautiful afternoon, and Hendrix enjoyed sleeping in his Baby Bjorn.  It was the first time that we have used it, and it was great!  :)

While Hendrix caught some z's we enjoyed some caramel apples!  YUM!

What a great start to the weekend!  I love fall!!!  I am really thankful for the men in my life :)

We are so blessed!

This has been an eventful past couple of days, and I would really like to share some of the blessings that we have received this week.

1. We started our third trimester today!  This is such a huge milestone, and makes me realize how little time we have left in the pregnancy!  We are so thankful to have made it thus far with a healthy and uneventful pregnancy ;)


2. My husband accepted a job at an architecture firm here in Ames today.  :)  He has been job hunting since he finished his Master's degree in early May (and actually the process of interviewing and working on his portfolio started much sooner.....like back in January), and I have to admit that I was beginning to feel very discouraged that he didn't have something lined up yet.  He had been thinking that he would have to commute to Des Moines for work (which isn't too far, but does require gas and time) and the job market has been a little weak in the field of architecture right now.   Not only has he procured work in his field, but the firm he will be working for is only about a mile from our new home.  We are so blessed!


3.  We received our first-time homebuyers tax credit check in the mail today!  I had been told that these checks were really backed up, and since we have just been homeowners for about 8 weeks now, I was thoroughly expecting to not get the check until this fall.  Since we have been putting alot of work and money into our home, this will be immensely helpful in getting us into a more comfortable financial position to be prepared for Hendrix to make his arrival soon. :)


4. We have been given the opportunity to purchase a used vehicle from some friends who recently upgraded their situation.  We have been a one-car family for the entire three years of our marriage, which has worked out well enough so far since the bus system in Ames is so reliable.  With my hubby starting his new career, and with the little guy on the way, we realize that a second vehicle is going to be less of a luxury and more of a necessity.  We are thrilled to be helping our friends out while purchasing a modest car that meets our needs for the time being.


I guess that is all for now.  I am very humbled and overwhelmed at the way that God is working in our lives to meet our needs.  :)