Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Hi friends!  As usual, I have sooooo much to be thankful for!

1. I’m beyond grateful that my cousin Shelly delivered a healthy baby boy yesterday and both she and baby are doing well!  I’ve said many prayers for the two of them over the past few months and I’m grateful that they were answered!
2. I’m thankful my baby is still cooking!  I was having some seemingly early labor symptoms starting last week but luckily, it looks like he’s due to stay put for a little while longer.
3. I’m thankful for my amazing doctor!  Not only is she down-to earth, always available, and takes great care of Ben, the boys, and me, she also has been so responsive during my pregnancy.  She has commiserated with me and been acknowledging and supportive of the fact that I had a very traumatic pregnancy, pre-term birth experience, and post term experience last time and she’s been right there all along the way to calm my fears and go above and beyond to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make this time around a much better experience for all involved!  I’m so grateful I found such a wonderful family doctor and I hope she’ll be with my family for many years to come!
4. I’m grateful for my husband and everything he does for us!  I nag him to do a lot for me and the boys, especially when pregnant, and I complain about him not doing things for us too much but he really is our knight in shining armor and has helped out so much.  I’m especially thankful for all that he did to get the house cleaned up this weekend to appease my nesting instincts and for getting out of bed last night to wipe up the floor and table from dinner after he’d forgotten.
5. I’m grateful for the opportunity to teach my boys gratitude and the joys of doing things for others.  This weekend, they got to pick out a gift for their baby brother to bring to him when they first meet him.  We also made brownies and we took some to their grandparents’ house to share.  And lastly, they wanted to color and play with stickers this weekend and on their own, they announced they were making their pictures to give to their grandparents.  Sometimes I worry that my attempt to teach them the good things is going in one ear and out the other and also being negated by the example of my bad habits that I’m always trying to make better, but then they do sweet things like this that make me feel like maybe we are all doing something right. 🙂

Lots of love and gratitude to you all!

Hi friends!

Once again, I have so much to be thankful for!

1. I’m so grateful for amazing friends who love and care about me!  On Saturday afternoon, some of my closest girlfriends surprised me with a baby shower/luncheon.  I had no clue that they were planning it and thought I was just meeting a couple of girlfriends for an early dinner and movie.  I was overwhelmed by love and gratitude for this sweet gesture!  Whenever I am feeling down or distant from my friends, I need to remember times like these that prove how loved I am and what wonderful people I have in my life.
2. I’m thankful for good friends who make the effort to stay in your lives despite busy schedules and the chaos of raising children.  We have friends with twin kiddos around the boys’ age that we became close with over the past couple years.  Last summer, I was so sad to learn that they were moving to Florida.  However, we’ve kept in touch and they were in town visiting yesterday and we got to spend a great day with them!  We had coffee and play time at the park and lunch and ice cream in Crozet.  After the kiddos napped, our friends came over for dinner and more play time.  It was so nice to see our friends and I’m so grateful for the effort they have put in to stay close despite the geographical distance between us.  I hope we stay good friends for many years to come!
3. I’m thankful for my husband, my dad, and my father-in-law.  We celebrated Father’s Day on Sunday and while I try to remember to be grateful for these awesome men every day, the day is always a nice reminder to reflect on how much they do and have done for us.  I love you Dad, Ben, and Peter!
4. I’m grateful for exercise and the ability my body has to perform it.  I have been trying to exercise this pregnancy with occasional walking, light running, elliptical training, and some light weight training.  With my twin pregnancy and all the complications that came with it, exercise for me was pretty much non-existent.  However, since I’m just having one baby this time with hopefully a normal pregnancy, I’ve been trying to stay more physically fit, especially since I want to be able to keep up with my boys during pregnancy and after.  I’ve noticed that on the days I exercise, my pregnancy aches and pains are much less bothersome if not non-existent so I’m so thankful I am able to still be exercising in my third trimester.
5. I’m grateful for my husband.  He just gets me and it’s nice to have someone who gets you and knows you better than most people.  Thanks for being one of my people Ben and for never putting up with my bullshit!  I love you!

Have a grateful day!

Good morning friends!  I’ve been trying to be extra grateful lately!  I’ve been getting back into meditation and trying to remember to practice/teach gratitude with my boys.  We have a chalk board in our kitchen, and when I can remember, I ask them what we are thankful for that day and we write it on the board.  I’m hoping to raise them to always look on the bright side of things and practice gratitude regularly.  Here are a few things I’m grateful for today:

1. I’m thankful for a beautiful weekend spent outdoors!  Ben, the boys, and I did so much outside including a summer kick-off carnival at ACAC, 2 pool days with friends at ACAC, the Farmer’s Market, playing outside in our yard, going for walks in our neighborhood, putting up the umbrella on our deck and enjoying lunches and dinners outside, and spending an afternoon at the lake!  What a blast it was!  I hope my boys are learning to love the outdoors and I’m sure the vitamin D is doing us all some good!
2. I’m thankful for an easier pregnancy this time around.  While it certainly hasn’t been easy in the general sense of the word, for the most part, it has been easier than a twin pregnancy and I’m so grateful for that because here I am at 30 weeks and am still somewhat able to keep up with the boys and do lots of activities with them.
3. I’m so grateful for my boys!  Every day they are teaching me to be more patient and appreciate life more.  While I don’t always realize it in the moment, I am learning slowly that there is more to life than a clean house, checked-off to-do list, and TV at the end of the day.  I’m doing much better at going to bed with a living room full of toys on the floor and a kitchen sink full of dirty dishes.  While those things still bother me, the boys remind me constantly that I only have this time with them at this age once so I’m trying to soak it up more.
4. I’m so thankful for my baby.  I’m sure it is partially the hormones talking, but I am getting so excited about holding him and nursing him and seeing what he looks like.  I don’t remember feeling those things much with the boys because I was so focused on keeping them inside for longer and preventing premature birth that I didn’t have much time to get excited for them to be here.  I’m so glad that so far, according to my doctors, premature birth with this baby is looking less and less likely.
5. I’m grateful for good friends who help me be a better parent and reassure me that I’m on the right track.  I have some great friends who are traveling down this parenting road with me and if it weren’t for their help, support, reassurance, and great listening skills, I’d probably be in a much darker place about how I feel about my parenting.  Thank you friends for being there!

Have a great day!

Hi friends!

I have a weekend full of gratitude to share!

1. I’m thankful for my mom visiting this past weekend.  I know that it’s not always fun, easy, or cheap to travel so I’m extremely grateful when someone comes to visit, especially by plane.  As a matter of fact, when my sister and brother ask me what I want for Christmas, I usually say that I just want them to come visit!  I’m so thankful my mom was able to come and spend time with us.
2. I’m grateful for the amazing weather we had this past weekend.  It was so nice and warm out that mom, the boys, and I (and Ben)  got outside every day she was here.  We spent time at Fridays After Five, ate on the patio at The Bebedero, went to the City Market, shopped on the Downtown Mall, and played a bunch in our yard.
3. I’m thankful for my mom and her delicious home cooking.  Saturday night, she made us one of my favorites dishes, swedish meatballs, with green beans, strawberry, spinach, poppy seed salad, egg noodles, and apple cheddar jalapeno scones.  We also had apple dumplings with vanilla ice cream for dessert!  I’ve always loved my mom’s cooking and it is a treat when she cooks for Ben, the boys, and I.
4. I’m grateful for a mom who is a great role model for me as a mother and also a fun and amazing grandma to my boys.  Even though the boys don’t see her often since she lives in Texas, they always warm up to her right away.  It’s so important to me that they have a relationship with their family so I’m thankful for the people in my life who make the effort to make those relationships happen.
5. I’m grateful for my mom’s wisdom, knowledge, and smart advice.  I’ve had some financial things that I’ve needed to get in order for a while and mom helped me a bunch while she was here to get things organized and understand some financial information that I’ve been wanting to learn about.

Thank you mom for being amazing and being you!

Happy day friends!

Hi friends!  Ready for some gratitude?  This is a BIG one!

Today, I’m thankful for:

1. Our third baby!  I’ve made it to the third trimester and feel fairly safe to share with the rest of the world (if you hadn’t seen me me recently).
2. I’m thankful our little guy (that’s right, another boy) seems to be healthy and growing on schedule!
3. I’m grateful that my 2 boys already seem to love their baby brother!
4. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have 1 baby and *hopefully* a normal pregnancy and birth experience.
5. I’m grateful for this gift from God to my family!

Love to you all!

Happy New Year Friends!

I’m wishing everyone peace, prosperity, health, and happiness in 2017!  Here’s what I’m grateful for today:

1. I’m grateful for an amazing Christmas holiday celebrated in Texas surrounded by so much family!  I’m so thankful that we were able to travel and spend time with so many of the people that mean the most to me!  I hope you had a great Christmas too!
2. I’m thankful that I work for a great company with an awesome employee discount benefit!  Our 10 year old TV finally kicked the bucket last night and I was able to save almost $500 on a new TV with my employee discount.  Thanks Crutchfield!
3. I’m grateful for my mom.  She always does her best to make sure that her family has a great Christmas.  She outdid herself this year by providing a big and beautiful festive home for us all to convene for the holidays and by cooking some amazing holiday meals!  Thank you Mom!
4. I’m grateful for my husband who spent his first Christmas away from his parents so that we could spend the holiday in Texas (my first time in 5 years!).  I know it wasn’t easy for him or his family to be apart on Christmas so I want to say a special thanks to them all for being cool with it.
5. I’m grateful for a fresh start and the new year.  There are exciting things coming for my family this year and one of my goals is to try and remain grateful with a positive attitude and to also raise my boys with that same mindset.

Happy 2017!  Love you all!

Good morning!  It’s been a while but I keep coming back!

Here’s what I’m grateful for today:

1. I’m grateful that I live in a country where we all have the right to vote on this election day!  I voted this morning and regardless of who the winners are, I’m just grateful that I am a citizen of the greatest country in the world!
2. I’m grateful for a beautiful fall weekend filled with family time!  Saturday, Ben, the boys, and I ran the Wolanski 2 Miler to celebrate the retirement of my awesome OBGYN.  We then bought lots of goodies at the Farmer’s Market and continued on to Carter Mountain Orchard for some apple picking.  The boys had such a great time and I’m thankful I can give them fun and awesome experiences like these!
3.  I’m grateful to live in a city with such amazing preschool options!  We’ve been touring preschools to enroll the boys in next fall and there are so many great schools around that it’s overwhelming to choose one!
4. I’m thankful for the extra hour we got this weekend.  While I’m not a fan of it getting dark super early, it was nice to get that extra hour on Sunday especially when there are never enough hours in the day!
5. I’m grateful for a sweet sister.  She sent me a sweet card and beautiful bracelet to ask me if I’d be her matron of honor in her wedding!  I’m so excited for her and thankful to be her sister.

Happy day friends!

Good morning!  Here’s a quick dose of gratitude to keep me positive this morning!

1. I’m thankful for nice weather this past weekend.  Even though it was hot and there was a heat advisory, I’m still happy the sun was shining.  The boys and I were able to get outdoors quite a bit (while making sure to stay hydrated) and to me, that is much more fun than being stuck inside because of rain.  We went on walks, attending the Charlottesville Farmers Market, and went to the Greenleaf Spray Park with friends!
2. I’m thankful for my in-laws and all that they do to help us.  On Saturday, they watched the boys for a couple hours so Ben and I could have an old-fashioned date:  lunch at Beer Run and seeing Suicide Squad at Regal Stonefield (yay for free movie tickets)!
3. I’m grateful for technology!  This one shows up often on my list but that’s because it is a huge part of our everyday life.  I’m so thankful we have the opportunity to watch the 2016 Summer Olympics thanks to the internet and television.  It’s so awesome seeing the different competitors and matches!
4. I’m thankful that my mom found a new job and that it is located close to where her family lives.  She started her new job yesterday after being out of work since late February and I’m so grateful my uncle and aunt are letting her stay with them until she finds a place nearby.
5. I’m thankful for Carter and Morgan.  They are constantly reminding me what life is really about.

Have a great day!

Good grateful morning to you!  We had a fun and fabulous weekend to make up for the sad and uneventful one before.  Here’s what I’m grateful for today:

1. I’m grateful for amazing friends who are so nice to share with us.  My friend Lindsey and her husband and kiddos invited us to ACAC waterpark where they have a membership and we had so much fun with them!  There is an enclosed kiddie area with a kiddie pool and splash pad so I was able to take the boys by myself without an extra helper.  We had a great time, played in the water, and enjoyed lots of snacks by the pool.  Thanks Lindsey and Greg!
   

   Enjoying snacks by the pool

2.  I’m grateful again for amazing friends and daddies who watch kiddos so mommies can get some much needed relaxation and adult time!  Friday night, Sarah and I went to the free wine tasting at Market Street Wine Shop, something we used to do all the time B.K. (before kids!) and even ran into some old friends.  Then Lindsey, Sarah, Kaleigh, Sherry, and a couple others met up at Wine & Design to paint a tree at sunset scene.  Everyone brought delicious snacks and wine to share.  We had a blast and decided to continue the evening with drinks at The Whiskey Jar.  What an awesome night!  Thanks to Lindsey for planning and thanks to Ben, Ian, and Greg for pulling extra daddy duties and putting the kids to bed so we could all enjoy the evening!
   

   Some of the ladies and I at The Whiskey Jar

3.   I am so grateful I live in such an amazing part of the country where I can witness the beauty of nature every day!  Saturday afternoon, while the boys were napping, I was sitting on the deck enjoying the sunshine and watching for hummingbirds when 2 bald eagles flew right by me and landed in a tree nearby.  Ben and I watched them for several minutes with the binoculars.  I’ve never seen one, much less 2, that close before!  I’m so thankful I was in the right place at the right time!
   

   They’re difficult to see but you can spot 2 black blurs in the tree

   

   1 of the bald eagles flying above the house

4. I’m grateful for my boys and for being given the gift of twins.  Now that they are getting older, I’m getting glimpses of sibling love that just melt my heart and I’m so thankful I get to witness it.  Morgan LOVES to hug and kiss Carter (although Carter isn’t always the biggest fan since it sometimes turns into a wrestling match) and it makes my heart so happy to see the love between them!
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for my in-laws who help us in so many ways.  This weekend, they allowed us to use their membership to a local neighborhood beach so we could take the boys to the lake and let them practice using their new floaties.  They had so much fun and I’m so grateful to my in-laws for sharing these amenities with us!

Happy day friends!

This week, my family and I have a lot to be grateful for:

1. My father-in-law nearly choked to death and my mother-in-law saved his life!  I’m grateful that he is ok and so thankful that my mother-in-law was there and able to save him.  I’m also very thankful for the quick-responding EMTs and hospital staff at Martha Jefferson who took good care of him.
2. I’m thankful for each day that myself and everyone I love wakes up and is healthy.  After what happened this week, I am reminded that every day is a gift for us all.
3. I’m thankful that we live close to my in-laws and were able to be nearby in an emergency.
4. I’m grateful for washing machines!  We’ve had alot of blowouts this week and having a washing machine and dryer sure does make life with toddlers a lot easier!
5. I’m thankful for the week ahead which will be filled with sun, fun, family, and friends!

Love to you all!