Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Thankful Mondays’ Category

Hi friends.  It’s not been a good day or a good week.  But that’s all the more reason to remember to be grateful for the good things.

1. I’m grateful no one was hurt in the car accident I had this morning.  Cars can be repaired and replaced but people cannot.
2. I’m grateful my little boys seem to be getting better.  Morgan and Carter have had bad colds and Carter has croup but they both seem to be getting better and Carter has done much better than the doctor predicted thus far.
3. I’m thankful for my husband once again.  I’ve been sick, and trying to get over my cold along with dealing with two sick toddlers and a car accident has taken its toll.  Ben has been a big help, getting up in the middle of the night for the boys, putting an inconsolable Morgan to sleep, cleaning humidifiers, making dinner, and offering to deal with the insurance companies for me.  I love that man.
4. I’m thankful for last weekend that was filled with fun and friends.  We had a play date with friends in Crozet Friday morning followed by a play date with more friends at the Discovery Museum on Friday afternoon.  We also had swimming lessons on Saturday and our good friends Robert and Crystal were so gracious to host us at the Massanutten Water Park on Sunday.  The boys had so much fun and we definitely made up for the boring snow days stuck inside.
5. I’m thankful for my husband AGAIN (he gets a double today).  He took me to the Know Good Beer Festival last Saturday (the tickets were my birthday present) where we had tons of fun together and with friends.  Then he was my designated driver, fed me dinner, and put the boys to bed because I had a little too much fun.  On top of all of that, he found my wedding ring that had fallen off my finger in our bedroom (I thought I’d lost it for good).  I do have an amazing man in my life.

Here’s hoping next week is free of illnesses and car accidents.

Hey friends!  I hope everyone is staying warm!  Here’s my thankful 5 for today:

1. I’m so grateful we didn’t lose power during the blizzard this weekend.
2. I’m thankful for my father-in-law who brought his tractor over to help dig out my van yesterday so we didn’t have to spend hours upon hours shoveling.
3. I’m thankful that we didn’t get as much snow as they were predicting.  30 inches is way too much for this Texas girl!
4. I’m grateful for Ben and his hard work making sure my car was cleaned up, unstuck, and ready to go this morning.  I had zero delays this morning getting the van on the road.
5. I’m grateful to get out of the house after being stuck inside for 4 days straight with the exception of some driveway shoveling!

Have a great day!

Happy Tuesday friends,

Here’s my dose of gratitude for the week:

1. I’m thankful for friends and play dates.  This weekend, we spent an afternoon with 3 other mamas from my childbirth class who all have boys around Carter and Morgan’s ages.  We had so much fun playing with new toys, throwing sand in the sand box, and playing with the other kiddos.  And I had a great time getting to chat with friends while the boys were happily distracted.  I’m so thankful for those days that we are able to get out of the house and spend time with friends.
2. I’m grateful for swimming lessons!  On Saturday, we started our first day of the 18 month to 3 year old swimming class.  I’m grateful that we live in a community that offers such a great activity at a decent price and I’m also thankful that they require a parent to accompany each child because that means there is a built-in chunk of time that we get to spend together as a family for the next few weeks.  Plus we have an indoor activity to keep us entertained during the colder months!
3. I’m thankful for great doctors.  Just as my back was healing, I started having some additional health issues.  I’m so thankful to have doctors that are usually able to see me the day that I call in with a problem.  In addition, I’m so grateful for my mother-in-law who was able to watch the boys for me at the last minute so I didn’t have to drag them with me to the doctor’s office.
4. I’m grateful for the gift of a massage from my sister-in-law.  It was the first massage I’ve had since I was pregnant with the boys and after carrying around a combined 55 pounds of little boy every day, I desperately needed it.  I’m also thankful for my friend, Amy, who gave me the massage and did an amazing job!  Lastly, I’m thankful for my husband for watching the boys so I could get my massage on Sunday.  It was so relaxing!
5. I’m thankful to be alive.  Every day is a gift and I’m trying to remember to be grateful for each one.

Hey there and welcome to this week’s post of gratitude!  Here’s what I’m especially thankful for today:

1. I’m grateful for my health and the health of my family members.
2. I’m thankful for the fact that we’ve already passed the shortest day of the season and are headed toward longer and sunnier days.
3. I’m grateful for winter.  I’m not a fan of short days and cold temperatures but those two things keep my husband indoors more which means he gets to spend more time with the boys and I instead of working on our house and yard.
4. I’m grateful for the opportunity to watch 2 little boys grow and learn.  Watching them experience new things and learn new concepts is fascinating and I’m sad thinking about the day when they will no longer approach everything with such wonder.
5. I’m thankful for coffee!  I LOVE coffee and I drink a lot of it!  Without it, I’d probably have a much harder time making it through most days without a nap so I’m very grateful for it!

Happy day friends!

Hi friends!

It’s a new year and with a new year, comes the inevitable new years resolutions.  And one of my many resolutions is to practice being grateful more often which includes *attempting* to keep up with my weekly “Thankful Monday (or whatever day it happens to be)” posts.  So here’s my first thankful post of 2016:

1. I’m so grateful for modern medicine!  I hurt my back badly the other day due to a combination of overzealous New Year’s Day workout, slipping and falling at the park, and constant lifting and carrying of a combined 55 pounds of toddler boys.  While I am most certainly not grateful for the injury, I am so thankful for my doctor, my doctor’s office’s ability to get me seen very quickly, steroid/numbing shots, and medication.  Here’s hoping I can be grateful for a quick recovery next week! 😉
2. I’m grateful that thus far, my boys have not caught the stomach virus that Ben and I endured over the holidays.  I’m hoping they both stay healthy!
3. I’m thankful for my family, who spent lots of time and money to travel to Virginia to be with us for my birthday and Christmas.  We had a blast together despite above mentioned stomach virus.
4. I’m thankful for our secure jobs and enough income to not only give our boys a good life but also a very nice Christmas filled with more toys than they could play with in a day.  I’m also thankful for these gifts, the bulk of which came from family.  The boys are blessed as are we!
5. I’m thankful for the opportunity for a fresh start.  Every new year brings with it the chance to reflect on the past and try to improve upon our mistakes and misgivings.  Here’s hoping 2016 will be an amazing and grateful year for us all!

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead!

Hi friends!  Here’s a dose of gratitude for you!

1. Today, I’m thankful for the sunshine!  I love the warmth, light, and vitamin D!
2. I’m grateful for wonderful friends!  I have so many wonderful friends, and even more wonderful friends that I’ve met through those friends!  I’m looking forward to the next few days filled with those wonderful friends!  I hope they all know how much their friendship means to me.
3. I’m grateful for highly competent, skilled, and helpful coworkers.  I wouldn’t be able to do my job to the best of my ability without the help of the people on my team at work.
4. I’m thankful for the time change.  While I’m not crazy about it getting dark so early, I do enjoy seeing the sun on my way to work again and my boys sure have been sleeping well since we “fell back an hour”.
5. I’m thankful for my husband Ben who works so hard for us.  He takes good care of our house, cleans the kitty litter, saves spiders, squirrels, and other critters by catching them humanely and releasing them back outside, and he built a beautiful greenhouse to hold most of our plants during the winter.  I hope he knows how much I appreciate him.

Happy day friends!

Time for a little gratitude!

1. I’m thankful for a wonderful place to work that provides me with flexibility, a part time schedule, and working from home capabilities that all allow me to spend more time with my children.  They also have a wonderful wellness program that has helped me beyond any drug out there and has introduced me to the wonderful world of mindfulness and meditation.  And to top it all off, they have a bi-annual employee appreciation day!  I’m very grateful to work here!
2. I’m grateful for access to therapies for my boys.  Because they were born premature, they’ve been late to walk and talk and we are lucky to have a physical therapist and speech therapist who come to our house to work with us in addition to insurance that pays for it.  Both the boys are walking now and are starting to mimic our words so I’m very grateful for their continued improvements and development!
3. I’m thankful for the good things in life that have been happening for my sister and brother.  Within the past year and a half they have both started new jobs in their preferred career path, begun relationships with very nice significant others, and have found their first real adult homes.  I’m happy to see them happy!
4. I’m grateful for the internet and social media.  It has allowed my extended family to stay connected and plan a future family reunion that has been long overdue!
5. I’m grateful for long walks on autumn days.  My boys and I have been spending lots of time outdoors soaking up the last of the warmth and sunshine before winter comes and it makes me so happy to spend time with them outside.

Happy day friends!

Quick reminder to be grateful!

1. I’m thankful for the mindfulness class at work yesterday.  I needed the mindfulness practice and the time to just sit, reflect, and stop trying to go 1000 miles per second!
2. I’m grateful for pay day!  It’s always nice to wake up in the morning and see the email from ADP that my paycheck has been deposited because I always forget these days!
3. I’m thankful for my work schedule.  I’m so lucky to have a job that allows me to work 30 hours a week, much of it from home, so that I may have a flexible schedule and spend more time with my boys.
4. I’m thankful for the benefits I receive through work.  With Open Enrollment just completing, it reminds me to be glad I work somewhere that provides me with health, dental, and life insurance among other helpful benefits.
5. I’m grateful for friends who are there to listen to me vent about problems I am having.  Specifically, my sister from another mister and my mom have helped me through some difficult issues I’ve been having recently by just listening and offering advice.

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!

Oh wow!  It’s been a while since my last post!  Summer has been busy yall!  I need to remember to be grateful and keep a positive outlook on life so here’s a few nuggets of gratitude!

1. I’m thankful for the opportunity to fly to Texas with Ben and the boys back in July and introduce Carter and Morgan to so many friends and family and the place that I first (and will forever) called home!  They got to meet so many people who are some of the most important people in my life and that makes me so happy!
2. I’m thankful for an amazing summer so far!  We’ve done so much, including but not limited to, graduated from swimming lessons, tried out our first splash park, flew to Texas and back, ate authentic Tex-Mex, went to the Richmond Zoo, met and visited uncles, aunts, and cousins (in both Texas and Virginia), attended 2 beer festivals, went to King Family Polo with awesome friends, had so many awesome play dates, went swimming, visited new wineries and breweries, tried lots of new foods and restaurants, and went on lots of fun walks!  If I have time, I’ll do a detailed recap of the boys’ big summer.  What a blast it has been and I thank my boys and everyone involved for making it so much fun!
3. I’m thankful for a new restaurant in town I’ve discovered, Brazos Tacos.  It is owned and run by Texans, serves authentic Texas-style tacos and awesome salsas and guac, and is totally kid friendly!  I’m so thankful for a little taste of home here in Virginia.
4. I’m grateful for awesome coworkers and cool people I have the opportunity to work with.  I’m lucky to be surrounded by such talent and amazing personalities.
5. I’m grateful for all of the moms in my life…they make being a mom myself so much easier and so much more fun!

Love to you all!