Texas Lou

Happy New Year friends! A few years ago, I saw this post about the #100happydays Challenge and really liked the idea. I’ve been wanting to try it for a few years now but life has been so busy. With it being a new year, I decided to try something new so hear it goes!

Happy hump day! I’ve been trying to stay consistent with my morning and nightly gratitude journaling and here’s a little extra:

1. I’m grateful for an awesome job where I get to learn new things and feel challenged in a calm environment where I don’t feel pressured often. I’m so lucky to work where I do and feel blessed that I’ve been given this opportunity every day!
2. I’m grateful for my health. I think I mentioned it in my last post, but I was having a lot of health problems and I’m even more convinced now that we’ve found the root of them and eliminated it! I’m feeling good, eating and sleeping well, exercising almost every day, and finally feeling like I have more of the energy I’d been missing for so long!
3. I’m grateful for my husband who has been working out at home in the mornings on Wednesdays rather than leaving for the gym to exercise with me and help me get up early enough to workout before my day. He also takes Auggie on that day which saves me some time.
4. I’m thankful for awesome friends and getting to hang out and throw a fun bridal shower this past weekend! I’m always thankful for the opportunity to have self-care and social time sans children.
5. I’m grateful for life and freedom. This day reminds me more than any other that tomorrow is never promised and nor is our right to live such free and enjoyable lives in an amazing country. I’m grateful to all of those and their sacrifices who have brought us to where we are today.

Stay grateful friends!

Hi friends! Yesterday was a rough day and I could have gained a lot of insight from writing this post then. Here are a few things I’m thankful for lately:

1. I am thankful for my mom and the opportunity for her to come visit for Auggie’s birthday this past weekend. We had such a fun time celebrating my baby turning 2. My mom always knows how to handle anything, especially the difficult situations, and she provides me great advice and guidance. I’m so thankful for her and I hope that she has many healthy years left on this earth so my boys can get to know her well.
2. I’m grateful for our family and friends that celebrated Auggie with us this weekend. We went to Carter Mountain sunsets Thursday, outdoor lunch at Mount Ida Friday, had a small birthday party Saturday after a trip to the Farmers Market, and then celebrated with a family dinner on Sunday. We are blessed to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends!
3. I’m thankful that school starts next week. The transition of our regular routine to a summer/summer camp routine has been rough for us and I’m really glad school starts back soon so my boys and the family can have a better routine and a great preschool influence.
4. I’m so grateful for long days and warm weather. Summer is coming to an end soon and I’m starting to dread the coming of winter, cold, and shorter days but I’m thankful for the summer we’ve had and what we have left. I’m trying to savor the last of it and enjoy it while it is still here.
5. I’m really grateful for an awesome doctor who has been very persistent in helping me figure out some health problems. It finally feels like we are on the right track and I am so thankful to be feeling a lot better lately.

Sending love to you all!

Happy Tuesday! Here are some things I’m thankful for today:

1. I am so thankful for a great camp that my boys are attending this summer. It has succeeded in thoroughly tiring them out and they really seem to enjoy going every day!
2. I am grateful for my job. I enjoy getting to go to work and participate in challenging projects and talk with my coworkers. I really think working makes me a better parent because it allows me to use a part of my brain that parenting doesn’t as well as makes me miss my kiddos and look forward to spending time with them when I have the opportunity.
3. I’m thankful for a husband who works so hard to keep our house and yard together. We recently had some plumbing issues and he spent all of his free time figuring out the problem and fixing it despite his lack of plumbing experience.
4. I’m grateful for summer. I LOVE the heat and the sunshine. I don’t care if it is 100 degrees, I am soaking it all in because once winter is here, I’ll miss it.
5. I’m thankful for things in life that bring people together.

Have a good one!

Hi friends! The sun is shining and I am so thankful for the beautiful and warm weather we’ve been having. Here are just a few other things I’ve been thankful for lately:

1. I’m so grateful my kiddos have all been sleeping well lately because when they sleep well, I sleep well! 🙂
2. I’m thankful for a husband who recognizes and acknowledges my need for exercise and free time. I got to run 4 days in a row this past week and that has made me feel so good!
3. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be Carter, Morgan, and Auggie’s mom. They help me learn so much about myself and life every day.
4. I’m thankful for an amazing preschool that we are able to afford to send our boys to and I’m even more thankful for the wonderful teachers who work there. We are nearing the end of our second year with the school and everything about the experience has been so amazing! My boys have grown so much and I’m really looking forward to next year!
5. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn new things and work on challenging tasks and projects at my job. I’m lucky to have a profession, workplace, management, and coworkers who facilitate learning and an environment in which professional development is valued.

Have a wonderful day!

Happy Thursday and happy spring! I’ve actually been practicing daily gratitude since the new year with a handwritten journal so I haven’t been keeping up with my weekly gratitude posts on this blog but today I feel like I need an extra dose of it!

1. I’m grateful for spring, flowers, warm weather, and sunshine. Winter here is so so hard for me. The short days, the gloomy weather, and the cold really have an effect on me so I’m so thankful and full of energy to welcome spring and the promise of summer!
2. I’m thankful for a really fun girls trip to Savannah and for my husband and mother-in-law who helped take care of my boys so I could have a little break and spend time with some of my best gal pals and my mom while exploring a new city.
3. I’m grateful for an amazing preschool that my kids attend. Not only have they taught my children so much over the past 2 years, they have gone above and beyond to accommodate Morgan and his broken leg.
4. I’m thankful for exercise and my body’s ability to participate in it. With the warmer weather, I’ve been exercising more and my body and mind feel so much better!
5. I’m thankful for my 3 sons. They are constantly teaching me and motivating me to try to become a better person.

Have a wonderful day!

Happy New Year friends!  So far 2019 is off to a great start for me!  I’m learning, reading, moving, and improving!  Here are a few things I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m so so so grateful for a wonderful long vacation in Dallas visiting my mom and extended family!  We had such a wonderful time celebrating Christmas and seeing everyone and I’m grateful my mom has plenty of room for the whole family to stay when we all visit.
2. I’m grateful for easy traveling, on-time flights, and safe travels over Christmas.  Our biggest travel woe was a screaming toddler on an airplane which is to be expected and I’m so thankful we didn’t have to deal with any delays or cancellations.
3. I’m grateful my mom, sister, brother, and I and all of our spouses and kids could be together for Christmas for the first time in 3 years.  We are rarely all together in one place so it was a blessing that we were all able to come together for a couple of days to celebrate Christmas.
4. I’m thankful for my husband who puts up with my incessant requests to travel to Texas.  I know traveling with young children can be grueling and I’m so grateful he understands how important it is to me to spend time with my family despite them living far away.
5. I’m grateful for a fresh start.  I love new beginnings and the new year certainly seems to be the ultimate new beginning.  I am really taking the bull by the horns in 2019 and trying to be a better person in all aspects of my life!

Wishing you all a happy and grateful 2019!

Although I didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I have so much to be thankful for:

1. I’m so grateful to my in-laws for taking care of my 3 boys (and my 2 nieces for helping) so that Ben and I could attend my brother’s wedding in Costa Rica.  Although we wanted to take them with us, we just couldn’t make it work and I’m so glad we didn’t have to miss the wedding and I didn’t have to go alone.  Thanks so much to my in-laws for all of their help!
2. I’m thankful for 5 days in paradise with my family.  This was the first time in 11 years I’ve been with my family on Thanksgiving.  And even though we didn’t have Thanksgiving dinner, we definitely had a celebration!
3. I’m grateful that my brother found his best friend and soul mate in Erin.  I’m so happy for them as they start their lives together.
4. I’m thankful that we made it through all of our travels safely.  Traveling to a foreign country can be scary and full of anxiety but we were lucky to be safe and not have any hiccups along the way.
5. I’m grateful that I get to see my family again soon for Christmas!

Happy day friends!

Happy Thursday!  Just checking in for a dose of gratitude.  Here are a few things I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful that I’m finally getting some help for my postpartum anxiety.  I’m already feeling better able to cope!
2. I’m grateful for sunshine when we have it.  We have had so much rain lately, that it has really helped me appreciate the sunny days that have been few and far away.  We celebrated sunshine with a trip to the park last weekend!
3. I’m grateful for many opportunities to grow professionally at work over the past 6 months.  I have learned so much and am thankful for all of the help from my coworkers!
4. I’m grateful for times with family.  We have a lot of family time coming up – weddings, birthdays, holidays – and I’m grateful I’ll get to see my family for all of these!
5. I’m thankful that my parents are taking care of their health so that they will both hopefully be around a long time for my boys to have a relationship with.

Have a wonderful day!

My mom left after a fun visit today and I’m feeling kinda down so I think I need a dose of gratitude to help me perk up.  Here are just a few things I’m grateful for lately:

1. I’m grateful that my mom was able to come visit and help celebrate Auggie Bear’s first birthday.  It means more than the world to me that my boys are getting to spend quality time with my mom/best friend.
2. I’m grateful we made it through the first year of life with 3 kiddos under 4!  Those first few weeks were daunting but we made it and are all stronger because of them!
3. I’m thankful for a wonderful summer filled with visits from loved ones and travel!  I have to say an extra thank you to Ben and his mom for helping out with the kiddos so I could travel to Houston, Padre Island, and Chicago to help celebrate my brother and his fiance.  I’m also so grateful to have had both my mom and my brother and his fiance visit us this summer.  I don’t care how often I have to wash the sheets in the guest room…I’d do it a million times for precious memories made with my loved ones!
4. I’m grateful for my little family.  For so long, I wanted my own little family and now my life is full with a great husband and 3 sweet, healthy, and active little boys!
5. I’m thankful for a challenging job that I enjoy and awesome coworkers plus the opportunity to work part time so I can spend more time with my babies.

Have a great day friends!