Texas Lou

I’m here for some gratitude!

1. I’m grateful for sunshine!  We’ve had so much of it lately and it makes me happy to be outside and get fresh air and Vitamin D!  Soaking it all up before winter is here!
2. I’m thankful for my in-laws who do so much to help us.  I don’t express how grateful I am to them enough so I’m going to try and do that more.
3. I’m thankful for a healthy body.  I’ve been running and walking a lot lately and it makes me feel so good!  I’m so thankful I have the good health and physical capacity to be able to walk and run whenever I want!
4. I’m grateful for coffee!  I just love my coffee! 🙂
5. I’m thankful for my co-workers.  It is a joy to come to work every day because of the amazing people I work with!

Happy day!

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!

Boy was I negative this weekend.  Both my boys were sick, a good friend moved away and we didn’t get to say goodbye, it rained on the 4th of July and we didn’t do anything to celebrate the holiday, and I spent most of the weekend dwelling on the fact that I live far from my family.  Needless to say, I put way too much negative energy into feeling sorry for myself this weekend.  I really need a dose of gratitude today so here it is:

1. My boys may have had a cold this weekend but I’m so thankful they didn’t also have a stomach bug.  They each vomited once in their sleep and I was afraid we were all going to get another stomach bug but it seems things were just related to all the mucus that came with the cold.  I’m grateful they weren’t as sick as I worried they were.
2. I’m sad my friend moved away but I’m very thankful for all the good memories we have and for her friendship.  I’m also hopeful we’ll visit each other and remain friends in the future.
3. I’m thankful for the rain.  Without it, we wouldn’t be able to have life on this planet and we also wouldn’t be able to appreciate the sunny days.
4. Even though we didn’t celebrate the Fourth of July, I’m thankful I got to spend the day with my boys and make my family a nice dinner.  I know many people have no one to spend the holidays with so I’m thankful I wasn’t in that position.
5. I wish we didn’t live so far away from my family but I’m thankful we get to visit them in a few weeks and I’m also grateful we have things like Skype, Facebook, and phone calls to stay in touch.

I hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July!  Doing my best to stay positive over here. 🙂

WOW!  It’s been a long time y’all!  Life is busy with 2 toddlers!  I think since the last time I’ve written we’ve enjoyed 2 trips to Texas, endured multiple illnesses, and celebrated the boys turning 2!

I actually have a quick moment to express some gratitude so here it is:

1. I’m thankful that my boys are 2!  They are amazing and watching them learn, play, and interact with each other every day is a blessing times 2!
2. I’m thankful that my boys seem to be catching up developmentally.  Being born 2 months early, we’ve dealt with physical delays, speech delays, motor skill delays and have been involved in multiple therapies.  While they still have some catching up to do, the development doctors and therapists at their 2 year NICU development checkup yesterday were very pleased with their growth and improvement!  Go Carter and Morgan!
3. I’m thankful for my husband.  We don’t always agree or get along but he humors me more than I probably realize and he works very hard to take care of the boys and I, our house, and himself.  He went out and bought a window AC unit for the boys’ room since the HVAC on our second floor is broken and installed it right away!
4. I’m thankful for my good friend Lindsey who has taken family photos of us multiple times over the past 2 years.  She is so talented and did I mention she does it for FREE?!?!  Plus she is just an amazing person!  Here’s one of my favorite shots from our most recent photo shoot about a month ago:
5.   I’m thankful for all the amazing people I work with!  We’ve been having lots of good times at happy hours lately and its so nice to work with friendly and fun people!
6.   BONUS – I’m grateful our cat, Revolver Ocelot, came back after running away and being gone for almost a full month!  I’m so thankful he is ok despite losing a lot of weight and being bitten by another animal.

Happy day friends!

It’s been a busy week as usual but I gotta make time for gratitude!  Here’s my weekly 5:

1. I’m thankful for fun friends and girls nights out!  I had a blast at Firefly karaoke last night and made some new friends!
2. I’m thankful my boys are feeling better after a nasty cold and rough week of illness.
3. I’m grateful for the weekend and getting to spend time with my boys.
4. I’m thankful for my dad who bought us plane tickets to Texas to visit with family in a few weeks and I’m grateful for my sister and her boyfriend who are graciously hosting us while we’re there.
5. I’m grateful for music and Spotify!  I love listening to music while I’m at work and I’m glad I can listen to whatever I want, whenever I want, for free!

Have a great day!

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!

I thought this article on happify.com had some excellent techniques on how to break out of the negative thinking cycle.  I often find myself rehashing a negative expereince or thought over and over again which is very unhealthy.  In short, the techniques are:

• Go Shopping In your Mind – Whenever you are experiencing negative thinking, break out of the cycle by mentally going through groceries on a shelf, books in a collection, or songs in a playlist.
• Keep Positive Company – Avoid negative people and surround yourself with positive people.
• Physically Throw Them Away – Write your negative thought down on paper and throw it away in the trash.
• Have a Cup of Tea – Studies show the warmth can provide comfort especially when negative thoughts are related to feelings of loneliness.
• Reframe Your Situation – Find the positive and silver lining to a negative experience or take advantage of a negative experience and make it better.

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.