Texas Lou

Good morning and happy Thankful Thursday (it’s been a busy week)!

Today I’m thankful for the following:

1. I’m thankful our tenant has decided to continue renting for 6 more months!  That definitely takes some pressure off since we can delay finding a new renter for a while.  Plus he’s a great tenant!
2. I’m thankful that we can afford to go to Texas to spend some time with family at the beach this summer!
3. I’m thankful that I was able to successfully complete a fairly tough project at work despite having a cold that is lasting a long time and causing my head to be foggy.
4. I’m grateful for my in-laws who housed us, fed us, and provided us with air-conditioning and running water when our power was out for 26 hours last weekend.
5. I’m grateful our power was only out for a day and not longer and that none of our food in the refrigerator or freezer went bad.

Have a great day!

I’m having a bit of a hard time staying positive these days.  I’m pretty busy and stretched very thin between work, home responsibilities, and raising 2 twoddlers who want to get into EVERYTHING.  So maybe making this list will help me remember what is important.

1. I’m thankful that my boys let me sleep for most of the night since I have a bad summer cold and desperately needed the rest.
2. I’m thankful that my little guys seem to be progressing perfectly despite their prematurity.  Carter is walking and Morgan is very close to cruising.  Both boys are crawling all over the place faster than I can keep up!
3. I’m thankful for the new program my work is facilitating to allow us to purchase shares of locally grown fruits and veggies every other week.  This will make grocery shopping a little easier/quicker for us and also provide all 4 of us with a healthy diet.
4. I’m thankful for children that thus far have seemed to have little or no issues with change and are pretty easy-going.  They took to the bottle easily, they made the transition to cow’s milk without a blink of an eye, they did so well with me going back to work, and they took to sleeping in their cribs like pros.  They also eat pretty much anything we put in front of them!  I’m hoping they continue to be laid-back and enjoy going with the flow!
5. I’m grateful for Skype.  I’ve been pretty down lately about that fact that we live so far away from my family.  People close to me are having babies and experiencing important life events and it hurts that I’m not there to meet the little ones or be a part of the celebrations.  At least having Skype makes that hurt a little less.

Have a great day!

Good morning friends!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day!  Here’s a list of things I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for a great 12 month checkup for my boys on Friday with no reactions to immunizations thus far!  I’m also thankful for the doctor’s go-ahead that we can start giving the boys cow’s milk instead of formula.  That is going to save us so much time and money!
2. I’m thankful for a fun-filled weekend!  After our doctors appointment on Friday, we met up with my friend Lindsey and her kiddos for some outdoor time and walking at Saunders-Monticello Trail.  Lindsey took beautiful photos of us a couple of weeks ago and wanted to give me the pictures.  Afterward, we met up with Ben and headed to Fridays After Five where we met our friends Chris and Cara and their little ones.  We had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather and dancing to the live music!  The boys did so great!  Saturday, after an awesome personal record-making 4 mile run, I got to spend some quality time with some amazing ladies helping to throw a baby shower for my friend Amy and her lil guy who arrives in August!  Sunday was low key with some quality family time.  Monday, we celebrated Memorial Day with brunch at Beer Run.  Sarah and Cora joined us for brunch and then we all headed over to Old Mills Trail near where Ben and I used to live and run together for a sunny walk.  Afterward, we took the boys swimming for the first time!  The weekend ended perfectly with a cookout at Ben’s parents’ house.  The boys got their share of hamburgers and fruit salad!
   

   Mommy with her boys in the pool for the first time

   

   Daddy with his boys in the pool for the first time

   

   Morgan at Beer Run for brunch

   

   Carter excited for brunch at Beer Run

3. I’m so grateful for the new drive-thru Starbucks in town!  Coffee and I are best friends now that I have 2 children who like to wake up before 6 AM and unloading and reloading the boys in and out of the car just wasn’t feasible for a latte but now my prayers have been answered and I can get my caffeine fix without waking them up!  An extra special thanks goes out to my cousin Megan for the Starbucks gift card she gave me…my bank account is grateful for that!
4. I’m thankful for the beautiful weather we’ve been having and while I’m thankful for the rain Texas has been receiving due to their drought status of recent years, I’m also thankful that all of my family in Texas is safe and sound despite the floods and storms.
5. I’m thankful for all my friends and family who bring happiness and smiles to my days!  Love you all!

Good morning!  I’ve been grumpy lately and maybe that’s because I didn’t practice gratitude this week.

1. I am beyond thankful that my new cousin, Grayson, has arrived and that he and his mommy are doing well.
2. I am so thankful that another dear friend has welcomed baby Noel into the world this week and that both she and her mama are doing well.
3. I am grateful for all of the moms in this world, especially the one who raised me, the one who raised my husband, and the ones who are my close friends and family.  Without them, I’d be lost on my own journey through motherhood.
4. I’m hopeful for all of the women out there who are trying and wanting to become mommies.  I am grateful that God gave us 2 babies without much trouble at all.
5. I’m thankful for all the new little ones that have graced us with their presence over the past couple of years.  There certainly have been alot among my circle of friends and family.

Happy day!

Happy Hump Day!  Here’s a few thankful tidbits for you today:

1. I’m thankful my little preemies born almost 2 months early are happy and healthy and turned 1 on Sunday!  We are truly blessed to have them in our lives!
2. I’m thankful my mom was able to come from Texas to help celebrate the boys’ first birthday!
3. I’m grateful for my mom, mother-in-law, and many other family members who helped throw an amazing first birthday party for my little guys!
4. I’m thankful for all of our friends and family who helped us celebrate the first of hopefully many happy birthdays!
5. I’m so thankful for all of the love and support we’ve had over the past year.  We made it to 1!

Great article from happify.com! 8 Ways to Prevent Negative Experiences from Getting You Down

Another great article from Happify.com, 5 Ways to Cultivate Empathy for Others:

Good morning and what a thankful Thursday this is!

1. I’m thankful for a wonderful weekend spent with friends and family!  We got to see our niece win a soccer game on Saturday morning and visit with family.  Then that afternoon, we visited friends and met their new baby!  Sunday was spent on the lawn at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards with fun friends and cute babies sipping wine and making onesies!  I have many amazing people in my life!
2. I’m thankful for a husband who puts aloe on my back every day after getting a sunburn from the above mentioned winery lawn sitting!
3. I’m grateful that I have a wonderful husband who is also an involved father and has daddy-son days occasionally so I can get out and have a break (like today when I am getting my hair cut!).
4. I’m thankful for the rain we’ve had this week.  It may be a pain but we need it and it washes all that pollen away.
5. I’m grateful for my work friend who was so nice to bring me an Apricot flavored seltzer water this morning for me to try (in case you don’t know, I’m addicted to seltzer water!).

Happy day friends!

My thankful posts are all over the place, but I guess that’s a consequence of being a twin mom.  I’m just grateful I’m able to find time to be grateful! 😉  Here are a few of my thankful thoughts for today:

1. I’m grateful that another good friend had her baby and that everyone is happy and healthy.
2. I’m thankful for my job and place of business.  I am so lucky to work somewhere that gave me a 6 month maternity leave, allowed me to come back part time at 30 hours a week in order to keep my benefits but also spend more time with my boys, and lets me work a flexible schedule.  There needs to be more companies and organizations that follow their lead when it comes to being family friend and having a work-life balance.
3. I’m thankful for a wonderful Easter filled with family and friends who were able to come to our house on Sunday to join us for brunch.
4. I’m grateful for spring!  The boys and I have been going on lots of walks and runs and getting our Vitamin D after a long and cold winter.
5. I’m thankful for my sweet boys who do so well when we take them places and introduce them to new things outside of their regular routine.  Carter and Morgan went to the farmer’s market and then ran errands with Ben and I all day on Saturday and they did so well!

Love you friends!

That’s me…I’m happy and grateful today!

1. I’m so thankful that several of my friends have recently had healthy little babies with no complications!  And I’m so grateful that we have all these wonderful little people joining our world!
2. I’m thankful for a mommy’s night out with my bestie and SIL, Sarah!  We went to the Tin Whistle Irish Pub on Friday and enjoyed good beer from Three Notch’d Brewing Company, great Irish food, awesome Irish music, and amazing homemade desserts!  It was so nice to have a date with one of my best friends and chat without babies interrupting us!
3. I’m grateful for all the other moms out there who have been so helpful to me in this first year of motherhood.  I will never be able to express how thankful I am for all of their advice, support, friendship, and love.
4. I’m thankful for good nights when my boys sleep well all night and go to bed without a fight!
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for my husband Ben who is so good with our boys!  Seeing them smile when they see him makes my heart happy!

Love to all!