Thankful Thursday

1.  Snow!  Though it reeked HAVOC on our city, we were blessed to be home together, safe and warm.  David worked from home on Wednesday (and I actually mean worked), so we didn't play outside a ton because I didn't want to handle two kids in those temps and conditions by myself.  Still, we got in enough for our taste and did the usual snow-y stuff: snowman building, snow ball throwing, and snow angel making.  We were out about an hour each day and even trekked to the lake then back through the woods to enjoy all of the gorgeous scenery.  Audrey loved it, but Luke just kind of tolerated it.  Me?  I like a little play time, but mostly prefer watching it from the inside while drinking hot chocolate.  

And with that, we're done with it.  Where's Spring?

2.  A (new) roof over our heads! And just in time for the snow! After several of our neighbors filed claims with their insurance companies and were getting granted new roofs, we decided it was worth a shot.  Sure enough, our insurance company determined there was enough wind and hail damage to cut us a check and our new roof went on last Saturday.  It looks awesome and really boosts the appearance of the whole house, especially since the garage had a different roof on it altogether.  At 15 years old, we knew we were going to have to bite the bullet in the next couple of years, but are so, so thankful it only cost us our deductible.  

3.  A WONDERFUL weekend with my husband.  For Christmas, David gave me the gift of an overnight stay downtown and the commitment to run in the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K.  We dropped the kids off of at his parents', went to the expo, walked around downtown and in Piedmont Park, then had a delicious dinner at a nice local Italian place.  The next morning, due to my lack of training and the cold temps being an awesome wife, I decided to do the 5K with him instead of the 15K.  It was a great route similar to what we've done before during the KP Corporate Challenge.  We finished and enjoyed our delicious hot chocolate, fondue, and various dipping treats then walked a mile back to the car, showered at the hotel, and ate breakfast.  On the way home we stopped to buy David's late Christmas/early b'day/early anniversary/early next Christmas gift of a new TV.  This was our second time buying a TV around the Superbowl and I, along with Clark Howard, highly recommend timing your TV purchase likewise.  We got an incredible deal on an open-box model someone brought back to exchange for a larger one.  We picked up the kids and went home to set it up in the basement.  We're waiting on the wall-mount, but it looks sooooo cool.  So, in conclusion, awesome weekend full of sweet, precious time with my husband...and cool gifts. :)

4.  Audrey's new bravery.  In the last week, we've gone to two Monkey Joe/Catch Air-type of indoor play places.  Audrey used to be very timid about trying many of the things there, but no more.  Now she runs fearlessly from giant inflatable slide to giant inflatable octopus to giant inflatable pirate ship.  I love watching her come out of her shell and enjoy it all.

5.  Luke's unchanging laugh.  We were watching home videos the other day and came across one from our old house when Audrey was cracking Luke up with a game of peek-a-boo.  He was probably about seven or eight months old and his laugh sounded exactly the same as it does now.  It was and is the sweetest sound to my ears.  

So, that's this week's update disguised as a Thankful Thursday list.  Hope you and your families didn't have too much trouble with the weather and that you enjoyed your snow days!

Thankful Thursday

1.  My oldest brother, Brian, who turns...well, older...tomorrow.  Love you and thankful for you, B!  

2.  Outdoor playground time.  We got to get out a little while on Monday and play at one of our nearby parks.  It seems a distance memory considering the low today was 15, but we soaked it up while we could.

3.  "Right now" moments.  Today the kids and I ate lunch at Subway.  Luke really wanted to sit with us in the booth instead of his usual highchair spot.  Audrey wanted me to sit with her.  So, naturally, we all sat on the same side of the booth.  I asked Audrey if she thought we'd always be able to squeeze in together like that.  "I don't know.  Maybe not.  But we can right now."  Wise words that made me grateful for that "right now" and many others that won't always be possible.    

4.  Toddler time at the library.  Because of my Bible Study schedule I haven't taken Luke to a toddler/story time more than once or twice.  We went this week and he really enjoyed it. He didn't participate much, but I think he will once he goes more often.  He did show a lot of independence when it came time to get his "activity toy" (a lettered beanbag) and hand stamped.  He made his way through the crowd up to the front and back to me without hesitating.  Oh my big boy.  Slow down!

5.  That I have 1/4 of the amount of stuff to consign than I've had the last two big sales.  Since I'm only doing the kids' previous season of clothes plus toys that don't get played with, it's going much faster than usual.  I'm also doing maternity this go-round, but it's still not as all-consuming as it typically is.  I'll miss the bigger check, but having a life the month before drop-off is nice too.  

Happy Belated New Year

Well, Happy New Year, folks!  I mean, I'm only 22 days late with my wishes, but at least I made it in January!  

Oy.  I hope this isn't an indication of how well my blogging is going to go this year.  I had so hoped to do better and even - yikes - start back up my Imperfect Perfectionist site?!  I know, I know...one thing at a time.

We had a great December and Christmas and, so far, 2014 isn't kicking our tail.  Audrey and I are both fighting off little colds, but other than that and a few more ear infection worries for Luke (but no actual infections), we're doing well.  My running has slacked off considerably with these cold temperatures, but I'm still doing at least 5 miles 2-3 times a week.  A far cry from my 20-25, but it's something.  My ever-shrinking jeans beg to differ that it's enough, though.  I could just lay off my cookie habit, but I'm not willing to go that drastic just yet.  I'm anxious to get back into a regular exercise routine.  

David and I have a race coming up this weekend downtown.  I was originally going to do the 15K and he was going to do the 5K, but then I decided since it was a date weekend and the 5K started almost an hour earlier, I'd go ahead and do it with him.  Yeah, yeah.  That's it.  It has absolutely nothing to do with my inadequate training and my being totally over running in 20 degree temps.

I haven't been a slacker in all arenas, though.  We've been tackling some projects around the house that we've been putting off for quite awhile.  As in, boxes in the basement closets that David never unpacked from our move and junk that had been stuffed in our old attic since we got married.  We've been cleaning out and cleaning up.  Normally there are few things I enjoy more, but too many projects at once mean I'm not making a lot of headway with any of them.  Cleaning out 3 basement closets + painting and decorating the guest bedroom + decorating the basement + consignment sale pricing + Luke's birthday party + cleaning out the master bedroom linen closet and all our memorabilia = a whole lot of physical and mental clutter and very little progress.  But, it'll get done eventually.  Beginning February 9th, we'll be hosting a couples' small group so that is my deadline.  And then there's Luke birthday and party later in the month, which will be my "okay-for-real-deadline deadline."  

So, busy business as usual, but we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves otherwise.  

I'll save the rest of the updates for my monthly recap, which if you're lucky, may get written sometime before May.  :)  

Hope to see you back here for Thankful Thursday!