Thankfully

i think i'm going to start a running post about the little things in life that i am thankful for. i don't know how long it will last. i'd like to get to it at least once a week, but i can't say that it will get to it the same day every week. i'd like to do it on monday; we'll see. since it is already tuesday, i've already blown that first one! but it isn't about the day of the week or how many weeks in a row i can manage to do it or even how many things each week i can find to be thankful for. it is about sitting down and finding the things in my life that i should be and am thankful for. to consciously take notice of the small bits. there are plenty of moments in my day that make me want to pull my hair out in fistfuls. so this is a conscious decision to either take note of the little things while they are happening or at least to sit down once a week and remember them.

i am thankful for . . .

* nate's good teeth. he's getting better about brushing his teeth. he's getting better *at* brushing his teeth. most of the time they are still stained. but he has not one single cavity. he is starting to lose his deciduous or primary or baby teeth (your choice of terminology there). he is also getting his first set of permanent teeth (the ones not actually replacing others)--his 6-year molars are coming in. his baby teeth look tiny in his mouth. i remember when they looked so BIG in there.

* willow's independent spirit. she does so much on her own at this age. today i looked for her shoes so we could leave the house again. she had put them together with the day's socks tucked right inside.

* my super smart kids. willow is such a little sponge. i hate to admit it, but i think it is ridiculously cute when she mimics the things we say. "shubup cat." nate is getting ready to start first grade. i think he's a little bit freaked out but mostly just excited. today we talked about evolution!

* trashy romance novels. well, maybe they aren't quite so trashy. but they are quick and fun to read, and they take me to places i could not possibly get to any other way.

* friends who can drop everything to support another friend who is having a bad week.

* baby/kid clothes. they have protected my kids and kept them warm. in return i have taken good care of them. now they are either going to friends who will use them or being sold to someone else who will use them. it is liberating and sad at the same time. hooray for the space freed up again, but letting go of the tiny little items that my babies wore is hard. i tried with nate to get pictures of him in the things i thought were so cute, i have not been as good about that with willow. doesn't matter now, all of the things that my kids can no longer wear are leaving my space in october, if not sooner.

want to join me? what are you thankful for these days?