My weekend of thanks!

I didn't get to post this weekend on here so I will do a weekend of thanks. I definitely am thankful for my wonderful husband. We met thanks to my cousin in Dec. of 1999 and have been together since. Has it been easy? No, of course not. Like any relationship there are ups and downs, but every time I look at the big picture, I know how blessed I am to have such a wonderful, stable, intelligent, hard working husband who is an amazing father. I have had so many issues (which we don't need to get into....) and he's been supportive every step of the way and I truly believe that many others would have given up a long time ago so for all of these reasons, I am very thankful for this handsome man in my life ♥

I also have the most wonderful and supportive friends. I have always been a bit shy and reserved so making friends has never been the easiest of things, but as I have gotten older, I have realized how important it is to have true friends.  I have a few friends that have been with me for years that I rely on and I am so grateful for and feel like I can turn to them for anything. After becoming a stay at home mom, I really wanted to meet other moms, so I attempted to start a group in my town. That didn't go far, but I did meet a few mothers that I have stayed close with so although I was disappointed the group didn't continue, I am thrilled that I made such great friends through the attempt! I also made an awesome decision a couple years ago to join a training program for the Charlottesville Women's 4 Miler. This was one of the best decisions I have made because I have met so many wonderful women that are so supportive and simply amazing. It's been such a blessing getting to know so many of them and I have come so far since then because of them! Lastly, there is also a group of women that I have gotten to know online through a site called www.justmommies.com. I went there when Troy was 6 weeks old looking for help on sleep issues and have stayed there since. I know many people are skeptical, but I have had nothing but a great experience and received a lot of support and love. As a stay at home mom, I have used this site as a way to have adult conversation and talk about the kids and life in general, when I didn't have other options. I was very lonely in the beginning, so this group of online friends has helped me tremendously.

And lastly, this weekend, I am thankful for my church family. I have been going to this church since I was little and although I left when I moved away for a few years, I always have come back to them. It's a small church, but it has a huge heart with the wonderful congregation  we have. The support they give to the members and the community is so wonderful so for them I am very thankful.

On this 3rd day....I am thankful for....

My in laws. Yes, you heard me. I adore all my in laws--mother in law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law....Yep, I realize what a rarity this is to enter into a family and really and truly love everyone. Again my biggest complaint is that we just don't see each other enough. (Or is that the reason why I love them so much.....???? :) ) We only get together once a year as a group with maybe a scattering of visits when it's possible, but with the crew spread out all over the country, it makes visiting more often a challenge. This is why we love our vacation to the 1000 Islands in NY so much because it's the only time we are all together so not only is it a vacation, but it's a chance to visit and catch up. Thank God for email, blogs, cell phones, and texting because it does help us to share stories, pictures and just chat! These are pictures from our trip in 2009, and not everyone is there, but just a sampling :)

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Day 2 of Being Thankful!

I must admit that I have the best family--immediate all the way to distant relatives. I love when we have family get togethers and enjoy spending time with each different side of my family. I definitely know how lucky I am that this is the case since not everyone has such wonderful relationships. My only complaint is that we are unable to get together as often as I would like. There are so many people I would like to mention but given that I have a large amount of cousins, aunts, uncles.....that would take forever and a day, so I will just say to all of my family--you know who you are ;)--thank you for being wonderful and supportive! And since I am horrible about taking pictures at such gatherings since I am always running after 2 kids, here's the best that I have (still pretty great, but I have left out quite a few)

Anaka and Antonio ♥ with my boys

My Dad ♥ with Jackie and Anaka♥

 Mom and the boys ♥

 Aunt Zelia, Jenny, Joy, Hannah and Kristen ♥

 At last year's joint bday party with Aunts and Uncles and Friends♥

 Brandie and Lucas♥

And just in case those on Jay's side of the family were curious as to why you weren't part of this....stay tuned for tomorrow's ;)

It's that time of the year!

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. Always have and always will. It's just such a wonderful time of the year to truly reflect on all the blessings. It's been a rough couple of weeks for me and I really have been very negative and frustrated. That all ends today. Will I still have my rough days? Sure. I can't say my entire attitude will change since I am still unable to do so many things, but when I find myself getting negative and grumpy, I will know it's time to think about all the wonderful people and things in my life! Today, I want to talk about my boys. Parenting is in no ways easy. It's downright hard, but these two boys are so very special to me and I adore them. I am so thankful that I have been blessed with 2 healthy children and hope they always know how much I love them!

What I Have Learned....

So some people have asked how things are going since my surgery and overall things are good. I still have a LOOONNNGGGG way to go, but for the most part, I cannot shouldn't complain.. Things are healing, the catheter is out, however I still have lots of limitations which is the hardest part. I am mentally more than ready to get back into a normal routine, but at the same time, I totally understand the limitations. Physically, my body isn't ready for the routine and lets me know when I have overdone it so it's not like I can do and do like before. My body screams at me until I finally nap or at least rest a bit. The leg? Well, still numb, but my strength is improving so no more cane or walker and I can *almost* walk up steps normally. Going down steps is a whole different story, BUT I am making progress.
So here's a few things I have learned over the past few weeks:
* Jay actually makes a pretty good stay at home dad. Yes, he was ready to get back to work, but he handled it better than I thought (not that he had a choice, but still)
* I am very glad that I was addicted for exercise because I don't know how I would have recovered as quickly as I did without being in decent shape. I really think the leg would be causing more issues and I would most likely still have the cane
* I am going to have to do lots more online shopping than actually attempting to take my slow self into stores
* Although I feel like a loner sometimes, I am a lot more social than I ever realized. 2 weeks of being home bound was tough!
* I am a beast to be around when I am sick/hurt/stuck at home--absolute miserable person to be around. Sorry to those who took the brunt of the mood
* Wearing heels and a weak leg are NOT a good mix. Must.stick.with.sneakers (now I have a great excuse for wearing sweats/athletic clothes all the time)
* I hate asking for help and it didn't get easier. AT ALL
* I have major control issues

and lastly and most importantly:
*Although this situation has been a challenge for me, I am so blessed to have had so many people showing support and helping my family in so many ways. I received so many calls and cards, had dinners made and groceries brought to us, magazines and books given to me....it definitely made life easier. I am in awe and the number of people who have helped! So a huge thank you to everyone!

Halloween Fun!

The boys were really looking forward to Halloween this year--more than they ever have. Luckily, it wasn't for the candy like other kids I have seen, but for the pumpkins. Troy actually threw a tantrum because we wouldn't carve pumpkins Thursday night at 7:00 even though we promised we would do it Saturday. It just wasn't soon enough for him. Fortunately, he got to go to a pumpkin patch for a field trip and pick out a small pumpkin which he carved with some help from my sister's in-laws Friday afternoon. That held him over for the big event on Saturday so thankfully, no more tantrums. He was very proud of himself because he got to do almost the entire carving--all by himself! I wasn't entirely sure about handing a sharp knife over to an almost 6 year old, but Jay was okay with it. Luckily, no injuries ensued and he did a pretty good job I think! Will told me what he wanted to do, so I tried my best.

 Showing off their pumpkins

 Getting them good and cleaned out

 Very happy boy with a very sharp knife YIKES

 But he did well (WHEW)

 The Final Products

Show and Tell!

Mainly because I am tired of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to share some pictures!

 Will loves loves loves his books and will set and read like a big boy! Love it!

 Boys first Football game. Troy's exhausted which is why we never go LOL

 They really love their Tae Kwon Do. They take it very seriously :)

Will hated this toy as a baby. As an almost 3 year old, he loved it!