Check in.

Again... sorry for the lack of posts. Its just a nutty time. Busy, busy, busy. In the past few days to a week there have been so many tiny blessings in my life. Id like to share a few with you.

-Matt came home Friday night after a work week in Virginia. Its weird: since Matt left for the war in 2002, I feel like I have the ability to continue on with our lives without him here, day to day. I dont like it, but I dont dread it. When he is gone we have bad moments for sure - even bad days, but I know I can do it and that confidence is a great feeling. All that withstanding, it is fantastic having him home. For me, life isnt complete without him here.

-The kids are out of school for the holiday break. I am soooooo happy! I can say absolutely that school stresses me out. There's always so much to be done. Between the kids, their demanding academic schdules and my volunteer work there, school can feel a bit suffocating at times. This break feels great! Its been wonderful to sleep in and lounge around with very little commitments. I love that. Its great to see the kids unwind.

-Yesterday a good friend of mine came over. She lives about 45 minutes away and with our children and our schedules we only see each other when the kids have breaks from school. I had the BEST day with her! The crazy thing is that the two of us didnt actually do anything to make yesterday fantastic. Instead, we sat for hours on my front porch and talked. What a wonderful way to pass the time - talking for hours. I honestly enjoyed every minute of it. I feel so fortunate for her visit - so fortunate for her friendship. I feel totally renewed by her visit.

-While my friend was here Seamus and her sons built on to the existing fort out in Seamusland. Check this out:

I know you guys are going to think Im being ridiculous, but I really like how this looks. Im serious! I like the hodge podge style in which it wad made. Seamus and Drew were very proud of themselves for making it. They were adorable. When I saw their creation, it made me remember how the neighborhood kids, Jennifer and I used to make forts when we were their age. Just like Seamus and Drew, we used pull from random pieces of lumber, carpet and plywood and make forts. We'd also add on to our treehouse from time to time. It felt so good to hammer things together and create a space for us. It was really sweet to see Seamus and Drew doing the same thing.

-You know how sometimes you find money in your pockets? Its a great feeling, isnt it? Well, last Friday instead of money I found these pictures in my jacket pocket. Seamus drew them for me a while ago. One is of me and one is of Matt. Finding those drawings Friday night literally made my week.

-This morning a song came on my ipod randomly: the Cure's Friday Im in Love. I was in the front room picking up stuff, but when I heard it I couldnt help but start dancing - dancing in that dorky 80s, Footloose kind of way. Do you know what Im talking about? Its a really comical style of dancing and I began laughing as I did it. I felt sort of stupid, but also kind of free and joyously ridiculous. Finn heard me laughing (he was on the computer) and upon seeing me he ran over and began dancing with me! For a couple minutes, the two of us were dancing, singing and laughing together as the Cure song continued. It felt really good - a fantastic "Mama moment" for me.

-I heard my niece Abbey sing a song yesterday - a Christmas song.
You might be thinking Jingle Bells or Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer might be an appropriate Christmas song for a 2.5 year old, right? Helllllll noooooooo! My niece (who coincidentally is named Abbey Road after the famous Bealtes album) sang "Last Christmas" - an awesome song from the 80s group Wham. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Oh goodness... my sister Miranda and I were dying last night as Abbey mouthed the words of the song at my parents house. Now THAT is what Im talking about! No more of that crappy Kids Bop. No more of that dorky sing along music. Bring on the 80s pop and from there we'll segue into the more classic rock songs that every child should know. Im seriously thinking of making her a playlist of catchy pop songs to keep this musical education going.

- I got a surprise package in the mail from my good friend Kira yesterday. At first I thought she made some elaborate Christmas card or something. The small package was larger than a regular Christmas card but not large enough to make me think it held a present. However, there was a present inside - a very cool present!

She sent this cool zipper pouch that was made out of water bags. On further inspection, I realized that the bag was made by children in Ghana through a program called A Ban On Neglect. Kira has always been conscientious about others. She is truly one of the kindest people I have ever known. When I realized what she had sent, I explained it to Matt and he said something like "Isnt that just like Kira... making the world a better place one small gesture at a time." He is right. That is like Kira.

-Its turned cold this morning and I actually welcome it. Feels like Christmas should. Wait... did I just say that? ;)

Happy Tuesday, everyone. :)