It's the little things in life ...

Hello family and friends, 

Today, well, today was my birthday. Yup, I am now 31 years old. Hard to believe how much has happened this year, but in reflecting on it I have a few things I'd like to share. Let's call it, "Things I Learned This Year." (Okay so the title is pretty weak, but it's summer vacation and my brain is exhausted!) 

Here goes ... 

* Falling in love is really fun! 

* Enjoy the love that grows between a blended family. Hearing the kids call each other brother and sister (and dropping the "step") is a wonderful feeling. Another awesome thing was when Gavin and Chloe recently decided to call me "Emy." 

* Working part-time doesn't mean that you have a lot of free time at home. 

* Working part-time is difficult. It's hard to tell the office, no.

* Keeping a family of five organized is daunting. 

* Take time to enjoy and LAUGH at the things the kids say. And for heaven's sake, write them down when it happens. Thinking things like, "Oh, that would be a great thing to blog about" doesn't work. You'll forget. 

* A few gems as of late ... 

From Chloe this morning, "Wow, you made it another year!" 

From Gavin last weekend, "Having three kids sure is a lot of work!" By the way, I replied that actually having three kids was A LOT of fun!

From Zack: "Mama, I just love you." This is something he says all the time ... seriously, sometimes 30-40 times a day, at least! 

* Listen to the jokes that Gavin makes up ... some of them are hilarious and others make no sense at all. It's fun, though, to watch the thought process at work. 

* Keep a back-up copy of your grades. You know, in case there is a processing error and, oh I don't know, one of your entire classes gets deleted from the system. 

* Stay positive. Thinking good thoughts leads to more good thoughts. It's hard to remember that sometimes, but I'm working on it. Certainly all the cuts to education have been testing my faith in positive thinking, for sure. 

* It's okay to cry. 

* It's also okay to take time for yourself. Ride the bike, take pilates, veg in front of the TV and watch a mindless, pointless show, whatever ... it's okay to be away from the kids and the family once in a while. 

* Living close to family is truly a blessing! 

* Take lots of pictures. 

* Learn to appreciate a few moments of peace and quiet. I have found that folding the laundry is one of my favorite tasks. Seriously, there's something pretty relaxing about making nice neat piles of clean clothes. (Putting the clothes away is an entirely different story, however ... ) 

* Write hand-written notes to friends and family. In a day of technology it's nice to see something other than a bill arrive in the mail.

* Go camping. 

* Give and receive lots of hugs and snuggles. Even if you're asked in the middle of preparing dinner or answering emails, or cleaning house, or any kind of inopportune time ... stop and snuggle EVERY time you're asked.

So, it's not a big list, but it's a start. There are, of course, a million other things I've learned this year ... but no reason to reflect on all of them ... some of them will stay in my heart. : ) 

Speaking of things that touch my heart ... wanted to share some recent pictures of our kids. They are beautiful! 

Much love, 

--M