I'm thankful...

for so much! (and today just seemed like a good day to take a little time and stop and revel in the blessings)

This entire house (and street, it seems) has been battling some gosh-awful thing that doesn't completely incapacitate you, and thus earn you a sick day (or in Rachel's case, me staying home so she can rest), but merely makes your quality of life awful enough that you can't taste food, walk in a straight line, or hear Elijah scream more than twice without flipping out on him. Actually, that seems like any other day, now that I think about it. "Just keey-ding!" (you have to imagine that last bit being said by a skinny Central American... clearly I haven't fully recovered, so bear with me. I can listen to the LJ scream at me at least three times without losing it on him... duh.

Anyways, all the being sick has just helped me with some perspective stuff and I think is actually a little blessing (or reminder, at the very least) just how much good stuff is around me. With no more shenanigans, a few of the best:

1) The ability for Rachel to stay home with our kids. We're really fortunate that Rach can stay home and be Mama full-time for these two young gents-in-training. Truthfully, this week I don't think that she would feel fortunate as the LJ has just been giving it to her up one side and down the other, but the sacrifice to help her to stay home along with the opportunity to do it at all is just something that I am incredibly thankful to her for. I don't know if anyone else in the world other than a Marine drill sergeant could shape up the LJ, (literally, as I write this, I hear on the floor above, "NO SIR!!! PUT THAT DOWN!") so the opportunity that we have been given with these little madmen is truly precious.

2) Nextdoor neighbors who are really truly the best neighbors we've ever had. I guess in some universes I should call them our tenants because they pay us rent, but that completely cheapens the relationship. Elijah and Ina are borderline inseparable and whenever he gets upset with us he wants to go over to her house by the secret passage, which is really just through the basement. It's been such a blessing having them next door and feeling like we have friends who are never more than thirty feet away (again, literally... we always feel really bad whenever Judah or Elijah has a meltdown because it carries through the air ducts). Last but not least, Dick (Ina's husband) and I never have to go to weddings anymore because Ina and Rachel have started a wonderful tradition of going to weddings as each other's dates (here's a lovely picture of them at the first one they went to)... a wonderful stroke of luck for all.

3) Judah moving around. We like crazy energetic youngsters here on the Court, and recently it's been fun to watch Judah "scavenge," as I call it. He's like a yes-man in the olden days... he carefully scurries around Elijah, making sure not to anger the mad monarch, lest LJ head-butt him or use his butt to slowly shove him over (LJ is actually really subtle about this, to the point where sometimes I'm not sure if he knocked Judah over or if Judah just fell on his own). As soon as Elijah turns his back, Judah makes a mad dash for whatever toy Elijah was just playing with,. The funniest times, though, are when Elijah whips his head back around for whatever reason and Judah goes straight into "what? take your toy? not me, O King," mode, where he drops it and backs away slowly, only to charge again when LJ loses interest.

4)But the one I'm REALLY thankful for today... I'm staying up an hour late tonight because it's time to FALL BACK!!! (although as good sense reminds me, the kids will still wake up 9 hours after they fell asleep, regardless of what I do)....