thanksgiving

We went to visit my parents for Thanksgiving this year and it was just nice to be back home--particularly since I think the last time we were there was last Christmas. I can't believe this year is almost over. So much happened this year and the last few months have just breezed by me. I am grateful for so much and love my life.

I am thankful for my own little family - Greg, Nicholas, Sophia, and Naomi. They are my present happiness and hope for the future all rolled into one juicy mess.

I am thankful for my parents - they sacrificed so much to give me and my siblings so much more and as a parent, I realize they taught me way more than they think they did.

I am thankful for my inlaws - I couldn't have wished for a better family to choose to be a part of. And I hope we can raise our children as well as my inlaws raised Greg. I'm grateful that they live close enough to come babysit for us when we need them, but more importantly, that they are here to share in some of our everyday life.

I am thankful for the rest of my family, especially my siblings. They are the reason why I wanted my children to have siblings and hope that they enjoy being with each other when they grow up as much as I love getting together my mine.

And in this history-making election year, I am thankful for the freedoms we have, for the foresight that my parents had many years ago to bring us to this country and give us the opportunity to live such a wonderful life.

can i buy a vowel?

Last night, Nicholas made a random discovery about his and his sisters' names--they all the vowels A, I, and O in their names.

nIchOlAs

sOphIA

nAOmI

He asked us if we did that on purpose. No, we did not. That it was purely coincidental makes it seem that much cooler. So cool that he now tells everyone and anyone who asks what their names are.

i am a kitten

In the movie, View from the Top (yes, I've watched it and I liked it, too), Mike Myers plays a wannabe flight attendant who couldn't fly because he was cross-eyed. Anyway, there's a scene where he gets all flustered and has to calm himself down by ringing a small bell and chanting, "I am a kitten." He then pretends he is a kitten grooming his whiskers.

Sometimes when Greg and I get really stressed out or mad about something, one of us will start saying "I am a kitten" and it always results in us laughing and getting past the moment. So last night, I was all stressed out because Naomi had an especially bad day of not napping and as we were getting ready for dinner, Nicholas and Sophia could tell I was all wiggity. So Sophia comes up to me and says, "Say 'I am a kitten,' Mom." I couldn't understand her at first, since her "kitten" sounds like "ditten." She said it again, and at that moment, Greg and I literally started rolling on the floor and laughing so hard we had tears coming down. At that moment, it was that funny...not so much now, I suppose. But the other funny part of this was that it had been a long time since we had said it, so it's funny that Sophia even remembered it at all and that she suggested it at an appropriate situation.