Small Successes & Thankful Thursdays • Vol. 13

My thirteenth weekly edition of Small Successes for moms (hosted over at Faith and Family Live)...as they say, it’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph.

My successes this week were pretty simple...

1. We hosted a BBQ after Thomas's baptism.
   It was the 'biggest' event that we'd done since he was born. A number of things made this simpler - calling in the Merry Maids to help clean, prepping as much food as possible the day before and morning of (including lemon fruit dip and a yummy black eyed pea salad), utilizing one of God's best bulk gifts - Costco - for a stash of paper supplies, burgers, Mariner dogs, and potato salad, and called in reinforcements from Mom for a fruit centerpiece.
2. I've continued to get up at 4:15 am each weekday.
   It's been incredibly helpful to get things done on the mornings I don't go into the office, and it's helped get my sleeping schedule worked back out now that the Wee Ski is sleeping nearly the entire night through.
3. I took time to just be with Jonathan and Thomas.
   I think this is one of Jonathan's biggest pet peeves about me. I love getting up early. He does not. At all. Especially on weekends. But I have been making the effort to stop what I'm doing and come back to both of them and spend quiet early morning time with them. And it's an incredible blessing about my going back to work...where I would always focus on keeping the Wee Ski quiet so Jonathan could sleep longer, they are now finding their own little rituals in the morning that they share together. And I love to get to be a part of them .

And for the things I am thankful for...

• Rainstorms. Honestly. I love sitting on the couch, cozy inside the house, looking out over the fields to see the rain come down. The dogs are relaxed - usually Viper's up behind my head on the couch, Maggie's sleeping on the deck. Taco is in his Jumperoo talking to himself and bouncing around. And now the chicks are in the kitchen, chirping to themselves. Peace, without pure quiet, but a good quiet. With the rain pounding down on the roof.
• Chili cookoffs. One week from today.
• Being thisclose to having Thomas's nursery cleaned out. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Hoping to move his sleeping in there once he is fully through the night. :)
• Jonathan. Every day, I find myself loving him a little bit more. He is growing into his role as a loving papa in an incredible way.