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Gratitude

Obstacle Course
Gratitude

Things I Want to Remember

//  He didn’t want to watch “Happy Feet 2” anymore because “it was a bit silly.”  So, he picked out 5 other suitable Blu-rays and shoved them all into the player.  Gotta give the kid credit for trying to solve a problem on his own.

//  When we have races in the back garden he says “On your mark, get UPSET, go.”  It’s too cute for me to bother correcting him.

//  At a pub lunch he decided he should use two forks to eat as there were two at his place.  Not really out of the ordinary except that he tried to use them both simultaneously.

//  He’s desperate to wear his new purple shirt ALL the time.  Even on school days when he can’t wear it because he has a uniform.  So, it’s became his “breakfast shirt” and sometimes his “sleeping shirt.”  Then, I finally got why the purple shirt was so important.  “I want to wear my purple shirt like mummy.”  I do wear a lot of purple.

//  Yeah, he’s got on sandals with socks.  His choice, not mine.

//  “Mummy, we need to learn to fly.”  Yes we do sweetheart, yes we do.

October 30, 2012
Gratitude

Things I Want To Remember

:: making funny faces at his Daddy. Except he has just the one face that he does repeatedly.

:: saying “we’ll do that later” about anything he doesn’t want to do.  Me: “We need to trim your fingernails.”  Him: “We’ll do that later.”

:: sitting in the grass, in the rain, eating a cheese sandwich.  Because Daddy did.

:: getting into the Olympic spirit by practicing the long jump on the sofa.

:: adding wheels to all of his LEGO creations.  Might be a house, might be a tree, but it’s got wheels.  Usually three wheels.

:: snuggling in bed in the morning and reading stories.

:: failing to wander with me into any of the darker hallways at a castle we recently toured.  In the gift shop, he saw a book with a picture of a dragon on the front and said “that’s what I was afraid of, dragons.”  So we talked about how dragons are make believe and then drew a picture of a friendly dragon.

:: devouring a cup of hot chocolate, tipping the cup up so far it practically swallowed his face.  It was that good.

:: asking me in the car the other day, “Are you happy?”

September 3, 2012
Gratitude

Things I Want To Remember

… walking around naked in my sparkly shoes, and then in heels, as he ran across the room shouting “Ready.  Set.  Go.”

… making the most amazing sofa cushion house ever.  Which had a chimney and even needed repairs.  So he got his tools out.

… being so desperate to play with some new bits of train that he insisted I open them so that he could play with them in the middle of the town square. (photo evidence above.)

… calling me “Katherine.”  As in, “Katherine, come help me.”  I blame his dad for this.

… standing on his new “stage” (a step on the deck) and singing Baa, Baa Black Sheep into his “microphone” (a baster).  It was a great show.

… me: “What kind of music do you want to listen to?”  Him:  “Dragon music.”  Of course, let me find that in my song list.

… him:  “You’ve got more grey hair.  It’s grown out.”  Yes, thank you for noticing.

… giving his little friend a hug and a kiss when she got knocked over in football.  Awwww.

July 20, 2012
Sunday Morning Muffin
Gratitude

Things I Want to Remember

… saying “Mummy, you can’t wear that.  That’s daddy’s.  That’s too big for you.  Put your coat on.”  Silly me, I had put Daddy’s coat on to go outside (it was closest).

… making me sit on him to act out Row Row Row Your Boat.  Usually we do it the other way around.

… saying “Leave me alone, be nice to me” as he Daddy teased him.

… constantly wanting to be “naked with…”  As in, “naked with Spiderman trousers” or “naked with George shorts” (Note this means he’s wearing pants but no shirt).  What’s up with that?  Is he allergic to shirts?

… wanting to help cook and make his porridge in the morning

… actually weeing in a little cup.  He can barely wee in the toilet.

… asking me to hold the shower over his back because it feels nice.

… finding creative ways to make himself a little house / fort out of the sofa cushions.

… telling me on the way home from school that cauliflower cheese is his favorite when he has never eaten this at home.

… insisting that he climb into his car seat on his own.

… saying “let’s go home” when I picked him up from his grandparents.  He had a great time but he missed me.

… copying how Daddy drinks water, with “no top.”

… asking to go see the snakes before we left the zoo.  They’ve become his favorite.

… asking what everything’s name is and what it’s doing.  “What’s he doing?”  “What’s his name?” “What’s it got in it?”  I love that he’s become inquisitive even if it’s a little repetitive at times.  “What’s he doing?”  Well, the same thing he was when I told you 30 seconds ago.

… insisting on wearing his “light up” shoes to school.  Yes, dinosaur tennis shoes with little lights in the soles.

… putting his hand on a page in a book to mark it as an interesting page he wants to come back to.

… spilling milk on the floor with the express purpose of wiping it up like it’s a little game.

… “I got a booger in my nose.”

… Me:  “I love you little man.”  Him:  “Yes, of course.”

June 13, 2012
Expat Life, Gratitude

Sunshine is the Best Medicine

Sunshine is just good for the soul isn’t it?  When I wake up on a sunny day I feel more motivated, more energized, more alive.  I feel like I could conquer the world.

Did I love sunshine this much when I lived in Virginia?  I’ve always been a sun worshiper but I’m sure when the dog days of summer arrived and it was almost too hot to go outside I appreciated the sun less.  But here in England, bright warm sunny days are more of a novelty and I think that’s why I appreciate the sunshine so much more these days.  One of my friends even noted that I now have a totally English approach to sunshine, instantly breaking out the shorts and sundresses even though it might not be quite warm enough.  You just want to be that optimistic.  You’re so desperate to shake off the gloomy winter and enjoy the spring that even the slightest hint of warmth has you breaking out the summer clothes.

So I’m taking every opportunity to soak in the sun’s rays while it’s around.  To refresh, renew, rejuvenate the soul, rebuild the karma.  Just feeling the warm rays upon my face.  AHHHHHH!  It’s like it takes years off (even though it’s adding all the fine lines and wrinkles).  It relieves all the built up stress.  Gives me an inner peace and calm.

I feel like Edward in Twilight all glowing and sparkly when the sun strikes my skin.

May 29, 2012