Thanksgiving

Some pics from our Thanksgiving celebration . . .

She wasn't too sure about Thanksgiving dinner . . .

Let's Go Red Wings

Roy's Auntie Donna got Mia this cute set of Red Wing mittens and a hat. We had a pretty mild fall so Mia hadn't worn mittens yet. In this first picture you can tell she wasn't too sure about them.

In this pic she hasn't figured out how to get her hat off with mittens on (she has since mastered this!) . . .

Looking cute :)

Loving the ads

I am not sure if everyone that reads this blog knows where I work or what to do. I work at a company called Valassis. They are a marketing services company but one of the things they do is print many of the ads that come in both the newspaper and the mail. I work in their print pricing department. The significance is that Mia loves playing with the ads and coupons that come in the newspaper and mail :)

Coloring

I know Mia isn't ready to color but I wanted to pull out some crayons and a coloring book and let her check it out. She held the crayons and rubbed them on the page a couple of times. She loves to empty out the crayon box and try to stuff the crayons back in. Even better is when there is only a few crayons in there and she can shake them in the box. You have to start somewhere :)

On a side note maybe you would like to learn a little bit about our house in these lovely pictures. Mia and I are sitting on our "vintage" kitchen floor. Circa 1980ish?? It is a beaut . . . think off white with mint green and peach (ah yes, the lovely mint green and peach combination). To say I (or really we) hate it is an understatement. We took the time when we bought this house (almost 8 years ago, we are getting old!!) to completely redo all the flooring and paint, we had to get rid of the 80's country decor. For some reason we have always wanted a new floor but just haven't done it. Maybe this will be the goal of '10 or maybe as past years we will find other things to do with our time and money :)

Funny Faces

Mia seems to have a million different expressions these days. Her vocabulary may be limited but she can tell us how she feels by what she does. This is by far one of my favorites. It is mostly used when she is surprised or startled. I have no idea where she learned it but I love it. I am sure as with all things she will grow out of it but it will always bring a smile to my face . . .

Questions to ask at the end of the day

Someone forwarded this to me and I thought it was a great reminder . . .

Questions to ask at the end of the day

• Did I spend enough time with my kids today?
• Did I have any eye-to-eye contact conversations with them?
• Did I slow down enough to enjoy them, or was my day too rushed?
• How have they changed from yesterday?
• Did I kiss my husband today?
• Did I treat him as my husband or as the hired help?
• What memories did I make for our family today?
• How can I do better tomorrow?

Each night, as I lay in bed, these questions run through my mind. Some days I am so pleased with the way my day turned out, that I smile myself to sleep. Other days, I pray that God will give me one more day to do better.

Even with the best intention, some days just get away from me and I forget what matters most. I forget that rewards in this life aren't based on how clean my kitchen is or how my hair looks. Most days, it takes a conscious effort to make me take my eyes off the to-do list and just enjoy my family.

My children won't be little forever.

I want a husband, not a roommate.

We are a family.

That is what's important at the end of the day.

Mia and I

I really like this random picture of Mia and I . . .