Giving Thanks

Garett and I hosted Thanksgiving at our home this year. We had a nice size group including my parents, Garett's dad, my grandpa, a dear family friend who is like a sibling and a family who recently moved here from Tien Jin, China. I've never roasted a turkey before so I decided to try a recipe from my friend Jenni who has never steered me wrong. Again, she came through. The turkey was a hit and we finally finished it last night.In addition to the delicious turkey, we served Pomegranate Fizzies. I found this recipe at the last minute in the latest Sunset. It's easy and feels especially seasonal.

Wyatt decided that he liked smashed potatoes best. I think it might have something to do with the fact that he loves the garbage truck and the garbage truck smashes the garbage. I'm not sure if he ate more than he smashed in his hands but I was a little too preoccupied to remind him about the "we don't play with food" guideline.Garett's dad spent a few days with us and Wyatt could not have enjoyed it more. He's started making a silly, scrunched up face when I pull out the camera.Finally, I love him in this sweatshirt and his Hannah Anderson hat. He looks like an old-timer football player and has the girth of a linebacker. He hates wearing hats but I can tie this one under his neck and it makes it pretty tricky for him to get off.
In spite of a car accident the week before and a double ear infection for Wyatt on Tuesday, we had a remarkably wonderful holiday. Simply being with our family and friends was a reminder of what actually matters and I am grateful to God for the way he reveals himself through relationships.

Always a Smile?

While in the ER yesterday afternoon, I saw the same doctor that we'd met a few weeks prior when we brought Wyatt in for Croup. I reminded him that we'd met and he said that he remembered me as the mom who was constantly smiling.

I had awhile to sit by myself in a quiet place (it's sad that the ER is my quiet place) and I thought a lot about what he said. Why in the world would I have been smiling while I was bringing in my son in the middle of the night for a scary bout of swelling of his vocal chords and windpipe that made it difficult for him to breathe?

I'm deeply committed to being a person who faces adversity with a smile. The problem is, this smile doesn't always come from a real place in my heart. Sometimes it forms out of habit or due to my fear of actually feeling sad or disappointed about something. I confuse a smile with truly expressing joy and gratitude, the kind that comes from experiencing sadness, followed up by the sweet relief of the presence of God.

My new commitment is to learn to allow my face to actually reflect my heart. Yes, it may not always be pretty, but it will be true and that, I believe, is what God is asking of me today.

Whiplash and Neckrubs

I was in a minor car accident yesterday that ended up being not so minor. On my way to work I was the third car in a rear-end "pile up". Unfortunately, the two cars behind me were large SUVs (think Expedition or Navigator) and moving quickly, and my little Acura did not hold up. The trunk area crumpled up like a gauzy skirt and it appears that my car is totaled.

Here's the good news. Wyatt wasn't with me. Garett left work quickly to meet me and I was only 15 minutes late to teach my class. And I walked away with only a bad case of whiplash.

Yesterday afternoon I put on movies for Wyatt and tried to rest on the couch. He kept coming over to me saying, "Come Mommy, please," which is really difficult for me to resist. I finally explained to him what happened and that my neck was sore. Without skipping a beat, he climbed up on the couch next to me and began rubbing my neck saying, "Oooohhhh...," with his sad eyes and tone. My sweet boy, I swear he gets his kindness-gene from his father.

I'm disappointed and a little overwhelmed at the prospect of finding another car, as we were hoping that I'd be driving this car for at least another five years. But, alas, we're on the hunt for a new ride. Well, not new, more like used, but new to us. If you have any ideas or suggestions, we'd love to hear from you. Where's the best place to look for cars these days?

"Jewelry"

It all started a couple of weeks ago when Garett made me a jewelry stand for my birthday. I immediately took out my mess of a jewelry box and used the dining room table to organize all of my earrings, necklaces and bracelets on the metal stand. Wyatt observed the entire process and a fascination with jewelry began.
I had a couple of items including an old plastic necklace and a few headbands that ended up in the trash pile. This pile became Wyatt's and soon he was dressing Ruby in the necklaces and wearing the headbands around his neck. "Jewelry" seems to be in his top ten favorite words following closely behind "garbage", "dump", "smash", and "Maga" for Grandma.
This afternoon he named his stuffed puppy dog Jewelry. I still can't call the puppy by name without laughing out loud but he's pleased with his choice of name and who am I to disagree?