Fruit & vegetable intake

I'm glad that my children eat their fruit & vegetables. Many times they've asked for and chosen fruit/vegetables over other foods. Not all the time, but I'm still impressed with what they eat. Let's hope it continues...

Hair clippers

I gave Ryan a haircut today! It's not perfect but it doesn't look too bad and he's 21 months old so oh well!  But I was happy with what it looked like for the most part and he didn't cry and it wasn't traumatic for him at all.  All in all it's a win.

7-8am

I start at 7am every other Saturday and I'm usually the only person here at that time. It's a nice quiet time that allows me to work on data, documentation and other things without being interrupted.

Friday traffic

I will be forever grateful for the (lack of) traffic on Fridays.

Perspective

One of our doctors at work as 4 kids, ages 7, 5, 3 and 20 months. I was impressed to say the least. I asked her how they decided to have 4 and what was the hardest transition, 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4. She said what I've heard time and time again that 3-4 is easy but for her 1-2 was the hardest. She said it was hard splitting the attention between the 2 children after being focused on 1 for so long. She was saying that they were very fortunate to have easy going kids who were all sleep-trained so they were all great sleepers too.  SO JEALOUS! But all in all, it gave me great perspective on my life, my kids and what life is like with more than 2.

iPhone games

Ryan was napping and we were tired but Chloe was still awake. I gave her my phone to play a few kids games and it kept her entertained for a while so i could lay down and rest for a few minutes. 

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- Cher

imagination

I got the kids these play scarves which are just nice pieces of colored fabric that they can play around with. It's great seeing what they come up with and the different things they want me to try to make with them. They have a lot of fun just running around and it's a super simple, non-electronic way to expend their energy.

#moments

One of the best things about watching my kids get older is their ability to play together, love each other and express themselves. The things Chloe says in reference to Ryan are (usually) so adorable. Last night, Ryan was in the garage and kept closing the door to the house. I walked away and when I was in my room I asked Chloe to go open the door so Ryan wouldn't get scared being in the garage. Off she went, running to open the door and she said "I have to go help my brother!!" My heart was ready to melt. I love these 2 kids so much.

Children

This morning, as Chloe was drinking her milk, I was looking at her and thought, "I still can't believe you're my child. I grew you inside of me!" It's amazing. It's an amazing thing to think about. These past few days I've been more grateful for the time I get to spend with my children.

gratitude blog

I recently added my gratitude blog to my bookmarks bar so that I see it and remember to write something at least once a day. Some days I get too busy and I'll forget but overall I've been more consistent.  The consistency has made me more thankful for everything in my life. It makes me notice the small things and appreciate the world around me. It's a great feeling to have and one that I've missed.

Proximity

It was raining today and it only took me 45 minutes to get to work! I was amazed. I'm very thankful that I work significantly closer to my home.  Thank you Kaiser East LA.

DVR

We just binge watched the current 6 season of SHIELD. It's so useful having DVR and just skipping through the 3-4 minutes of commercials. 

Side note: What happened to 2 minute commercial breaks from when we were kids? 

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- Cher

Dinner & new challenges

We took the kids to Olive Garden tonight, one of a very few number of times we've gone out to eat with them alone. I'm grateful that Alex was up for the challenge and at least we took one step forward. 

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- Cher

actual conversation

This morning Ryan was hanging out with me in the bathroom as I got ready for work. He was trying to brush his teeth and then rinse & spit with the cup of water. After I finished getting ready I realized that we had an actual conversation with back-and-forth and he understood what I was saying and I understood him! It made me realize how fast he's growing up and how much he's grown in the past few months.  He's a happy little boy most of the time and he really just wants to play with everyone and be included. My little boy is growing up!!

no traffic

Without traffic I can leave my house & get to work in 20 minutes.  It's amazing. These past 2 weeks have been great bc there's no traffic and I can spend a little more time at home with the kids.

late starts

Most Wednesdays I start work at 10:30am so I get to 'sleep in' and spend the morning with my monsters. It makes me grateful for the time I get to spend with them and also how small, sweet & innocent they are. I love my children so much and I love it when they get along and play together. I am always grateful for my kids and the joy and laughter they bring to my life.