I love having new pictures of our family around the apartment. I put up some of our new pictures, and it's fun seeing both kids' faces.

I am glad that potty training has been going better than expected. Chris has been cooperative and easily motivated. He has really caught on to the whole peeing in the potty thing very quickly. I feel like he just needs more practice and time. He even woke up dry this morning. Wow!

I am grateful that we could see Ryan for lunch before he left out of town.

I'm grateful for facebook and the chance to catch up with old friends and distant family members.

I am happy that the flowers Ryan bought me are blooming now so that I can have a reminder of him while he's away. Plus, they are absolutely beautiful and smell heavenly.

I love going to bed late and going to bed early. And I've been able to do both the last two nights (one each night). I love getting more sleep than usual, but I also love hanging out with Ryan without the kids.

I am very grateful for friends who invite us to do things. Today, we were invited to a Summer in the Middle of Winter party. It was so fun - everyone wore summer clothes, we ate barbequed hot dogs, played limbo and twister, and fought with swords. We had so much fun. They even had some beach video off of youtube playing with the waves crashing on the beach.

I love the library. I am so thankful we can go to the library and check out 40 items and not have to pay anything. How awesome is that?

I am grateful that Max did not have a blow-out today. This has been the first day in over two weeks.

I am grateful that Chris could poop on the toilet last night. A huge feat of endurance, strength, and emotional control on my part. And on his. I am also grateful for children's laxatives.

I am grateful for sandwiches with tomatoes and lettuce. The extra effort to slice the tomatoes and get out the lettuce was totally worth it.

I love Chris's enthusiasm for doing fun things. We played in the snow today, and he was all smiles, until the snow got on his face.

I am grateful for stuff being organized in plastic bins. I don't know why I feel better when things are in bins, but I do.

I am grateful for free stickers in the mail. Especially the Disney ones.

I love the smell of homemade cookies. And I love that I could make homemade cookies this afternoon to occupy Chris because I had put our dinner in the crockpot this morning. I love crockpot meals.

I love watching Max in his little jumper/exersaucer toy. He loves jumping in it which is so cute. I also love that when I am holding him, he will squeal and move his head into my line of sight to get my attention. And then he's give me a huge grin. Priceless.

Today, I spaced. We went to Target, and Chris was a little tantrum-y, so I was a little unhinged and forgot my purse in the cart. Thankfully, it was still in the cart when I remembered and drove back to get it. The amazing thing was that the cart and the purse were still in the cart corral and had not been moved. I prayed the whole way there that it would still be outside because both boys had fallen asleep in the car, and I really didn't want to wake them up and deal with the rudely awakened toddler and baby problem. So, I am especially grateful that nothing had been moved.

I am grateful that Chris *seems* excited about his big boy underwear.

I am grateful that Max took two good naps today (even with the falling asleep in the car business).

I'm grateful that I could go to the grocery store by myself (no kids) yesterday. It was so much easier to get what we needed without the distractions that two kids bring.

I'm grateful that Ryan came home from work with a flower for me. I really love having flowers on my kitchen table. Especially in the middle of an arctic chill.

I'm grateful for the CD that Matt made for us. There are a few songs on it that I really love, and I must remember to ask him who the artists are.

Along the music lines, I love "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot. We have had it playing on and off all day today, and I love it.

I'm glad that the dishes got done - thanks to Ryan.

My feet have been buffed and slathered with cream, and it feels soothing and tingly. Hopefully, my feet will soften up a bit now.

I'm glad that I could go through the boys' clothes today and get out some bigger clothes for Max. I'm really glad that I won't have to struggle to snap his clothes on now (at least for another little while).

I'm especially grateful that Ryan took Chris to his church meeting tonight. I needed some alone time after 3 straight days in the house with the boys.

I'm grateful for ice cream, and I'm glad nobody was at home to see how much of it I ate.

We got 3 packages yesterday! It was like Christmas all over again. My mom sent me a much-needed foot cream set that smells wonderful. Thanks, Mom! We also received a package from my in-laws with more presents, including an incredibly cute homemade purse. My sister also sent a package with lots of puzzles and boots and a coat for Chris.

We got to see some friends, eat cake, and talk and laugh. Much appreciated socializing when it's been too cold to do anything.

Chris has been much more cooperative when it comes to nap and bedtime. For a while, he would refuse to take a nap unless I was in his room taking a nap with him. Now, I can get through the naptime routine and leave him in his room to fall asleep on his own, and he won't get up even when Max is screaming (happy or sad screaming). It's been very nice t have naptime back again.

I am grateful for The Office and the TBS reruns of previous seasons on Tuesday nights. I love that show.

I am grateful that we could stay inside today when the weather was so bitter cold, but more importantly I am grateful that the kids were relatively good even though we didn't get out of the house.

Chris makes me laugh every day. Today, he was spinning for about 30 seconds. He stopped and said, "Mom, what is our house doing?"

I'm glad that I called and found out how to stop the monthly $12 service charge on our checking account.

I love hearing Chris learning grammar - he has very funny usage, where you can tell he's trying to figure out the rules of the English language. For example, he often asks, "Is this mine's?" He also said this morning, "He wake up'd." I think this language exploration is a lot of fun.

My friend Liz fed me lunch today. I am always grateful to have someone who is over the age of 10 to eat lunch with. Mealtime is definitely the time when I want company, and it is nice to have someone different to talk to and discuss things with. Plus, Liz always has great food.

Max went down to sleep tonight very easily. My nerves appreciate a night without crying.

I mdae cornbread muffins tonight for dinner and they turned out very well. I haven't eaten cornbread in a long time, and I had forgotten how much I liked it.

I know that I haven't posted anything for a while, so I wanted to get started again. I have missed too much to think I can catch up in one night, so my plan is to list several things I'm grateful fo every day for the next while.

I'm grateful that out of two major falls in church today, all Chris has to show for it is a few bumps and a little blood. No trips to the hospital or even trips home. I've got one tough kid.

I'm grateful that Ryan got home before we did and that he did all the dishes. I'm always grateful when I don't have to do dishes.

It made me really happy when Dora told me that I looked "elegant" today in church. Sunday is the one day I really try to look decent, and it's really nice when someone notices and comments.