I am thankful for nature and pie

We celebrated our Thanksgiving outdoors. We went on a nice walk in Temescal Canyon in Malibu. We enjoyed a nice drive up the coast. It was such a clear day you could see for miles. We stopped at Leo Carillo Beach. Amelia enjoyed throwing rocks and we walked around some tide pools with lots of starfish. We ventured home. I whipped up a nice meal and we ate. Amelia enjoyed having sparkling cider in a fancy cup. She loves being fancy and this cup topped the fancy list for her. She held it fancy and made sure after every sip to smack her lips and sigh. Since it was Thanksgiving, we didn't fuss to much that her dinner mostly consisted of that drink, some bread and some dairy free pumpkin pie. (yes it's possible and delicious)

Notice anything about this picture??

Hope I don't seem too braggy but.......

Today I got my double jogging stroller and I am so in love with it. After way to many hours of searching for the right one, I came across this brand, Valco. I wasn't totally sold on it until I saw it in person and Philip found a crazy deal on craigslist. It made all the things I don't like (really only the color) easier to deal with when I know now I will be able to tote my kids around the park, neighborhood, zoo and maybe even the stores near my house comfortably and safely. It fits through my front door and because of it's 4 wheels, it is shorter and turns easily. You can turn these knobs on the front to adjust the wheels for walking or jogging. For any mom's or stroller enthusiasts, you can check out this youtube video all about it's features. Their website isn't the greatest, but you can check it out at Valco's site also. I love the toddler jump seat you can add later and Amelia has already deemed the little zip off storage bag her "stroller purse". I just got back from a ride in the park and it is fun to push. So glad I got it and I can waist my time on being outside with it now.

2 things

Amelia says 2 really cute things right now I have to share. We were reading the Snowmen at Christmas book and she refers to Santa Claus as "Sandy Claus" (Sandy is Phil's boss) How appropriate. The second, she got a little poster at the zoo trick or treat with an ad for the animated movie Madagascar 2. If you haven't seen the ads, they have a bunch of animals on it including a hippopotamus. She also has this pocket quiet book that has a page where it says "H is for Hippo" Now she calls it an "H-a-potamus" and I love driving around and she yells out, "I see an H-a-potamus".

Go Mama

After the election, Philip was trying to get Amelia to say Barack Obama. Her attempt has led to calling him Go Mama. Last night I had the news on and there was a clip of his acceptance speech and Amelia starts yelling, "GO MAMA!! GO MAMA!! I see him. I see GO MAMA!!"

"chatstip"

We have been struggling with Amelia sleeping through the night, in her own bed, with the door closed and lights out, and without screaming for a little over a month now. We finally have made some progress and we are making a big deal about it with her. Yesterday was the first successful morning after a full night of "staying on my bed all night" so I rewarded her by taking her to the $1 bin at Target. She picked out this.

This was the perfect reward for a few reasons. One, she loves using my chapstick and I have various ones around the house and I will open them up to find big chunks dug out of them or a mysterious wetness to them. Gross.
Second, I love Dr Pepper. (usually diet, and caffeine free for pregnancy and nursing) Amelia always wants some, so I have to dissuade her by telling her it is special juice just for mommy. I have regretted this when she has loudly exclaimed in public things about "mommy's special juice" when soda is around and it makes me feel like people are wondering what really is in it to make it so special. So now she has her special juice chapstick.
Third, it is wide mouthed and pink, so she can get the proper coverage with one application. At first we thought she as having a reaction to it because of the pinkness around her mouth, but we soon realized it was just the excess application.
Fourth, it doesn't taste like Dr Pepper (that would have been way too good) but it does taste sweet, so she puts it on and then licks it right off and repeats until, with much drama, I take it away until next time she sleeps all night. At this rate, we will be able to have a few months worth of rewards for sleeping through the night. I just hope we aren't needing to do this that long.

Thinking of Thanks

I guess this is that time of year you contemplate things you are thankful for. I keep thinking about this so I guess I have to share. I am always amazed at how things work out. Just when I think I can't possibly bear another day of motherhood without having an epic mental breakdown, my children sleep through the night and wake up with smiles, hugs and kisses, "I love you's" and laughs. When I am struggling with the loss of my milk supply and it seems that there is no chance it will come back, and I am concerned about just giving in to the epic cost of formula, Philip gets a little incentive pay that covers the cost perfectly. When I am concerned about a health issue with Amelia, I meet someone with a personal experience that is a wealth of knowledge and comfort to me. When I have lost all hope that I can find nutritious, tasty and safe meals for Amelia, she decides her new favorite food is hummus. When I really need a friend, I get a phone call from someone. These all seem like silly small things, and at one point in my life I would have rolled my eyes at listening to a stay at home mom complain that her major concerns are cooking dinner. But these small things add up to a large reprieve from my day to day endeavors to be a better and happy person. You can chalk it up to luck, karma, chance, life or anything else, but I believe it is blessings and I am so thankful for them.

And you know I like to have a pic on my posts. This one is an oldie but a goodie.