A Series of Little Miracles

     She sat in down in the grass to soak up the sun while watching the kids play in the back yard. It was a humid day but the winter had been so long and cold that it was nice to feel so warm. She had made lemonade for the kids so she called them over. She sipped some unsweetened iced tea herself. She had always said that there's no point in drinking calories unless they're caffeinated. As the kids made their way toward her she couldn't help but think about how much life had changed. Just 8 very short years ago she was starting a new job, living with friends and fawning over a guy that was a temporary fixture in her life. She wondered how 8 years could possibly have gone by so quickly. When life changes 100 times and does a complete 180, time tends to go by faster, she thought to herself. She smiled as the kids gulped down their lemonade and then ran away to continue playing.
     There were so many ups and downs that had come over the past years. It was a chain of events that she never saw coming in her life. A series of things that she had not planned for her future. She fell in love with a man that she never in a million years would have imagined being the one for her. Finding out a few months later that they were pregnant. She wasn't ready for it. Not even close. She loved her baby with everything that she had but she definitely wasn't ready. It has caused a deep depression and a lot of resentment toward her partner, even though she knew it was not his fault. After a lot of hard work and some serious life adjustments they muddled through it all with their sweet, funny, kind, smart, amazing little boy. Of course there were more obstacles to come. Loss of jobs, fights with family, distancing from friends, problems with co-workers. They would work through it all together no matter how difficult it became. There were definitely days they wanted to strangle each other but they had made it. After having their second child, life could not have been more perfect. Adding a baby girl to the family just made life that much more perfect. Their son was the perfect, most loving big brother and the baby's favorite person in the entire world was her "bra bra". Life felt complete. There was not a day of any of it that she would trade for the world.
     There were still struggles. There were still plenty of moments of doubt. There were still fights, sometimes daily. There were stresses and lots and lots of financial issues. There were mistakes made and nasty things said. She knew life wasn't perfect. She knew that it wasn't realistic for perfection. He was never going to do the dishes or stop leaving his dirty socks everywhere. They were never going to see eye to eye about every problem that needed to be solved or every parenting issue that needed to be dealt with. Yet she knew that they would work through them together. She knew that they could conquer anything that came up. She knew that their family was strong. She knew how much she loved their family time together. Yes, there were things that needed to change and be worked on. Still, nothing had been done that was irreparable damage. There was still time to become better, stronger, happier.
     She listened to the phone ring three times, not really expecting an answer. "I'm really sorry about this morning. I know that things need to change and I know I need to try and be better." He said as his greeting. "Thank you. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said it the way that I did. There is no good that comes out of fighting like that. I love you." She responded.
"I love you too. I'll be home soon." He said and then hung up the phone.
     She sighed. Life isn't perfect. It isn't meant to be. You just have to compile a list of all the little moments that make you happy and embrace those moments. The bad moments wash away over time. The good ones, the little miracle moments, those stay with you forever. Those are the moments that you remember. Today, she was happy. It had been a rough morning but the argument had brought on some memories that reminded her what life was all about. Life was not perfect but it was a series of little miracles that made her whole world just right.

Favorite and Funny Friday

     There are so many moments in a week that I just find so funny, especially with the kids. The truth is, they are so unreserved that the things that pop out sometimes are just hysterical! Every Friday I would like to share some of my favorite and funny moments.

     Gabe got his hair cut and the hair dresser spun him around to look at it when she was done. He looked in the mirror as she asked him what he thought. He said "I like it. It reminds me of old times." Both the hair dresser and I laughed hysterically.

     Sophia has started to refuse to go to people. One day she refused to go to my mom and she clung to my brother. The other day it was me and she refused to go to James. It was making him so upset and her reactions to his taunting her was really fun to watch.

     Sophia spit food in James' face.

     Gabe was really sick this past weekend. That was not funny or my favorite but one of the times that he was awake in the middle of the night he had thrown up and missed the bucket a little bit. I went in to clean him up and change him and he got really really upset because had gotten some in his hair. I said "Don't worry about it buddy we will take a bath first thing in the morning." He said "I'm going back to sleep and hopefully when I wake up I will just forget any of this ever happened." I felt awful for him of course but the way that he said that and the way the sentence was structured was just so adult. I couldn't help but laugh.

     These smiley face socks and the sunshine were definitely one of my favorite moments this week. Even if I was at work while it was so nice, it was nice to go outside in the sun for a few minutes during break time. 

    

     I found this quite hysterical this week while my kids were giving me a run for my stubborn. Let me tell you it is not an easy task to out stubborn me but my kids do it with ease.

     That's all for this week! Happy weekend!!! Love, love, love!

My Happy Place

     I hate that I haven't been posting lately. This is my space. This is my outlet. This is the thing I do for myself that helps me get out a lot of emotion, even if I'm not writing about my emotions. This past week has been a busy one as usual. Doctors appointments, work, Gabe getting sick. That's no excuse though. The thing is every time that I write a post I feel better. I feel more like myself. I know that I love doing this and that I need it in my life even if I am the only person who ever reads it. So I have come up with some ideas to structure me a little bit.

(The beach is also my happy place but in this case I'm talking about the blog!)

    First of all, I love writing stories. So, I came up with Short Story Sunday. I am going to do my best to post a short story every Sunday. Some will be fiction, some will be embellished, some will be straight from the heart. All of them will be in story form.
    Second, there are so many moments in a week that I find funny. Moments that make you laugh are the best kind. So, I am adding Favorite and Funny Friday, where every Friday I will post some of my favorite and funny moments from the week. Hopefully, they will put a smile on other people's faces the way that they do mine.
      I may come up with more ideas over time. Maybe the rest of my posts will just be catching up with me and me letting it all out. Maybe I will have some really insightful things to say. Who knows? That's what makes blogging so much fun isn't it?!

     I have started going back to the gym! It feels so good. I actually managed to get there 3 times last week with my friend Melissa. It has been so amazing and I feel so accomplished (and tired) after I go. I really want to lose some weight. I want to make me a better me. A healthier me. A happier me. I want to do it for myself and for my kids. They need me to be as healthy and happy as possible to make them as happy and healthy as possible.
     I have to remember to make the time to do things that make me the happiest. Spend time with my kids and fiance, go to the gym and blog. Those are the things I need right now. Well, those things and the sun but I don't get to control the sun, unfortunately. So stayed tuned friends, for a more focused and happy me!

Love, love, love!